Post 'yer Key's fishing advice, tips & tackle here

[Ryank]

Here is my 2Cents worth for what has worked for me over the years. I have had great success trolling for Dolphin, using both artificial and real / dead Ballyhoo with both blue and white feathers/ teasers, and pink/blue teasers on the snout. I run two to 3 lines out 2 on outriggers 1 or two flat behind the boat and try to keep it way back beyond the wake,( you can use birds if you do not have outriggers) Or just troll with 2 or 3 rods, Speeds between 3-7mph and troll around or beside weedlines or debris. I have as much success with hookups when coming to a stop as I have had trolling. One bit of advice is if you hook one fish, have pitch baits or a bally hoo rigged on a spinning rod and leave the hooked fish in the water at the boat, it will draw many other dolhpins to it as they try to join in the feeding frenzy.
For tuna you do not need to worry about debris or weedlines, you want either early morning or evening or overcast day with not much sun shining, tuna have very light sensitive eyes. I troll 3 to 4 rigs again and leave them much further behind the boat, almost out of sight, I have great luck on black and red feathers w/ no ballyhoo, We also use rattle trap lures, 2-3" long we replace the cheap hooks w / better trebles and troll these very slow, they resemble butterfish that tuna LOVE and the rattling noise brings them in. For these we use Fluro leader 20-25lbs and light drag, If you are trolling dead hoo, and you see real dolphins aka Flipper, leave the area if they are hitting your baits and stealing hoo. Or run different rigs. You cannot fight a Flipper they will wreck your tackle There are several "Humps" Out there be careful with the weather and keep an eye on the water, the updrafts or rising current from the humps can do interesting things out there and a small boat can find itself in 4-6ft very steep, very close together waves very quickly.
Heres some of the "Humps" #'s I have and these are common knowledge. 24. 48.175 x 80.26.674 Also one word of advice to anyone , if you see the big charter boats heading back in all at once, Do the same, I have learned the hard way they know long before we do if something very nasty is brewing. If you catch anything using this advice, I want a fillet. Big snapper , muttons, and YT's during the day is another subject entirely, and easier to show then explain, We fish near the reefs edge in one or two particualr spots with TONS of Chum, we go through 4-7 blocks of Chum a day and lots of baitballs of oats, mixed with Chum, with little hooks #2 or #3 in the middle rigged with a tiny piece of ballyhoo, on about 6ft of 10-15lb fluro and no sinker, it is an art form to be really good at it. I am sure everyone has their own style,. Thbe Chum slick brings them up ,and the reef fish pick away at the Oat/Chumball on its descent down, until hopefully a large Snapper grabs on.