# Fishing Tip # 445 Offshore Trolling Tip



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

FISHING TIP #445
OFFSHORE TROLLING TIP—COMMON SENSE

Have you ever wondered why the belly of a Ballyhoo, Sardine, Cigar Minnow, Flying fish or most other baitfish are silver or white? If you think about it, white and silver likely "Get lost" easier than other colors when silhouetted against the sky and ripples on the surface. 
How much reflection do you see from the scales of fish when you are looking up toward the surface? You see little, if any because they are back lit. It works just like photography. If the subject is back lit, all you get is a silhouette unless you use "Fill in" flash. 
Suppose a big school of offshore baitfish swam through a field of radiation that somehow screwed up their coloration. Their backs were silver and their bellies were dark rather than the other way around. My guess is that they would be more subject to predation from above and below than the normal colored members of their species and soon be totally wiped out. In the long term, this is the way Evolution works. The fittest survive, the less fit don't. 
I've mentioned many times that Bonita strips are my favorite offshore bait, especially for outrigger baits. Back strips, those cut from the upper side of the Bonita, always seem to catch more fish (for me) than those most folks cut from the belly. I am absolutely sure that it is because they are easier for fish to see when viewed from below. 
OK, that brings me to the point of this blurb. What color silhouettes best against the sky? This is a total "No brainer." Flat Black--no doubt whether the sky is light or dark. Have you ever seen a flat black trolling lure? Probably not. I don't remember seeing one. 
I have rigged Kodak film canisters to slip down over the head (actually front end) of a Bonita strip. The color? Flat black. In flat, calm water, they make a heck of a wake, chug mightily when they surface, and generally catch fish. I've done the same thing with aluminum and clear canisters and been successful too so the jury is still out on this one. 

I haven't done any offshore fishing to speak of since about 1988 so I have had precious little chance to experiment lately.


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

I like that theory. But it only holds true if the bait fish always swam straight, was always directly above the predator, and always swam at the same depth. The moment the sun moves, the bait fish turns, the predator changes depth, or the bait changes depth, the game is on. "Bling" or shine, is inevitable.


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