Perth Marlin Trolling Spread
Submitted by Seahorse7 on Thu, 2024-11-14 23:04
Gday All
I'm getting my trolling outfit set up properly for this summer and would appreciate any thoughts on the best set-up for a 6.8mtr boat, single outboard with 4.5mtr outriggers. I'll be using 37kg outfits with 80w reels, just not sure yet on how many lines I should go with, I'm leaning twoards 4, Will be 2 in the boat or solo. I'm fairly competent in a boat and no probs with 4 lines on tuna/dollies etc but havn't ran heavy outfits yet. Have teasers also.Want to maximise my changces of getting a large specimen to the boat if i hook up, because I will find them, just a matter of time!
beeroclock
Posts: 741
Date Joined: 22/08/12
Four lines out plus a teaser bad idea if going solo,
its alot of work even with 2 fishos! add in a double hook-up and it can go to a mess quickly. Solo i would go 2 lines and a teaser. Probably one of the most important things is there needs to be a skipper who really knows how to drive the boat when you hook up and fight the fish. 4 out of the 5 big marlin we have hooked at exxy came in sideways to the spread and crossed lines with other rods that were out. One marlin we hooked grabbed the outside lure that was half way set back on one side and jumped high over the other lines luckily he threw the hooks we kept boat going forward and we were able to sort it all out . Theres lots more guys on here more experienced than me so hopefully a few give you some pointers. I will be interested to read them as well good luck might see you out there this summer cheers
Seahorse7
Posts: 25
Date Joined: 27/09/20
Thanks for your thoughts
Thanks for your thoughts mate. Theres a lot to learn for sure, id be hoping for a smaller one to get started!
davewillo
Posts: 2410
Date Joined: 08/09/16
Yep I agree that 4 lines and
Yep I agree that 4 lines and a teaser will be too much for a solo spread. You could possibly run 2 plus a shotgun as that will be less likely to get tangled. We had a big black at Exmouth take one bait, jump over the shotgun and take the other bait. So we had the skipper driving while 2 of us fought the bloody thing on separate 15kg spinning outfits! Not a legal capture but some bloody good laughs!
PGFC member and lure tragic
resurgence
Posts: 578
Date Joined: 23/04/14
Keep it simple
Off Perth you are most likely to get blue marlin; and they are most often in the 180-250kg range. A big blue like that will peel off a lot of line very quickly, so you want to be able to clear the spread and start recovering line as soon as you can.
On a trailer boat 3 lines is sufficient, plus maybe a teaser. If you had 3 on board I'd maybe consider four lines - two off the riggers, two off the corners. But again you want to have a competent crew who know what they're doing when a fish hits. Solo would be two lines max.
Do you have autopilot? That is a major asset if you are running shorthanded.
I'm a bit indifferent about teasers/dredges off Perth - I think they are definitely worth it when there are lots of fish around (like Exmouth), but when the fish are few and far between I'm not convinced they make much difference. Can't hurt to have one but it is an extra bit of gear to contend with during a bite.
People will have opinions on lure colours but my own experience (and similar to others that chase blues) is that you want at least a couple in your spread with dark colour combos like purple, black/purple or black/green etc.
Good luck!