Skirted lures can maneuver in different ways. An all-rounder in cricket can bowl six different variations in an over—or during the bowler’s attack. The skirted lure ascends to the surface, splashes, dives, and leaves a smoke trail, presenting variations.
Trolling is a method that covers a large area of the surface of water, targeting fish. As yellowfin tuna travel in schools, this provides a greater opportunity to find and catch them. You can troll a combination of artificial lures and natural bait as well. This manipulation will increase the chance of meeting them.
When we were young, we played soccer using rubber balls on the narrow roads of our island. Fishermen who walked along the road would take the ball while we were playing and ask us whether they could take it. They would insist that the ball was damaged so that they could take it to make lures. Those days, perhaps silicone rubber balls were an important material for them to make trolling lures.
Still in our island, fishermen use thin nylon rolls (vaka) and silicon balls (boalha) or satahri to make lures. Skirts are made from the nylon strings, while the fish (maha) is made from the silicon balls.
In the early days, the inner core (pith) of banana trees was also used to make lures. Nowadays there are varieties of lures made from different kinds of materials. These are lures made by combining heads, to which there are rubber skirts attached. The hook system is attached to the back of the leader. The head shape of the lure will determine the action. How the water runs across a head shape is the key factor. It determines the swimming action. The key factors for a lure in trolling are:
- Head shape
- Weight and
- Size
The skirt should not bulge out past the diameter of the lure head. Heavier and longer skirts are good. The important thing is balancing the lure. According to expert fishermen, the head should control the lure. A famous ‘weapon’ used by fishermen is the ballyhoo-and-skirt combo.
Some of the favorite skirt colors include:
Pink-and-white
Chartreuse-and-white
Black-and-red
Red-and-pink
Insights from fishermen
“Red is very good. The combination of red and pink is possibly a good choice to score,” Ahamadhkalo shared his experience.
