I believe in the effectiveness of single offshore trolling lures for tuna. I’ve taken countless yellowfin and bluefin tuna on the Sevenstrand Green Machine, Tuna Clones, Zukers Feathers, Moldcraft Softheads and other proven solo lures. However, when the chips are down and the blue-water fishing turns tough, it’s time to break out the daisy chain.
The action and color of the lure is always important. Sometimes, though, you need that added enticement of a series of lures rigged one-after-the-other in what appears to be a tight pod of baitfish or squid racing across the ocean surface.
Basic Design
A “daisy chain,” in its simplest form, refers to several “teaser” lures followed by a hooked lure of any type, rigged in series along a single strand of line. The number of lures may range from three to five or more. Perhaps the most common daisy chain consists of lead-weighted vinyl skirts, or the same type of lures you might fish alone strung one after the other.
Usually, only the last, or terminal, lure contains a hook or hooks. The purpose of the
preceding lures is to create the appearance of a small “school” of forage. The school effect often brings an immediate and decisive response from predators that may not have reacted similarly to a single offering.
Daisy chains aren’t necessarily comprised entirely of the same lure. A potent daisy may be built from a line of small 4-inch skirts, followed by a much larger 8-inch skirted lure.
It may be a “bird” teaser preceding a series of skirted lures. Only the end skirt has the hook. The components of a daisy could be all bullethead (or conicalhead) lures, or all flat-nosed or concave-faced poppers designed to push water. The number of variations is almost endless.
Daisy chains can be purchased ready to go, or – as I often do – they can be custom built. Pros who believe in the daisy chain advantage experiment often. Moreover, the ability of the daisy chain to outfish single lures goes beyond big game. I’ve fished inshore with anglers who’ve proven to me that a tandem rig of tiny 3-1/2-inch vinyl skirts works miracles in catching smaller denizens. Inshore favorites such as skipjack, little tunny and Atlantic bonito eat daisies with alacrity. The list of gamefish goes on and on, and it’s difficult to over-emphasize the universal effectiveness of this simple multi-lure pattern.
Build Your Own Daisy
A word of caution: making your own daisy chains can become an obsessive affliction. For those who wish to experiment, here’s a simple recipe. My basic daisy chain consists of four vinyl skirts rigged ahead of an off-the-shelf trolling lure. Typically, I cut a 10-foot length of 200-pound test mono and rig a standard trolling lure as I normally would. Then, beginning about 12 to 16 inches above the terminal lure, I position a 1-ounce egg sinker on the mono leader. Using pliers, I crimp the egg sinker in place so it does not move. Then, I slide a 6-inch vinyl skirt down the mono leader and lodge it over the egg sinker. I stretch the skirt over the sinker to secure it, or I can wire the skirt in place by wrapping light copper wire around the skirt head and the sinker. I continue this process, moving up the mono, adding an egg sinker and vinyl skirt at the appropriate intervals. I use the same vinyl skirts that I often employ with shark baits to enhance their visibility. Choose pink, yellow, green, or any of the colors you might find on the skirt of a typical trolling lure.
Fishing the Daisy Chain
I fish my daisy chains from the transom, not from an outrigger. Depending on the weight and action of your daisy chain, you may find an outrigger presentation the most desirable. When fishing a daisy from the transom, I’ll run it straight from the rod tip.
With conical-head, skirted lures, I find the steep angle of the line from the rod to the water causes the string of lures to “slide” along the sea surface. You may find this gets more attention from billfish. If you are fishing cupped or flat-faced lures, they’ll create plenty of white-water spray. This is precisely the kind of commotion that drives wary tuna into a state of attack. Other times, I’ll pin the line from the rod tip down to a transom rigger clip when using a daisy consisting of conical-head lures. You can also use a through-the-scupper rigger clip, or simply rubber band the line down to any hardware off the stern of your boat. This lowers the angle of the line to the water. With a lower line angle, the daisy tends to run with the front teaser “nose down.” If you pin the line low enough to the surface of the sea, the daisy chain runs completely underwater in an enticing, side-to-side, snake-like swimming style. The appearance of a tight-knit line of tasty morsels swimming single file in your wake is often too much for even the most cautious gamester to ignore.
Nothing in all of fishing can be more satisfying than fooling big gamefish with your own creation. With a daisy chain, you have just that chance. Daisy chains can send big fish into a fast and furious frenzy, and they can catch these large fish. Give them a try; it’s worth it.
Article compliments of The Local Fisherman
