Bottom or Mid Depth Rod
An easy way to increase your catch while you are slow trolling live baits out of the outriggers, drifting flatlines or kite fishing is to put down a mid depth and/or a bottom rod with a weight and a titanium leader.
On the Miss Britt’s we use a spinning rod with a double line and a 15 to 30 foot leader. (I really prefer the longer leader).
One mandatory item on this rig is a titanium leader with a size 6, 4X strong Mustad treble hook or a 4/0 big gun or a 6/0 39938 Mustad circle hook. Any of those hooks work based on the fish you’re trying to catch. If you’re fishing a light weight like a 1 ounce to 3 ounce lead for a mid depth presentation, I would fish the circle hook if I’m targeting sailfish or a J Hook, which would be best for a mahi.
On the bottom rod, we usually fish a 4 to 12 ounce weight. On this rig, I typically fish the treble hook, which works really well for Kingfish and snappers.
We fish the rod, locked up with a light drag. That longer leader (30’) between the lead and hook typically gives the fish plenty of time to eat the bait without any drop back and increases the number of bites because of the greater distance between the lead and the bait. It also gives you more time from the moment that you remove the weight from the double line to have to make a gaff shot. Thirty feet seems to be the magic number.
The most successful way to land the fish is to remove the weight from the double line when the angler that can be attached with a rigging band, a snap swivel or a piece of plastic coated copper wire. When the lead comes to the boat, remove it and continue to wind the fish to the gaff. Whenever you are hand leader the fish, you increase the chances of that hook pulling.
One final tip when trying to gaff a fish in this situation, move the angler on the side of the boat, have them point the rod 90 degrees off the side which will reduce the chance of the fish getting under the boat. Unless it’s a fish like a snapper that is spinning circles as it gets closer to the boat, keep the boat moving forward to match the speed of the fish. It gives the Mate a nice broadside shot with the gaff and reduces those “Big one that got away stories”