I started Sword fishing in 1976 and have picked up several good tricks. I usually fish four lines. The first line I put down about 40 ft on a balloon. I set this line first and then run the boat away from the balloon.

When letting your other lines down go slowly. This will keep the squid from wraping back on the line.  I count of the depth with my six foot reach as I let the line go down.  My deep line is 350 ft.  My next line is 250 and my next is 150.  I have had my best luck on the deep rigs.  Some nights you will get all your bites at about the same depth. 

My experience is that the fish bite when the moon is up over the horizon. On bright nights I get more bites deep but on dark nights I get a lot of bites on the shallow baits. When I get a fish on, I crank up my boat and fight the fish off the stern just like any other billfish.  If you have a good crew you can leave the other lines out and just keep them from crossing. I have caught multiple fish on many occasions using this method.

I use the C&H Mity lite and the Mardi Gras light on my rigs. They provide all the light that you need and they are not that expensive if you happen to lose a couple. My favorite colors are Green, Blue, Purple and of course the multi-colored Madri Grass.

You don’t have to use a giant squid. As a matter of fact, most of the squid found in the stomachs of the fish I have caught are about six to eight inches overall. Bostom mackerel also work quite well.  Live blue runners are great but they will also tangle up if you not on your game.

If the weather gets rough and I can’t continue to drift, I start trolling. I use a 48oz lead trolling weight and troll at about 4 to 5 knots.  It works, I have caught several fish using this method and saved my overnight trip.

Captain Don Combs

When you mention going Dolphin fishing to a non fishing person the first think that comes to mind is that you are going to fry up Flipper. So the more exotic name  Mahi Mahi has caught on in recent years. Regardless of what you call them, they are great to eat and a lot of fun to catch. Most of us choose to troll looking for weed lines or some other floating object in the ocean. I’ve caught many fish over fifty pounds and have found that most of the big fish always hit big baits. I pull C&H Aliens with select Ballyhoo or Flame lures with horse Ballyhoo when using baits. When pulling these lure bait combinations I use a singe hook rig. Usually a Mustad 7732 nine/0. I prefer to just pull lures. The Express lures from C&H are good choices with White over blue being my favorite. I also pull C&H Swimmers and Stubbys. All of my large fishing lures I rig with two hooks, two 7732 10/0’s.  My speed is about the same with both set ups, between nine and ten knots. The sea condition is what makes the difference. You want you baits to be in the water and not jumping out because of sea conditions.  I also find that many sea gulls will help locate feeding fish. In the Bahamas you will find Frigate birds over feeding fish. On the east coast and Gulf of Mexico sea gulls will often follow feeding schools or big single fish. Dolphin are schooling fish and if you catch one you should stay in the area and try for another strike. Many times when you catch one fish several others will follow the hooked fish to the boat. You can throw lures like the C&H Alien Jig ( Chanteuse) or you can pitch out a piece of squid or Ballyhoo. Many times you will find that the fish will not take a bait unless it is moving. The New Alien Jigs come in several sizes ranging from two to eight ounces.  If the wind is calm two ounces is all you will need. With a good spining rod outfit you can cast this fishing lures for several hundred feet. In south Florida many captains prefer the run and gun method. This just means that they run around the ocean looking for floating debris of weed lines. Then they cast lures or use chum to attract fish to the boat. I some case Dolphin can get very picky and it is hard to get they to bite anything except he chum. In this case you need to go to a sixty pound fluorocarbon leader and a live bait hood that is very small but strong. In some cases I just tie the hook directly to my twenty pound line on my spinning reel.

My pet peeve is the boat that comes in barging about their big catch of Dolphin but when you open the cooler they have killed dozens of one and two pound fish. Remember this, A Dolphin can grow to over fifty pounds in just two years if conditions are good. Let those small fish live to fight another day.

Wahoo. Pound for pound, he might be the meanest fish in the ocean.

The Atlantic sailfish might be the quickest. For sheer brute strength, the tuna might be tops. But for a savage strike at 50 mph combined a bare-knuckles brawl back to the boat, the wahoo rules the blue water. It’s like foul-hooking a Mustang GT and fighting a Hummer.

Winter is the time to target them in Northeast Florida, as is spring.

No one knows exactly why, but few have better guesstimates than captain Don Combs who’s been fishing for wahoo his way for more than 30 years. Combs is the face behind C&H Lures. You’ll see his lures rigged in the cockpits of blue water boats from Kona to Cabo and most stops in between. He holds the wahoo record in the Northeast Florida Marlin Association for a 125-pound fish.

Winter wahoo fishing, plainly put, is not for novices - or anyone on a work week schedule. It’s an enterprise of opportunity. Winter winds have a habit of howling down from the north, stacking up seas and ruining offshore fishing plans. When Mother Nature drops her guard, you’d better be ready to take advantage.

Tip: Combs believes that the week preceding a full moon and around a new moon are prime times for wahoo fishing.

It’s technical fishing. It’s also dangerous when done right.

For many, including Combs, “right” means high-speed trolling with lures.

Wahoo migrate up and down the Atlantic Coast, looking for the right combination of water temperature and food, Combs said. Those two stars cross in our area this time of year. Combs said that 78 degrees is ideal. When temperatures get to 85, the fish move north. When temperatures drop below 70, they head south.

That could be because they’re comfortable, or that schools of their favorite forage, blackfin tuna and bonito, are comfortable - or both. But what is known is that it usually happens now.

Combs said that some wahoo remain in our coastal waters year-round - just not in great numbers. What anglers count on is this. Dropping air temperatures and shorter days in winter combine to cool the waters inside the Gulf Stream.

But the Gulf Stream remains at a relatively constant temperature - warmer in the winter. This causes the fish scattered inshore to seek the temperature break at the edge.

Tip: Combs said that when you find a clear temperature break out off the ledge, that’s where the fish should be.

“Get out of the cold, green water,” he said. And if the water color changes gradually, look elsewhere for wahoo. If you can find a clear break, say from 68 to 72 degrees, that’s the money spot.

There are several services providing satellite images of the Gulf Stream area that delineate these temperature breaks. Sometimes pieces of the stream swirl off to the west forming pockets of warmer water. Theses are good places to prospect.

But wherever Combs points his compass, he puts lines out at least 5 miles before he’s where he wants to fish. “A lot of guys run right over fish,” Combs said. If you’re looking for a general rule, begin watching for temperature breaks or weeds in 170 to 195 feet of water. That’s the 28-fathom curve, located about 55 miles east.

The tactic used by many offshore anglers to find wahoo is high-speed trolling. The advantage is, of course, that you can cover a lot more water pulling big artificial baits fast. Natural baits are lethal, but tear up at these types of speeds. High-speed trolling is more of a search pattern or one used when fish are scattered.

Combs generally fishes only four lines when high-speeding, and suggests smaller center consoles use three. He likes to use 48-ounce sinkers attached to 15 feet of 200-300-pound test monofilament. From there a 6-foot leader - mono or wire - is run to the lure.

Tip: Combs said that mono leaders get more strikes, but they fall victim to the sharp teeth of the wahoo.

He said that mono leaders generally work fine at high speeds, but not going slow, and generally not with natural bait. The difference is that a wahoo will come up from under a slower bait and swallow it whole, cutting the mono. At high speeds wahoo chase it from behind and are hooked on the rear of the lure. If you rig with double hooks, attach the stinger hook with wire regardless of the leader material. Combs almost always employs double-hook rigs for wahoo.

Combs’ setup is normally 50-pound test. He runs two flat lines, usually with 48 ounces of weight on bent-butt rods. The two other lines are run off outriggers. They have to be pinned to a shotgun line, because outrigger clips can’t handle the drag caused by the big lures and high speeds. Downriggers are rarely used for the same reason. Vary the weights, with the heavier ones nearer the boat on the flat lines. This helps keep the lines from fouling on turns. Use braided line rather than monofilament.

Tip: Combs runs his spread farther behind the boat than most.

Flat lines are 200 feet back. Outriggers may be 250-300 feet. But the farther back lures run, the shallower they run. “There’s an optimal point,” he said.

Trolling speeds will differ between boats, depending on hull design, length and power. High speed trolling can range from 10 to 18 knots. Combs said 12 to 15 knots is usually your target speed.

Work back and forth over a temperature break. If not that, work the ledge because, Combs said, wahoo are also structure-oriented.

Tip: Combs said that the biggest mistake anglers make is trolling the Gulf Stream north and south.

“You’ll catch 100 percent more fish trolling east and west,” Combs said.

High-speed trolling is a game for experienced crews. Big lures, big hooks, big weights, big fish and braided lines are a recipe for injury. Braid can slice you like a garrote. The fish itself is a maniac boatside. And he’s tossing around a 3-pound piece of lead attached to a hook the size of a small gaff.

Tip: Combs said boating a wahoo is a three-man job. When the weight and leader come aboard, it’s the angler’s job to hold the weight (but be ready to release it fast). The second man wires the fish. The third gaffs the fish. Then, the dance of danger really begins.

When trolling, use just enough drag on the reel to keep the baits from pulling drag. Keep the clicker on always. If nothing else, it can alert the crew to weeds fouling a lure.

Ask most anglers about the color of a wahoo lure and they’ll tell you “something dark.” Combs agrees that black/red and black/purple are good colors. But he also likes pink/yellow and green/yellow. His all-time favorite is white over blue. He does not use blue over white. Sweat the small things.

Tip: Combs always starts pulling different colors in his spread.

“Certain days one color is going to be hotter than the others,” he said.

Dark colors might mimic blackfin tuna: yellow/green a dolphin. You’re trying to match a hatch that you probably can’t see. Cover the bases.

C& H Lures is proud to inform you that we are offering free shipping on all our fishing lures. Come visit our fishing lures store and find out more about our special offers.

C & H Lures has offered a superior line of fresh and saltwater trolling and casting lures. Founded by fishing experts, C & H Lures  continues to be top producers for all types of fish, year round. Choose from a wide variety of your favorite C & H Lures or Billy Bait Lures.