Florida Sport Fishing - Ballyhoo Everything you didn’t know

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Ballyhoo Everything you didn’t know

Written by Captain Mike Genoun

AS SEEN IN THE SEPT/OCT 2006 ISSUE

Bonus: Rig a deadly skirted ‘hoo in 30 seconds flat!

Ballyhoo are members of a group of fish known as halfbeaks, for their small, beak-like mouths. This popular baitfish is found outside the entire perimeter of Florida, but is most abundant in the near-coastal waters off the southern portion of the state, especially in the Florida Keys, where they are often seen schooling by the thousands.

Offshore anglers consider ballyhoo to be the number one natural enticement for billfish, dolphin, wahoo, and tuna, and are worth more then their weight in silver during prestigious, high-dollar tournaments. Easy to rig and extremely effective, ballyhoo have at one time or another been found in every single offshore cockpit from coast to coast. To fully appreciate the bait’s true value, one must first take a close look at the ballyhoo’s short, but expansive life cycle.

Most abundant throughout the fall and winter months off South Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, ballyhoo’s behavior characteristics and annual migration patterns can be predicted with some regularity. Spawning rituals take place off the northern and middle Florida Keys throughout the summer and fall months. Billions of eggs drift among mats of floating Sargassum before quickly hatching into larvae. The beds of weed housing the unimaginable numbers of not yet recognizable baitfish eventually get caught up in the Gulf Stream. Over the following months, the northerly flowing currents carry the mats of vegetation and their precious cargo all the way to New England and the southern reaches of the northern Atlantic, where by now, the tiny baitfish have likely reached two to three inches in length.

As the winter season progresses and offshore waters become too cool for the ballyhoo’s comfort, the unimaginable numbers of juvenile halfbeaks head inshore, rapidly growing as they gorge on plankton along the entire route. Arriving off the coasts of Virginia and the Carolinas, they instinctively head south, where they eventually end up off South Florida and the Florida Keys by late summer/early fall. By now, the unfathomable numbers of ballyhoo are typically eight to ten inches in length, and the entire life cycle begins all over again.

While in the southern reaches of the state, a portion of the ballyhoo population spend the vast majority of their time roaming cobalt depths exceeding one hundred feet, where they continue to feed on plankton and microscopic organisms. These “offshore” ballyhoo have shimmering silver bodies with distinctively bluish backs, hence the nickname “bluebacks.” The remaining segment of the population, however, chooses to spend their time hovering over the murky shallows in no more than ten to twelve feet of water. Here in the relatively shallow environment, they continuously feed on grass and algae-like substances, and though they feature the same shimmering body coloration as the “offshore” ballyhoo, the inshore fish have a defined olive-hued back, hence the nickname “greenbacks.” The latter are the more preferred trolling bait as they are a bit more durable and don’t wash out as quickly.

It’s from September through February when ballyhoo are targeted by commercial netters with a vengeance. In years past, ballyhoo were heavily pursued as far north as the Palm Beaches. Today, with the three mile net ban in effect, that fishery is no longer viable, thus the culmination of all commercial efforts takes place throughout the Florida Keys, and never any further north than the Dade/Broward County line. The commercial fishery, which feeds the insatiable appetite of offshore anglers up the entire eastern seaboard with tens of thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of ballyhoo per week, is actually comprised of three distinct, yet nearly identical species. The average angler would have difficulty seeing the difference.

Since just after the turn of the century, the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has been working with commercial fishermen to reduce the overall ballyhoo harvest. A stock assessment in 2002 indicated that ballyhoo were over-fished, and that a ten percent reduction in harvest was necessary to sustain healthy stocks. The commercial sector suggested several management options. These options included a daily commercial trip limit and a limited entry program.

In March 2003, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved and put into effect new regulations for the commercial ballyhoo fishery which include:
· A ten box (one box = approx. 330 pounds) limit per-day/per-commercial vessel utilizing lampara nets.
· A closed season for the harvest of ballyhoo during the entire month of August.
· A moratorium on the issuance of any new lampara net endorsements until July 1, 2008. To date, a total of twenty-three lampara net endorsements have been issued with approximately two-thirds in current use. When the moratorium expires, the FWC will have the opportunity to review the effort management program and determine whether changes are needed. Regulations were estimated to reduce the overall commercial harvest by as much as twelve percent.

In all fairness, although the commercial ballyhoo fishery may sound as if it may be decimating the stocks, of all the commercial fisheries in existence, it is one of the “cleanest” and best managed. Both commercial and recreational fishermen continue to report increases in both catches and sightings every year since the new laws were put into effect. In addition, lampara nets, approximately 350 yards long, are actually modified purse seines designed only to skim the ocean surface. Lampara nets never touch the bottom so in no way due they cause harm to the fragile marine ecosystem. Scientific studies have proven that the total by-catch is this commercial fishery is less than 1/10 of 1%. In other words, for 1,000 ballyhoo caught, a single needlefish or blue-runner loses its life. Compare that to the commercial shrimping industry where every ten pounds of eatable shrimp produces upwards of a hundred pounds of discarded by-catch.

Each morning for four to five days per week, a small commercial fleet departs Florida Keys harbors in search of this less than elusive baitfish. During the fall, the majority of the fleet focuses their efforts on the Gulf side of the island chain. As winter progresses and the shallows take on an uncomfortable chill, the baitfish make a quick getaway under the bridges into warmer Atlantic waters, and the bulk of the commercial efforts now switch to the ocean side. Nevertheless, once a concentration of ballyhoo is visually spotted, the lampara net is deployed and the corralling begins. Onboard, the catch is immediately brined in a combination of seawater, crushed ice, sodium bicarbonate, and two secret ingredients. That same evening the chilled fish are trucked to a packing house where first thing the next morning, a team of proficient bait-riggers begins the business of separating, hand-rigging, and vacuum packing thousands of fresh baitfish. The cases of ready-to-use baits are then flash frozen at well below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and trucked to a bait shop near you. The vast majority of domestically caught ballyhoo, close to 75%, are packaged by the dozen and sold to recreational anglers unrigged. Ballyhoo go from open-ocean to retailer in less than three days!

The next time you reach into a bait freezer for a pack of frozen ballyhoo, spend a minute thinking about where the precious baits have been and the extensive journey they took to finally end up in the palm of your hands.

I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff at Bionic Bait for sharing a wealth of valuable information. These hardworking guys have been supplying the recreational sport fishing community with fresh ballyhoo for nearly two decades. Though their business clearly revolves around commercial fishing, something most in the recreational sector frown upon, there is no question that they are conservation minded, and are all for logical rules and regulations which insure healthy future stocks. Our fisheries, and their livelihood, depend on it.

“Bonus”

Rig the perfect ballyhoo every time!

No more fumbling around in the cockpit!
No more trolling baits spinning out of control!
No more missed hook-sets due to short strikes!

Photos courtesy Joe Erace

Offshore Custom Tackle, an innovator in custom rig design, has taken ballyhoo rigs to the next level with the introduction of the Easy Pin Rig System. The system has already proven effective for the whole array of pelagic predators!

1- Custom rigs are pre-assembled with 10 ft. of 150lb. Hi-Catch leader material, choice of nylon skirted lure, and Owner’s #5192 forged, XXX-strong, needle point, corrosion-resistant, long-shank hook. Easy Pin Rigs are hand-tied with chafing spring, rigging pin, and copper crimps, and come standard with multiple rigging bands.