Offshore Trolling
Trolling spreads, lures, outriggers, and tactics for tuna, mahi, wahoo, and billfish from the mid-Atlantic canyons to the Carolina Gulf Stream.
Bluewater Lure Color Selection: What the Water Actually Tells You
Why color is real but overrated in a trolling spread — how depth filters out color, why dark lures work in low light, and the two-color rule that covers 90% of offshore days.
Rigging King Mackerel: Smoked Dead Bait and Slow-Trolled Live Bait
How to rig stinger baits for king mackerel — dead bait skipped on top to smoke across the surface, live bait slow-trolled to look natural, and why the treble hook is the whole point of both rigs.
Mahi on Weed Lines and Floating Debris: Finding the Bite First
How to spot and work weed lines and floating debris for mahi-mahi offshore — what to look for, how to fish the school once you find it, and why the first fish you hook is the most valuable one in the water.
Near-Shore Trolling for Spanish Mackerel: The Clarkspoon Kit
How to troll near-shore for Spanish mackerel with small planers and Clarkspoons — speed, spread, and why a pre-rigged Clarkspoon kit gets you catching faster than building it piece by piece.
Reading SST and Chlorophyll Charts: Finding the Break That Holds Fish
How to read satellite sea surface temperature and chlorophyll charts to find temperature breaks and color changes offshore — and why having Starlink on board to pull a fresh chart mid-run changes the whole game.
High-Speed Wahoo Trolling: The Carolina Program That Actually Works
Speeds, trolling weights, wire leaders, and lure placement for high-speed wahoo trolling — plus the planer alternative when the high-speed bite dies.
Building a Mid-Atlantic Tuna Trolling Spread That Actually Raises Fish
A practical guide to setting a trolling spread for yellowfin and bluefin in the mid-Atlantic — positions, lures, ballyhoo, and the mistakes that cost you bites.
Planer Fishing for Wahoo: The Meat-Fishing Change-Up
How to rig and fish trolling planers for wahoo — planer sizes, sea witch and ballyhoo combos, leader lengths, hollow-core bridles vs. cleating off, and why a bait 20 feet down outfishes the surface spread.
My Trolling Spread, Line by Line: Planers to the Shotgun
A 9-line Carolina trolling spread explained position by position — planer placement, single vs double-rigged outriggers, and what to run on the shotgun.