AS SEEN IN THE NOV/DEC 2006 ISSUE

When the topic of teasers is brought up in sailf ishing circles, one immediately pictures natural ballyhoo or split-tail mullet rigged in multiples of ten. Afterwards, visions bounce to traditional artif icial squid chains and the latest innovations in Mylar spreader bars and collapsible multiarm dredges.

While all are extremely effective at attracting attention to an already inviting trolling spread, rarely does one consider deploying any sort of teaser while kite-f ishing. The practice may seem unconventional. Although when conditions permit and live bait supplies are low, looking outside the box often brings an entirely new level of explosive action.

Flooded with feedback from the exciting encounters Panhandle blue-water buffs regularly experience with yellowf in and blackf in tuna crashing imitation flying f ish at distant oil platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico, we took the initiative to do a little experimenting of our own. I have been anxiously waiting close to a year since last sailf ish season to reveal the results.

Under ideal conditions when wind and weather allowed us to achieve the desired appeal, we succeeded. With a steady 12 to 18 knot breeze, we were able to perfectly imitate a natural feeding scenario that sailf ish passing by couldn’t resist. As luck would have it, random fish would erupt on our inviting teaser, ripping the bait out of the clip before racing down-sea with the fake flyer dangling from their jaws. On the down side, when optimal kitef ishing conditions were nowhere to be found, our luck would change and our diligent efforts resulted in very little more than a growing level of frustration. The level of success we did experience really came as no surprise. Flying fish are a main staple of pelagic species throughout the world’s temperate seas, so we f igured there would be no reason why pelagic sailf ish visiting the southeast coast of Florida, wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to snatch an easy flyer, and we were right on.

Other than being bombarded with suicidal flyers during long runs home from the swordf ish grounds, those anglers commonly visiting the Dark Side know exactly what I am talking about; capturing live flying fish is nearly impossible. While all blue water buffs agree that pre-rigged flyers are worth their weight in silver, having a ready supply can become troublesome as only few retailers carry the quality baits. Going the artif icial route seemed like the only logical choice. Our aim was to dangle a fake off the short kite clip so that it skipped enticingly on the water’s surface, similar to a frantic flying f ish attempting to elude predation. However, success did not come easy. Initially, rigging was a challenge. With only one connecting point, the flyer hung vertically off the leader in an un-natural fashion and simply bobbed straight up and down in and out of the water with every movement of the kite. Finally, after experimenting with numerous bridle conf igurations, we came up with a balance that yielded the horizontal presentation we were after, making the teaser appear to literally skip from wave to wave as it bounced along the surface.

Our initial intention was that once a lit up sail would approach the teaser and make its presence known, we would reel the flyer up and out of the way, and we would cast a frantic livie directly at the f ish in the hopes of instantly hooking up, a sort of bait and switch tactic. What we learned, was that on very few occasions did we see the aggressor before it was too late and the f ish exploded on our lifeless flyer. Realizing we were missing opportunities at hooking hungry f ish, we decided to deploy the fake with a single circle-hook. The results have been intense! If you’re wondering if we’ve hooked every sailf ish that has grabbed the soft plastic offering, the answer is absolutely not. We’ve concluded that hook-up ratios are far less than 50/50 under even the best of conditions.

Nevertheless, witnessing excited billf ish attacking the morsel is reward enough. As far as the durability of the teaser, we found the fake flyers hold-up surprisingly well. The gellike soft plastic and one piece body design lends itself well to the harsh abuse associated with kite fishing.

As fall is now upon us, we’re looking forward to implementing the tactic again during the upcoming season. This year though, we’ve got a few more ref inements up our sleeve. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.

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