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SamFamAustin
12-18-2009, 07:04 PM
This might sound funny or gross, but there actually is a style of trolling called the "Bird 'n' Turd." It is more popular with the larger boats for marlin hunting, but one can sometimes improve your catch rate when looking for wahoo, sails, and other offshore denizens.

Most of you probably know trolling theory, in which a center pole is run "way long" so as to attract fish well behind the boat, its wake, and its bubbles from the propellers.

Other lines are run closer in to the boat on each side, acting like a school of bait being chased by the evil Bird 'n' Turd.

The Bird 'n' Turd is simply a Boone Bird with a Moldcraft Wide Range lure, anything in a black/brown ugly color of the lure. Any lure will work but legend it they have to be quite used, ugly, and rusty. The bird is a floating splasher, which is connected by wire cable to the turd - because of toothy critters like 'cuda, mackerel, and wahoo.

Tell the truth, for all the work it is rare to hook a fish on this kind of rig. They are meant to attract fish, with your port and starboard flat-lines and outriggers catching most of the fish. A nice feature is that because they "pop" the waves, they don't get weeded up very much. Hope this was useful ... tight lines, all. ;)

DrRalph
12-18-2009, 08:32 PM
We've run something like this for several years. We put a 50-wide down the middle with a 12/0 pro-rig and a large cup-faced lure about 12' behind a Boone bird maybe 100 yards back. We don't get that many hits on it, but it raises big fish, and they typically come up into the spread. We have caught a few big wahoo and dolphin on it, but it's more effective as a giant teaser.

bobkalm
12-18-2009, 11:28 PM
:DThe Grumpy Old Fishermen always run a burdnturd from the middle seat launcher right past the prop wash when we troll at the drop. We change everything else out all the time, but always run the Boone bird. We get dolphin (occasional sail) hitting the bird itself & then easing back to take the lure (5' back). We usually pull a green alien or small dark doorknob behind the bird. You don't realize what kind of teeth a big mahi has to you see the bite marks on the bird. I hope to see a big mahi do it again late May 2010 85 degrees 3.452 miles E Hopetown, 257.4' depth.
Bob

fish bum
01-06-2010, 01:35 PM
Bird is the word, shotgun way back. Got a favorite and cheap source for a bird combo rig that catches big dodos and attracts everything off tiloo, check out this site on ebay - guaranteed you cannot beat the price, quality and fast shipping..

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Iland-Tracker-Style-Bird-Squid-Daisy-Chain_W0QQitemZ270510221936QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item3efbaa6a70

SamFamAustin
01-06-2010, 02:47 PM
That is one heck of a price, folks. :D