Choosing a spread of Skirted trolling lures? Some guidelines

When it comes to choosing a spread of skirting trolling lures the avid game fishing angler has never been blessed with so much choice! However if you are new to the game, the task can become a little daunting.

Here at Wellsys Tackle we have a large selection of some of the worlds finest bluewater skirted trolling lures.

With our Top Gun, Wellsys and Lured 3D ranges we give you the opportunity to choose your own lure heads and skirt colours from our unmatched range of Yo-Zuri Octopus lure skirts.

First things first

Skirted lures or just “skirts” as they are often called, are specifically designed for trolling and most work best at faster than natural bait trolling speeds making them the perfect choice when you want to “work an area” or “cover ground from A to B”.

When chasing pelagics, or any species of predatory fish for that matter, there is no one magic skirted lure, colour, head shape, size, type etc etc. With a goal of attracting a pelagic predator(s) to the boat ANY spread of working lures and/or teasers can potentially attract predatory fish and entice a strike. So when it comes to making head and skirt colour choices there is only one rule to remember and that is; “there are no rules!”

Some guidelines

For those after a little more direction we can offer the following useful guidelines for lure and/or skirt colour selection

1. Decide what species you’re chasing. Remember there are no hard and fast rules. Any lure that likes “popping” on the surface is particularly attractive to billfish,  mahi mahi and tuna. Mackerel, Wahoo and tuna also will fall for a heavier faster trolled lure and do show particular interest in the more straight and deeper running heads like hexajet’s and the aptly named “tuna bullets”.

 

2. If you’re working an area where bait is present then choosing lures that resemble the bait in size and colour often works well (Called “matching the hatch”). We offer our customers an unmatched choice of size (4” to 14”) and literally hundreds of different skirt colour choices from our Yo-zuri octopus skirt range.

 

3. The larger the lure generally the larger the target fish. Elephant’s do eat peanuts, but if you tempt a large fish with a small lure designed for smaller fish the leader and/or hooks might let you down. The reverse is also true. Large lures are often too much to handle for small fish and you just won’t hook up! Large lures are more likely to be seen. Small lures are cheaper.

 

4. Different head shapes provide different lure actions some more active and some more suited to different trolling positions or speed than others but all will work to achieve the same end result. (i.e. hopefully attract and entice a fish to strike). The most important consideration is to ensure EVERY LURE IN YOUR SPREAD is “WORKING” (and not fouled or misbehaving due to poor rigging, position or conditions). Quite often, success with skirted trolling lures amounts to “time in the water” i.e. the longer a lure spends in the water the more likely it will result in a strike.

 

5. Long heads are generally more stable in their action than short heads which tend to be more vigorous. Some people argue that a lure with too much action is hard to catch, but others will contend that a more vigorous action is more likely to excite!

 

6. Many heads feature jets which will add a more constant bubble trail and assist been seen. Non jet lures still account for plenty of game fish.

 

7. Sliced heads seem to work better when they’re weighted (loaded) and will generally have more action than straight faced lures including the ability to dive!

 

8. Match the colour of your head to the skirts for a better looking offering. Get creative and don’t get set in your ways. If unsure choose clear it will go well with any colour skirt.

 

9. Both hard and soft heads work and have their respective following. You get what you pay for so BEWARE of quality. All our lures are of the highest quality and great value.

 

10. The majority of skirted trolling lures run 2 skirts (Outer or top skirt and an inner or bottom skirt). With an option to choose your own skirt combinations, be sure to choose 2 skirts for each lure and get creative or choose a selection based on our well proven suggested colour charts. (Available on our website on the relative product pages). If you have a lure that you have purchased elsewhere and would like a fresh set of skirts we can often match up original colours pretty well. Contact us if you’re unsure of sizing.

 

11. Try bright colours on bright days and dark colours on darker days. Some skirts and even some lure heads today also feature luminous or UV additives which may help with attraction. Run Dark colours or luminous skirts in low light conditions to help been seen.

 

12. Think about position of the lure. Dark colours will be more easily seen if they are in the wash from your boat. In “clean water” both dark and bright colours will be effective.

 

13. The colour pink has always been successful and once upon a time it was touted that if you didn’t have pink in your lure you would never catch a marlin!

Customer support is readily available during normal business hours – Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need more assistance.

Wishing you, calm seas, loads of lures in your tackle box and tight lines

WELLSYS TACKLE