Tired of spending thousands on fuel and equipment and not catching any fish. I only have a 20ft boat and no outriggers. I am only able to troll 5 lines because it is hard to deal with them all with only one person manning the rods while the other one is driving the boat. I am wondering if 5 lines is enough to get the Mahi's attention? Yesterday I went out to the specified coordinates on the Fish Here MAP. I was trolling from the North East Rock to the 90 ft drop. There was a nice weedline between both areas. Alot of boats were trolling near it. I did the same, with no luck. I need help. If the weather is good this weekend (Jun 20-21), I am asking anyone who knows what they are doing to allow me to hop on their boat and ride out with them, (Morehead City/Beaufort area) I will be glad to pay for share of fuel/bait/ knowledge. I just want to learn what I need to do to catch fish, preferably Mahi. I love fishing and spending time with my son. Kinda makes me feel like crap when I take him out there to come up empty handed, time and time again. If anyone would be interested in helping me out, please send me a PM. Thank you.
Titan, 5 lines is enough to get a Mahi's attention. That is all I troll with on my boat due to the experience level of my wife and young son. I connect squid daisy chain teasers to my main line one two rods with a sea witch/ballyhoo behind the daisy chain and have caught many mahi this way. I also run one flat line, one way back, one deep. The are plenty of experts here that can help with your setup. Good luck.
A lot of times it's also your speed and what you are trolling with. I always pull multiple daisy chain style lures with a changeable chase bait and ballyhoo or squid strip and do fairly well. Multiple baits will get their attention along with a bird, I am in the process of making my own large birds now.
Check your baits are not spinning or look unnatural. Always run a WWB cedar plug or similar.
Make sure your lower unit and prop is in good shape and not making any strange noise, I know people don't understand that, but fish can be put off by strange noises. Normal boat sounds are fine and usually the first to attract the fish.
Your boat is the illusion of a bait ball, and your lures are the stragglers trying to catch back up to it.
Thank you for the response. If the weather is good and anyone has room for one more this weekend please send me a PM. Charters included. I may learn a little by reading forums but I think the only way to understand it is to go with someone who knows what to do. This way I can ask all of questions that I have, from trolling speed to what a "Break is" how to find one, how to work a weed line, do I even need a weed line, pretty much anything from the bait/lure/gear prep to actually putting fish in the boat.
Just concentrate on your rigging, be confident and it will fall into place. Are you having trouble getting bites? Are the bites not coming tight?
Everyone has their bad days, it makes you appreciate the good ones that much more. You are due a good one from the sound of it. Remember that most of these guys posting fish slaying pics are sharing the good days. You only hear about the good ones. There are plenty of folks on the radio having their frustrations too.
You could always bottom fish if the troll is slow. I feel like a kid every time I bottom fish. That is always an option to put meat in the box and have fun with your son.
I know here in the Wilmington area there are lots of captains for hire on your boat. You foot the bill for fuel, bait and ice - and then their expertise. Still much cheaper than a pure offshore charter. And you will learn a lot more about fishing and more importantly how to fish your boat - your electronics. There are lots of folks on here from the MHC area also - I'm sure if someone knows a captain for hire, they will let you know. Good luck!
One day spent on a decent charter boat will put you years ahead of trying to figure it out for yourself. I know Charters aren't cheap, but having the ability to watch/learn/ask is well worth it. I am not suggesting you book a trip with us here, just a good reputable boat in your area should give you a pretty good start. Good luck.
howdy Titan,
just read your post - I just posted this morning bout our day Monday, cause we did pretty well - I'm just a weekend warrior - I run a 24 LTS Bayboat (and on the right days when seas allow it, I go out to 30-50 mile range) - no outriggers - run a simple 4 line spread - some combination of Islanders, sea stars, pirate plugs, and usually some sort of large trolling plug in the propwash - usually manage to catch something - so believe me - if I can do it, you can too - I agree 100% with hiring a capt either on his boat or to go with you on yours - you can learn tons of stuff, but most importantly, you'll get a firm hold on the basics and make a good contact to ask questions as they come up as well - good luck!
On Sunday the mahi were lovin the pirate plugs. And they wanted them pulled fast. Mahi acted plain stupid trying to kill the glow pirate plug with the pink head. They showed little interest in our baits on the surface.
Thank you for all the replies. I know no what I need to do. Hopefully the weather is good for this Sat. I will have some pics to post after I return.