Ballyhoo

Ballyhoo are to offshore trolling what shad are to catfishing: the bait the whole game is built around. Slender, silver, and beaked, they rig beautifully to swim or skip enticingly behind a trolling boat, and virtually every blue-water gamefish - marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo, kingfish - will eat one. Rigged naked or behind a skirt or lure, trolled at the right speed, a ballyhoo is the classic offshore presentation. Learning to rig and pull them well is a core skill for anyone trolling the deep.

What it catches

The full offshore lineup: white and blue marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi (dorado), tuna, wahoo, kingfish and more. Rigged small or large, naked or dressed with a skirt or lure, ballyhoo cover everything from light-tackle sailfish to heavy marlin trolling. They're the backbone bait of the offshore trolling spread across warm oceans.

Getting & keeping it

Buy them frozen in flats at coastal tackle shops (the standard), or catch fresh ones by chumming them up behind the boat and cast-netting them, or picking them off with tiny baited hooks (small sabikis also work when they're scattered). Keep frozen ballyhoo cold until rigging, and brine them (many anglers salt-brine to toughen the bait) so they hold up to trolling. Thaw only what you'll rig, keep them iced, and handle gently to avoid tearing the delicate bait.

How to rig it

Rig ballyhoo to swim (weighted, running just under the surface) or skip (unweighted, bouncing on top), using rigging wire or floss to bind the beak and hold the hook, often behind a skirt, chugger or lure head. A proper rig makes the bait track straight without spinning. Pull them at trolling speeds that keep them swimming or skipping naturally in the spread, staggered across riggers and flat lines.

When it shines

Offshore trolling in warm, blue water for pelagic gamefish, year-round in the tropics and seasonally in temperate offshore grounds. It shines as the everyday trolling bait for sailfish, marlin, mahi and tuna, worked around weed lines, temperature breaks, current edges and structure where offshore fish concentrate.

Field tips

Brine and rig baits carefully so they swim straight and don't spin, which is the difference between a productive spread and a tangled mess. Match bait size and rig to the target and the tackle. Stagger baits at different distances and positions, mix naked and skirted, and check baits often, replacing any that wash out or spin. Troll at the speed that keeps the ballyhoo looking alive.

Common mistakes

A poorly-rigged bait that spins and twists the line, trolling too fast or slow so the ballyhoo doesn't swim or skip right, fishing washed-out or torn baits, and skipping the brine so soft baits tear apart quickly behind the boat.