What's a Spreader Bar?
by Captain Mike Fisher

Teasing the fish to the surface is what spreader bars do, and they do it well. Spreader bars have been around for some time. They have proven themselves to be great fish attractors, when used as teaser without a hook, or when rigged with a sharp hook under the stinger/chase-bait's skirt to put it into the fish catching mode. In the fish catching mode the removable chase bait or stinger is attached to the last skirt on the centerline of the spreader bar by a ball bearing swivel and snap that's concealed under the last skirt.

Leader material between 18 and 24 inches in length is used for rigging the hook under the chase/stinger bait. This longer leader length sets the stinger/chase bait distinctively apart from the skirts on the bar. It's the straggler, the odd-man-out, or the inferior baitfish that can't keep up. This is the only bait on the spreader bar that is rigged or loaded with a hook.

Today, the majority of spreader bars pull varying numbers of plastic baits, hollow squids, squirting squids, and squid skirts in a multitude of colors. In the teaser mode they'll raise fish for bait-and-switch and fly presentation.

Several skirts skipping across the water imitate schools of baitfish or squid splashing along the surface. This illusion is what stimulates the predators to rise to this school of imposters. Following mere instinct, the rising predators target the straggler following behind the escaping school. Anything outside of the safe confines of the school or bait ball is targeted as an easy meal.

Single lures pulled behind the boat are not that conspicuous. They represent one baitfish each, and one baitfish doesn't make a meal for a school of predators. To raise a school of predator fish, whether they be albacore, yellowfin, blue fin, big eye, yellowtail, Dorado, marlin or other fish eating predators there has to be enough of a meal to offset the effort expended to catch it. Your boat's wake passing over the predators draws their attention first; they have to see enough available food in your wake to change their course.

Fish Magician Tackle's Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ and Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ are placed in the spread to develop the illusion of a school of 20 to 70 or more fleeing baitfish moving across the surface behind your boat. The daisy chains represent other baitfish that have been separated from the school; stragglers silhouetted against the sky and the prop wash, their stinger/chase-baits become easy targets for the feeding school of predators. Back to articles

Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™ - the key to attracting large tuna and marlin – larger baits!
by Captain Mike Fisher

When large pelagic fish feed, it’s a sight that makes any fisherman’s heart pound like a drum. Tuna-busting bait balls are like ill mannered rowdies at a church social; striped marlin selectively circling beneath their next meal; the blue marlin’s unexpected crashing of the bait; it’s all an adrenalin rush. One thing most observers find is that the big girls and boys will attack a smaller group of baits separated from a larger group before attacking a huge bait ball. Opinion is that the huge bait ball is so confusing it appears impenetrable. This is why spreader bars can out perform single lures; they meet the fish’s needs. Those smaller groups of impersonating plastic baits appear more manageable, vulnerable, attainable, and immediately stimulate that most basic need-to eat.

Fish Magician Tackle’s Pelagic Magic series light weight nylon spreader bars are designed to create the illusion of a food source. They are designed for the perceptive angler who requires larger bars and baits for the chase. The Pelagic Magic Series comes in three bar sizes, 30, 36 and 48 inch lengths, and are pulling 8 to 15 baits, 7 to 8 1/2 inches. Designed to be pulled from the outriggers at speeds from 4 to 9 knots, the baits create the commotion of bait fish or squid that have been pushed to the surface. That commotion is the illusion of the vulnerable bait schools, that commotion is the music of the Pelagic Magic Series.

We constructed the Pelagic Magic Series following the same exacting attention to detail in their assembly as that given to the Bait Ball Series. High quality light weight nylon, main line made of 300# Jinkai mono, 300 # Sampo ball bearing snap and swivel.

Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™ are built to meet the extreme stress that big game fishing put on gear. Pelagic Magic series bars pull 7-Strand hollow squids in six fish-attracting colors. Did you know that the bleeding mackerel pattern is the one color combo most often hit by the striped marlin, and among the most often hit is the Mean Joe Green combination of black and green. The colors wouldn’t be complete without black and purple, pro dolphin, and rainbow runner that are also known as the carrot top.

Chase/stinger baits are sold separately, allowing the angler the flexibility needed to keep up with changing light, bait and water conditions. You can mix bar and chase/bait colors, that’s a money saving advantage. They’re weighted to stay in the water; you don’t want them pushed aside by the water pressure being pushed by a large fish. The chaff gear wasn’t spared; both ends have springs and poly chaff gear. It’s going stay together. Back to articles

All About Bait Ball Daisy Chains™
by Captain Mike Fisher

FISH MAGICIAN TACKLE’S BAIT BALL DAISY CHAINS™ were designed for the private boater and those making trips off shore with the sport fishing fleet and kayak fisherman. The 3 and 4 squid Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ maintain the image of a fleeing group of baitfish separated from one of the Bait Ball Spreader Bars™. They are constructed with the high quality material; stainless steel chaffing gear at the top loop and around the 150 Sampo ball bearing swivel, high quality Yamishita squid (tako) skirts. On the 4 squid model each skirt has a ¼ ounce weight under it. The tuna will not take a lure of any kind unless it’s in the water. Some daisy chains on the market are not weighted, not even the stinger/chase-bait, how are they going to stay in the water?

The three squid Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ were designed for the kayak fisherman. It’s shorter because the kayak and board angler is closer to the water and needs to be able bring his or her catch along side without having to extend their reach out or down, which could be dangerous. They are made of the same high quality materials as the 4 squid model, but with slightly less weight, because they aren’t pulled as fast.

A designed safety factor, they’re shorter than most daisy chains. Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ will allow the angler on a private or sport boat to bring the fish into safe gaffing range without requiring the angler or the deck hand to leader the fish. Their length allows for quick storage for the run off shore, home or the next hot spot. Just reel your Bait Ball Daisy Chain to the stainless steel chaff gear to the top rod tip, and then pull the stinger/chase-bait’s line down and under your reel or reel handle and pull the stinger/chase-bait back up connecting the hook to one of the guides in the middle of the road. The key to maintaining the safety factor is to keep the stinger/chase-bait on a short leader, 18 – 24 inches.

I suggest pulling the daisy chains inside and just ahead or below the 10, 20, or 30 Bait Ball Spreader Bars™. To pull them below the bars, put them on a downrigger or a high-speed planer. Now, you’re fishing the water column and making some of the chase bait appear a little more tempting. Back to articles

Secrets to Fishing Bars and Chains
by Captain Mike Fisher

I strongly recommend that you use at least two of the larger Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ in your spread, one pulled from each outrigger. Pulling three or four of the 10-skirt, Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ is the alternative. If you have only one large spreader bar try pulling it right down the middle with Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ below or along each side of that bar. Try to match the hatch by size; we have colors that match the various baitfish, and squid.

How you position each bar is important! Place all Bait Ball Bars ahead of the swell, or wave, so the chase/stinger-bait is running down the face of the swell. When the wind builds above 15 knots try lowering the outrigger clip, and that will reduce the effect of the wind on the line and the bar.

The 30 and 20 Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ are best pulled from the outriggers, and/or center riggers, placed close to the boat with Bait Ball Daisy Chains™, jet heads and divers running between and/or below them. I recommend that you pull these on heavier outfits, thirty pound or heavier. I pull them on 50 pound outfits. Six to above 8 knots is recommended, but I like the 6.5 to 7.5 knot span, myself.

Any lure placed in a spread has to be positioned correctly. When employing a spreader bar out of each outrigger place the daisy chains on the inside and next to the Bait Ball Bar. You want that chain of splashing squids skirt to look like a line of bait that have separated from the spreader bar’s group of baits.

Like the stinger/chase-bait on the spreader bars, you want the stinger/chase-bait on the daisy chain to run in the same spot on a wave, right down the face of the swell. Not on the backside where you can’t see it, not in the middle of the trough either. The distance behind the boat will depend on the size of your vessel, so experiment. Albacore aren’t shy; if they haven’t been harassed too heavily, they’ll come right to the transom to take a lure. So, I always pull everything closer to the boat when targeting albacore. You can rig one of your favorite marlin jigs/lures on a shorter leader of about 24 inches and attach it to that snap under the last skirt. That’s the reason I used heavier line and ball bearing snap swivels in the construction of the 30, 20,10 and 7 bait bars.

The 4-skirt Bait Ball Daisy Chain gives its best performance while clipped down low. An inexpensive way is to use a rubber band; make a quick wrap around the line and then anchor it to the rod where it comes out of the rod holder in the covering boards, or the handle of the reel. The alternative is a Roller-Troller flat line release clip placed low on the transom. This position reduces the angle of the line as it enters the water. The Roller-Troller is what I prefer and use. I don’t recommend large lipped diving plugs as chase baits on the Bait Ball Daisy Chains™.

The place you don’t want to put your Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ is in water void of fish. Even dynamite fails to bring them up in those conditions. Find the fish first, then the bars and daisy chains can go in. Study the SST charts. If you don’t subscribe to a SST chart provider – do so. It saves gas, time, bait and that’s money! Look for the temperature breaks associated with bottom structure, like banks, canyons and drop offs. Keep your eyes peeled for the tell tale signs from birds, porpoise, and whales. Those creatures have to eat too, and they eat the same varieties of baitfish that albacore, yellowfin, blue fin, big eye, black fin, yellow tail, Dorado, Wahoo, marlin and other fish do. They often-feed in concert with each other!

Water clarity and temperature are important; the SST image or chart will tell you the areas to start in. Fish have temperature tolerances; looking at the chart is going to tell you where NOT TO GO! Follow the local fish reports DAILY; keep notes on the catches as they’re reported. This information is invaluable and gives you a definite advantage. I use Terrafin’s SST images, (www.terrafin.com) I can print them daily if I want to, but I print one early in the week, and then monitor the catch reports. Mark the numbers (latitude and longitude) on the printout daily, a dot will do, a different color for a different day. Then print the last image or chart just before you head off shore. Now you have a good idea of which direction the fish are moving in, the current conditions, and you can find the fish while you keep yourself out of the crowd, saving a great deal of time and gas. That equates to more fishing time! Concentrating your efforts in the most probable area, and watching for the tell tale signs of feeding fish has a greater probability of success than trolling empty water! Back to articles

Indestructible Nylon for Spreader Bars
by Captain Mike Fisher

Original spreader bar designers employed heavy metal bars to construct their bars, many still do. Nylon is lighter, and it’s strong.

Lightweight nylon is friendly to users. While boating a gaffed fish there’s a lot of excitement in the cockpit, allow a metal spreader bar to bang against the side of the boat, the covering boards, the deck, which can produce dings in that gel coat. The nylon bars are SOFTER than your boat's surface: NO repair jobs.

Nylon’s light weight keeps the bars from digging in and sinking at slower speeds, or when the bars begin to settle in as the boat slows while running into the back of a swell. Because they are light, they can be pulled at live bait speeds. Let the fish jump with them, they can, their light weight is not heavy enough to cause the hook to pull.

Nylon is not only strong, it’s flexible. If you try to jerk the bar off the deck while you’re still standing on it, IT WILL NOT PERMANENTLY BEND. Tie an overhand knot in it, it will return to its original shape. Its flexibility adds action to the squid skirts, but nylon bars do not collapse. We used nylon in our prototype bars and continued to do so because of its forgiving resilience. We experimented with other materials; there are other heavier materials out there. Nylon is a fraction of the weight, flexible, and strong without the trendy price of exotic materials. Back to articles

Fish Attracting Bait Ball Spreader Bars™
by Captain Mike Fisher

Fish Magician Tackle’s Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ are made in three sizes: 30” 18” and 12” inches. These bars are lightweight! The 30” and 18” bars are made with heavy chaff gear at the top loop, and around the 250#, Sampo Ball Bearing swivel under the last skirt. The centerline is one solid piece of 200# Jinkai leader material; the dropper lines are 100# Jinkai mono, and Jinkai crimps secure all connections. The skirts are top quality Yamashita squid (tako) skirts.

The largest Fish Magician Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ were designed for the private boater. The 30” bar comes in 2 configurations to choose from, either 30, or 20, 4.5-inch squid skits, in five color choices. Our mid-sized bar gives the angler 21 skirts in one spot behind the boat, additional bars just multiply the image.

For those who fish from smaller boats and Pangas, or those who don’t have outriggers, the smaller and lighter 18” Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ can be pulled from the rod tip. They’re equipped with either 10, and 7, 4.5-inch squid skirts. Don’t put them in the outriggers and center-rigger, keep them on the rod tip; they’re light and pull better from the lower angle that the rod tip provides. Again, six knots and above is recommended, but don’t hesitate to pull them slower. The 10 bait bars with the stinger/chase bait added gives the bar an 11 enticing skirt profile.

The 12-inch bar was designed for kayak and board fisherman. It’s made of lighter nylon material and is comprised of stainless steel chaff gear at the top loop as well as the bottom loop holding the 150# Sampo ball bearing swivel and snap under the last skirt. The centerline and droppers are 100# Jinkai mono, with Jinkai sleeves holding the connections together. Yamashita’s high quality squid (tako) skirts are used on this bar too; they’re not weighted as heavily.

The 12-inch Kayak bars are made with lighter material and equipped with 7, 4.5-inch squid skirts. These squid skirts are weighted differently to keep them splashing and dancing on the surface at slower speeds. The Kayak bars can be pulled as slow or as fast as your arms will propel them. Keep the chase/stinger bait closer, between 16 and 24 inches behind the spreader bar squid skirts, and that’s my personal preference for all of my chase-bait/stingers. They’ve taken calico bass, barracuda, and yellowtail. Back to articles

What fish attack first, the all-important stinger chase bait
by Captain Mike Fisher

Called the stinger, because of the hook, or chase bait due to its trailing position behind the bar. There are a few important considerations in making your choice of stinger/chase baits. This is the only bait that you want to be different; it has to stand out from all the other skirts on the bar by color and/or size. But don’t go to extremes where size is concerned. I found that identically sized, but different colored stinger/chase baits work better than large ones when the tuna (albacore and yellowfin) were being selective in their feeding.

Don’t put that stinger/chase bait too far behind the Bait Ball Bar on a long leader, if you rig one yourself. I recommend a total length of 18 to 24 inches between the ball bearing snap swivel under the last skirt and end of the stinger/chase bait. When a school of predators rise to the image the bar creates, you need the stinger/chase bait where they can see it to select it.

The skirts on the Bait Ball Bars are spaced in a uniform pattern; if you watch a ball of bait they establish a uniform distance between themselves as a matter of survival, safety in numbers. If you were a baitfish, and you were swimming within the school or bait ball you’re safe, swim outside the group and you and your scaly little butt winds up in the gullet of a predator. Hey, that’s just where we want that stinger/chase-bait to be! Interrupting the uniformity of the group with a change in color, size and the increased distance between the last skirt and the stinger/chase-bait marks that plastic straggler as the first stop in the feeding spree. Back to articles

The magic of 4 1/2 inch skirts
by Captain Mike Fisher

When fish actively feed on smaller baitfish the predators are often focused on one size bait, they can become selective. It’s very difficult to attract or draw the predators when they are so selective about what they’re feeding on. A single, or even three or four single tuna-type trolling jigs, don’t match the hatch, nor do they meet the numbers required to attract and hold a school of predators. The 4.5-inch squid skirts were chosen to mimic the smaller small size baitfish. They matched the hatch. Many times I’ve found the tuna feeding on small bait fish, I had to match the hatch to get them to come to feed. When I put the 4.5-inch squid skirts on the Bait Ball Spreader Bars™, they feed on them consistently. Any fish that feeds on baitfish will rise to the Bait Ball Spreader Bars™. Squid skirts are available in five colors. Back to articles

Cedar Plugs for Tuna and other Pelagic fishes
by Captain Mike Fisher

Cedar plugs have always been a fish catching bait for tuna and other pelagic fishes. Since I use cedar plugs in the both the 4" and 6" size as chase baits on my daisy chains and my spreader bars, I have to rig them for that purpose, approximately 28 - 30 inches of 100 pound Jinkai mono and a Mustad 3412 10/0 hooks makes sure that things stick to them.

Since multiple baits have much to do with our business, I've rigged a set of daisy chains just for the local waters, the other guys on the east coast and down south probably won't pick up on 'em.

You can run the cedar plug daisy chains right from the rod tip, or pinned down low on a Roller Troller, don't be afraid to pull these out of the riggers too. Put them in close to your spreader bars, or drop them down on a down rigger or a high speed planner. Send me some photos of your catches and they may find their way to the web site. Back to articles

Caring for your tackle
by Captain Mike Fisher

At the end of the day a wash down with clean fresh water and dry storage in a Fish Magician Tackle™ Travel Bag kept out of the sun light will help keep your Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ and Spreader Bars in tiptop condition. Sunlight's ultra-violet light damages monofilament; when not being used monofilament products should be removed from exposure to Ol' Sol. Back to articles

Loading Both Barrels When Hunting Tuna, Marlin And Other Offshore Game Fish!

From time to time it's difficult to get a clear picture of what's going to entice pelagic game fish to your spread. A change in any number of conditions will alter how, where and when the game fish feed next. Maximize your opportunities by mixing sizes and colors of your Fish Magician Tackle ™ spreader bars and daisy chains.

Mixing varying sizes of plastic temptations in your trolling pattern will broaden your options, and those presented to your quarry. Using spreader bars and daisy chain of different colors and skirt sizes opens up the menu for the quarry to choose. It takes on the appearance of different types fish or squid feeding down the food chain. When the pelagics come to your spread they'll tell you what they want. Your job is to pay attention and adapt the sizes and colors of your offerings as the game fish dictate.

Experiment! Don't be afraid of pulling larger Pelagic Magic Daisy Chains™ next to Bait Ball Spreader Bar™ or the Bait Ball Daisy Chains™ next to, or under any of the four models of the Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™. It's a natural!  All pelagic fish are opportunists - period! They have to eat when an opportunity presents itself. The metabolism of the tuna family requires that they replace the huge amounts of energy required to swim continuously, the bigger they are the more they have to eat.  I flush tuna stomach as I catch them to learn what they've been feeding on confirms my opinion. I've found various sizes, and species of forage in just one fish, squid of varying sizes, anchovies, brown baits, pelagic crabs. Try it and learn!

I have been mixing my trolling patterns with different models of my Fish Magician Tackle™ spreader bars and daisy chains with great results. I put into my trolling patterns, both the 20 and 10 bait, Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ and every configuration of the Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™. I'm not afraid to experiment, and I encourage you to do the same.

One of my clients, a charter boat captain on the east coast, mixed his trolling patterns with the 20 bait, Bait Ball Spreader Bars ™ and Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™, the result was a 188 pound Big Eye. Not bad!  That was the first time he dropped that Pelagic Magic Spreader Bar™ in the water.

It is hard to compete with a four rod trolling pattern pulling between forty-four to sixty bait imitations. In the eyes of tuna, and other pelagic fish, those numbers are worth rising to. True, the boat's wake first gets their attention, but if they are unable to target something in the food chain the charade ends with them returning to the deep. The entire school of game fish becomes more aggressive and competitive when they stumble across bait schools of sufficient numbers. Dolphin fish are the same; they're one of the fastest growing fish in the sea. You don't grow up on a diet, and if you don't eat you don't survive. Every creature that crawls on this planet, or swims in the seas that has matured beyond a few months of age, knows just how much energy it should expend to catch it's prey. If the numbers of bait fish are too few, why expend the energy when there is a high possibility that it will still go hungry. When there's enough forage baits to increase the odds that it will fill its belly then it will expend its energy, as will the entire school of game fish, and raise they will, with the intent of devouring everything in sight.

Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ are just the ticket when you want to mimic the smaller baits. We make them in sizes to fit the anglers' needs. The 10 bait bar is for the fisherman fishing from a panga sized craft; or pulling it in close to the stern off the rod tip. Our popular 20 bait bar and the custom order 30 bait bars carry 4 1/2 inch baits in five great colors.

We constructed the Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™ and Pelagic Magic Daisy Chains™ with attention to detail. High quality lightweight nylon, main line made of 300# Jinkai mono, 300 # Sampo ball/bearing snap and swivel, and chaff gear that stand up to the rigors of big game fishing. Pelagic Magic series bars pull 10 or 14 baits, of 7 inch or 8.5 inch hollow squids in six fish-attracting colors: Bleeding Mackerel, Mean Joe Green (a tuna favorite) purple (an all time favorite), pro dolphin, rainbow runner/carrot top (a tuna killer) , and a red calamari (mad squid) color.

When you're loading up to hunt the pelagic game fish, load up for success and load both barrels with spreader bars and daisy chains from Fish Magician Tackle™. Our Bait Ball Spreader Bars™ and Pelagic Magic Spreader Bars™, and Pelagic Magic Daisy Chains™ will improve your trolling spread. Visit our web site at www.FishMagicianTackle.com Back to articles