Top Dredge Fishing Tips | Salt Water Sportsman

“Anglers who troll aboard small and midsize outboard-powered boats now understand what the big-boat guys have identified for many years: Dredges increase fish!” says Harry Vernon III, of Capt. Harry’s Fishing Provide in Miami, an ardent offshore angler.

“Dredge” is the generic title for a ramification of subsurface teasers pulled off the ­transom, clear-vinyl strips ­emblazoned with reflective fish decals, or a college of hookless artificials making a digital ball of bait. I’ve been pulling a pair of dredges behind my heart console for years. I’ve had fish come proper to the teasers, the place we’ve baited and hooked them both on a pitch bait or flat line.

Pulling dredges behind small or midsize boats with a one- or two-person crew is difficult, however properly well worth the effort. And regardless of what some newcomers to dredge trolling may assume, there’s far more to the tactic than simply selecting a dredge and towing it behind your boat.

Dredge Teaser Choices

Quite a few producers supply a spread of sizes and styles of teasers. When ­choosing one, or just a few, assume by way of colours and sizes of teasers that may finest ­appeal to the fish you search. I’ve been pulling two dredges often — one from every transom nook — clear, sturdy strips with holographic baitfish pictures (selections embody squid, ballyhoo or sardine-like baits) affixed to them. When deployed about 20 ft again and a number of other ft deep, they gentle up the water behind my boat, like two giant faculties of baitfish ­undulating in a good ball. After I’m looking for dolphin offshore, I have a tendency in direction of sardine-like pictures, which I really feel mimic flyingfish, a key forage of dolphin.

Strike Level, one other firm on this market, presents double-laminated holographic fish strips (ballyhoo or sardine), together with metal and titanium collapsible dredge bars. The photographs are available blue, pink or silver, and in fashions starting from 28 to 156 fish pictures.

As well as, Strike Level presents streamlined trolling skirts and lures in numerous sizes, colours, and mixtures to assist “dial within the tease” when predators are selectively feeding on a particular bait. For instance, flyingfish, bullet bonito or hen dolphin. Numerous different firms additionally supply fine-tuning choices similar to plastic mullet, mackerel, squid and flyingfish.

Greatest Positions for Dredges

Giant boats with towers have a terrific benefit, as a result of their dredges will be deployed farther again and deeper, whereas nonetheless remaining in view from the bridge or tower. Many small and midsize vessels lack that profit.

The approach, sans tower, is to place the dredges way back to you may and nonetheless see them; the target is recognizing fish arising on them, and with the ability to shortly regulate a flat-line bait or pitch out one other bait whereas the fish is on the dredge.

On my boat, I place the dredges 20 or so ft again, and 5 to 10 ft down; they’re again and deep sufficient in order that they’re not in heavy prop wash. I consider that some prop wash helps appeal to fish, maybe lending the phantasm of a feeding frenzy. So once you issue within the dredges simply behind and beneath that commotion, my floor teasers (i.e., spreader bars and/or daisy chains) in clear water to the surface of the prop wash and dredges, and a full unfold of baits, it’s simple to grasp how fish are coaxed in for a more in-depth look.

Typically dredges turn out to be anemic, like when sport fish go on selective feeds. That is the place sharp dredge trollers make vital changes, and deploy teasers that mimic the scale and magnificence of the plentiful forage fish. If dolphin, tuna or sailfish are feeding on small flyingfish, you’ll possible increase extra with dredges sporting small, ­plastic flyingfish, streamlined trolling lures within the dimension and colours of these flyingfish, and sardinelike holographic pictures. The identical technique applies with sailfish in shut and when ballyhoo are education closely, and marlin and even wahoo when bonito, skipjacks, and small tuna are plentiful.

Fast Deployment

A trolling sinker usually escorts a dredge into the depths, its precise weight hinging on most popular depth placement and trolling velocity. A neater setup for small and midsize boats is to switch the trolling sinker with a large-lipped, hookless trolling plug. This not solely takes the dredge into the depths, however it’s simpler to deal with, and simpler on the gelcoat and deck than a heavy trolling sinker.

Rigged with a Mann’s Stretch 40, or Rapala X-Rap deep-diving plug, the dredge can attain a depth properly past sight. Earlier than deploying the system, tie off the top the dredge line (roughly 30 to 40 ft of 400-pound-test monofilament) to a transom cleat; tying in a three-foot part of nylon rope on the finish of that line makes for straightforward dealing with. Subsequent, put the boat in impartial, lay the dredge and swimming plug within the water, put the boat again in gear, and keep a sluggish crawl till the dredge is in place. Then cleat the road, and resume trolling velocity.

The drag created by the dredge could make dealing with it at regular trolling speeds harmful, therefore deploying it at a sluggish clip. When retrieving the dredge to battle a fish or head again in, you’ll want to interrupt its drag by ­shifting into impartial.

With the dredge far sufficient again and nonetheless in view, deploy a second dredge from the alternative transom nook. From there, strategically place flat-line baits on the floor, or simply beneath and some ft past the dredge. This creates the phantasm of a baitfish that has fallen behind the varsity — a straightforward mark for sport fish.

Pitch Baits close to the Dredge

Dredges and pitch baits go hand in hand. Preserve two outfits, one heavy and one gentle, able to make the most of no matter comes up on the dredge. For instance, a 30- or 50-pound outfit with a big bait (horse ballyhoo, mackerel, mullet) will handle blue marlin, whereas a 20-pound spinning ­outfit with a small ballyhoo will deal with ­sailfish, white marlin and dolphin.

Don’t neglect the function of the flat strains. On a number of events, I’ve seen large dolphin come up on the dredge whereas ignoring the flat-line baits. To attain, we needed to reel up these flat strains, goal the rod tip on the water, and free-spool the baits so the baits drifted simply past the dredge. In each occasion, these baits had been devoured.

Rig the Swimming Plug with a Dredge

The dredge and swimming plug will experience independently of one another, with the dredge swimming behind the plug. This setup leaves the plug free to swim, dig in and run deep. What’s extra, the plug swimming in entrance of the dredge acts as yet one more teaser, offering a extra practical phantasm than a trolling sinker.

Choose a long-lipped, deep-diving plug, such because the Mann’s Stretch 30 and 40, or Rapala’s X-RAP ­Magnum 30, and take away the hooks.

Safe the plug to twenty inches of heavy cable crimped round a thimble to the break up ring or eye of the plug.

Crimp the alternative finish of the ­cable onto one eye of a 500-pound-test, three-way swivel.

Connect the 300-pound-test ball-bearing snap swivel on the dredge line to the attention adjoining to the one carrying the swimming plug.

Safe a 30-inch size of cable to the third eye, and crimp one other 300-pound ball-bearing snap swivel to its reverse finish, and fasten this to the dredge.