in past years my preferences on daisy chains has always been the more the better, however as of this year i am starting to second guess this opinion. i would apriciate suggestions if anyone would care to share on lures such as cedar plug chains, boone bird g/m daisy chain and the islander daisy chain.
Heres what i like to run
a cedar plug daisy chain consisting of 4 plugs total last of which being biggest on starboard flatline.... never caught a thing on this but i keep it there just in case since i was told it is one of the greats
an Islander daisy chain consisting of 4 total last of which being biggest on either short rigger or sometimes long rigger.... caught a few darado and a nice tuna last year on this and it gets a few knockdowns a year... i keep this there because i have hope for it, and it looks sexy
and on WTFB i like to run a boone bird green machine combo (G/M daisy chain consisting of 4 total last of which being biggest).... caught a few YFT on this three years ago... i keep this there because this is what ive always done
rest of the spread consist of dons mini bars(short rigger), squid chain with meat behind(long flat), Zukars feather (flatline), lone or weak baits (long riggers), big squid bar (long flat) and others...
inspite the VBTT this weekend i would apriciate any honest opinions since chances be they will be used... i would like to know how, why, and what colors are prefered

Wish I could help you out but I'm looking for more info on this as well. I'm interested to read all the different opinions. I'm sure there are quite a few who will chime in on this.

It sounds like your spread is all lures and no hoo. If this is true you need to get your crew used to getting their hands dirty while your putting the hammer down on that nice boat.

I like the boone and machine on the wwb or a bar there for slow times. I like the cedar daisy flat on one side. I like a b/w squid chain with a b/w billy witch and hoo on the opposite side short rigger. This gives the appearance of a couple small schools fleeing with alone back up choices for the fish that comes into the spread. He will see the alone choices to the other side and think he has already separated them by just being there and hit it sideways instead of straight on. I feel this gets better hook sets in the corner of mouth as well as less half bitten hoo heads. Islander jr's on each long with a good sized hoo for those who don't want to come into the spread. A pink/purp skirt as well as a mahi color skirt for flare.

Just my .02 cents, Catch em up, Steve.

Wow. You're not asking for much Sam! Here's a bit from my experience, and I'm sure you'll get a lot of other advice. What you pull and how you pull it is a function of the fish you are targeting and what the fish are looking for. If I'm targeting schoolie YFT & mahi, I'll use some spreader bars and daisy chains. The more splash the better. If I'm targeting BFT I use single, larger baits and less of them. If I normally drag 9 rods for YFT/Mahi, I'll use 5 for BFT. If the tuna are schooled up in the fall or spring runs, I fish the baits closer to the boat. School fish are competing for food and are typically less wary, and it's easier to manage and see the baits when they are closer. That's when your cedar plugs are most effective. After the schools are past our area the remaining fish can get real wary. I'll step down the leader size as low as 60lb test florocarbon and move the baits further back from the boat. Sometimes way back. Especially the shotgun. Your bird/green machine is a classic setup and very effective on tuna and mahi. But after the school tuna are gone, it's a spanish mackeral on a b/w Ilander behind the bird for me. As far back as I can get it. It'll catch yellowfin, bigeye, monster mahi and big blue marlin. Three things to remember. First, there are no hard and fast rules. What worked yesterday may be useless today, don't be afraid to change it up if the action is slow. Second, make sure your baits are fresh, in good shape, free of weed and swimming properly. One bait spinning or with weed on it can cause fish to pass by your entire spread. Finally, and this may sound stupid, but fish where the fish are. The ocean is a vast desert with little oasis' of life here and there. Too many people don't do their homework and end up dragging the pretty blue water all day with no action at all. Find a break, current line, weed line, bottom structure, something that attracts fish and work it hard. One of my favorite fish stories is how my day was saved when we caught a limit of 60 dolphin off of a white, 5 gallon bucket floating in the water. It wasn't much but it was all there was. As for the tuna tournament, there will be BFT at the Hot Dog. The question is will they get spooked by all the boat traffic that'll be there looking for them. You might want to consider lesser travelled ground like the 26 mile hill or the 21 mile hill, or some of the wrecks offshore. Just a thought, and no, I'm not fishing in the tournament! Good luck and I hope this helps!

What George said!!!

Good info from George and Steve. My spread usually consists of the following. Boone Bird down the middle with either b/w islander, b/w Conga Line, or some jetted lure. Longs are single baits, Shooters or seawitches over ballyhoo. Short baits are normally singles, once in a while bigger islander chains or horse ballyhoo behind bigger chuggers like TCB's or Shooters. Then the Tiki Bars and then the flat lines of cedar plugs, either single or chains, or skirted ballyhoo.

Colors...80 % b/w with pinks, greens and my new favorite Brown Sugar thrown in and adjust if one is getting more attention than the others.

One thing you have to do with any spread is be willing and able to adjust...change distance from the boat, change bait sizes, change boat speeds, etc. What works one day, will necessarily work the next. Hope this helps.

Im second guessing the GM bird combo, I pulled it a few times last summer with no hits. This year once with no hits.

Anyone having luck with the GM?

I have some flying fish daisies that did well with sea witch in tow last summer, along with inline squid chains with sea witch on flat line.

Here is why I like spreader Bars , chains and Dredges.A pelagic fish will not expend 60 calories to catch a 10 calorie meal.Evolution just wont allow that to happen.If a Tuna or Marlin think they have a shot at multiple bites they are going to seek and destroy.

I like the article from eyecatcher lures about the Circus coming to town. BRING EVERYTHING YOU GOT AND BRING IT ALL DOWNTOWN MAIN STREET!


http://eyecatcherlures.com/articlecircus.html

Great question with lots of right answers. I'm kind of anxious to read everyone else's favorite spreads. I've spent over 30 years in the cockpit of local charter boats on the Eastern Shore and fished a little North of here and a little South as well. Stopped the paid mating 2 years ago and now just fish with family and friends. My spread always starts with a dredge on one of the flats with a drone spoon. This is until we pass 100 fathoms and then it gets replaced with a naked swimming hoo. The other flat line is a skirted hoo or a meduim marauder type lure. The lure for the shallows and the hoo for the 100 fathom+ water.
For bluefin, I prefer single skirted ballyhoo in blue/white, black purple, blue/black, and pink/white. Once in a while a small Ilander like the tracker or the outrider on the long riggers. The long line is always at least half a spool back and a wind on with a blue/white skirt and a large hoo. Short riggers are always skirted hoos and once in a while trip cedar plugs.
If we are after yellowfin, that's when the spreader bars, birds and chains come out. We always fish the bars in the middle of the spread in the clean water and fish one short rigger close to the bar with a hoo and the same with the opposite side long rigger and the longer bar. Again the long line is a hoo way back but only about 1/4 spool back and usually a large naked or a blue/white skirt on the hoo. For yellowfin we will start adding some greens in colors.
If you are in on the 21 or 26 mile hill and are doing the "8 knot trot" for the small bluefin then we use the triple cedar plugs on the short and long riggers and single feathers on one flat and sometimes the bird green machine on the long line. The dredge is again on one of the the flats if we can keep it there.
The spread is always 8 to 9 lines depending on wind conditions.
This is just a starting spread and gets "tweaked" to what the fish nibble on.

I am hearing the hot lick on the bluefin this year is slow trolling (3-4 knots) as deep as you can get your hoos to wiggle.
Thanks and good luck fishing!
Brian Hill

good stuff... another thing i heard was running a cedar plug behind a squid daisy chain, and also what about a bird green machine Daisy chain at shotgun, and has anyone been catching anything on it this year
in conclusion the basic idea is to run meat if you have it, and make your spread concentrated in the middle and tapper out to make it look like a fleeing bait ball??

You got it!!

We did catch our Bluefin the other day on a cedar plug daisy chain off the flat line...great seeing the hit right behind the boat!