Marlin Fishing Trolling Lures with Kevin Hibbard

When you give consideration to the true pioneers of trolling lure designs for marlin fishing, you need look no further than Hawaii. There is a long and storied history starting with innovators like Henry Chee and George Parker. These guys were first among many great lure designers in the islands. The big game waters that surround the islands made for the perfect proving grounds for these pioneers to craft and test their lure designs on the biggest fish in the ocean. That tradition continues today with some of the biggest names in marlin fishing plying the waters in search of grander marlin with lures crafted in the islands.

Captain Kevin Hibbard pays homage to this heritage everyday he hits the water. He knows the history. He knows the people. He has fished all over the world with the greatest cast of marlin fishing experts known to man. Hawaii is his home and where much of his trolling lure knowledge originates. Kevin is not a vainglorious guy. He very much flies under the radar, quietly catching giant marlin with humble style. Having had the privilege of learning the fine art of trolling lures for big marlin from some immensely accomplished fishermen, he practices what he learned on an almost daily basis. Kevin Hibbard is dripping with marlin fishing knowledge.

When we at In The Spread set out to put together a series of apex predator fishing videos, Kevin is the type of guy we want to work with. His ability to articulate his fishing skill makes him a wonderful teacher. Wisdom comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from experience. If you are going to learn about marlin fishing and trolling lures, you are best served learning from a highly skilled practitioner like Kevin Hibbard.

When you set about seeking to improve your marlin fishing using trolling lures, it is best to understand how the waters you are fishing dictates the type of lures you run. Fishing the waters of the Atlantic versus the Pacific requires different lure designs, in many cases. Heavier lures do not perform as well in calm waters, just like lighter lures do not perform so well in rough waters. You really need to know the difference in how various lures perform in a given water condition.

Captain Kevin Hibbard is, among many things fishing, a calm water expert. He is also keenly motivated by big fish. The waters off of Kona, Hawaii are very much like those of a mill pond. What he will do for you in this video is discuss his typical lure pattern, a range of his favorite lures, how he positions each in the spread and most importantly why he makes the choices he does and why keeping things simple is so important, when it comes to marlin fishing where really big fish swim.

You will learn about the swimming cycle of lures and how pusher style lures and jets both play a critical role in his spread. I am sure you are familiar with the bubble trail or white smoke stream trolling lures leave in their paths, but do you understand the difference between white and black smoke? Kevin is going to tell you all about it, so you can make use of these performance characteristics.

One of the more interesting aspects of marlin fishing is how to rig trolling lures. Fishermen do it in wildly different ways all over the world. With Hawaii being one of those places where the innovation engine runs red hot, you would expect rigging techniques to be a little different. You get to see how Kevin assembles his hook rigs, the type of hooks he prefers and the leaders he uses. All of his choices are driven by how big marlin eat. His lure rigging is also pretty cool and something that is seen in the Pacific more than in the Atlantic.

Another interesting bit of rigging technique you will learn about is how he positions the hooks in the lures based on the lure design. Hooks are positioned upward or downward based on whether the lure is a flat face design, a pusher or a jet. To leave no shred of info off the table, Kevin talks about the natural memory in the bend of leader material and how that will manipulate a lures swimming action.

The size and color of lures is something that Kevin is somewhat dismissive of. He says “guys like lures like women like shoes”. He maintains that you should fish with confidence. Stick with lures that run well and don't waste time taking lures out of the water to change them all day long. The bite from marlin is more and instinctive thing related to movement. He will go into more detail for you.

There is a lot to learn from this marlin fishing master. Take full advantage of what it being shared in this video and fish smarter.

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Fish with Capt Kevin Hibbard aboard the 2nd Offense in Kona, Hawaii

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