It's the wiggle

We experienced good fishing all week on the East Cape. There was a little stormy weather with tropical storm Kristy passing by in the Pacific which brought more welcomed rain. It didn't stop Marlin, sailfish, dorado and tuna from giving anglers lots of action. Most boats did very well all week.

A few years ago while Ben Secrest was here fishing with us on Jen Wren he handed me a couple of Halco Laser Pro lures. He seemed to be pretty excited about the Aussie made lures and asked me to give them a try. Looking at them I thought to myself hey Benny, we live in Jurassic Park. These things look like something I would fish for striped bass on Lake Mead.

The Laser Pros sat on our boat for some time still in the package. One day while fishing tuna the bite was slow so I decided to give one a try. That was when I discovered how well they work. The Laser pro was the first bait to get the bite every time we passed through the porpoise. I was amazed that this flimsy looking little bait with a plastic bill and lighter wire hooks than I like could catch fish after fish. Unlike other baits it always swims straight and never has to be tuned. I can't tell you how many baits we have thrown away because they just can't be tuned. The Halco people have figured it out.

My crew has come to have so much confidence in this bait we almost always have one in our pattern while trolling. They are the most effective artificial bait I have ever used for tuna, wahoo and dorado. Once in a while a striped marlin or sailfish will come up and whack one also.

The Laser Pros are the best 12 to 14 bucks I have ever spent on a stick bait. A lot of fisherman have asked me what model or color works best. This is where I have a problem. The Halco people make so many sizes and color patterns it is impossible to keep track. Looking at what is available to order makes my head spin and is very confusing. I can tell you the 160's and 190's work best for me. Color makes no difference it is the wiggle in my opinion. After a few fish the lure is so beat up most of the color has been knocked off but they will still swim straight and still out catch other baits.

Just one more observation. Listening to the VHF on the East Cape one would think everyone is trolling Rapalas. Here is the deal. It is like Kleenex. How many people ask for a tissue? The local skippers call every deep diver a Rapala. Even Mauader type lures are refered to as a Rapala. Those in the know understand it may very well be a different type of lure than you think.