How Mitch preps a hoo

Ballyhoo are considered to be one of the premier trolling baits for wahoo, dolphin, tuna, marlin, sailfish, and king mackerel.

These members of the halfbeak family are found in the northern Gulf but not fished for here. The ballyhoo used by Louisiana fishermen are caught elsewhere, frozen and shipped in.

There must be a dozen ways to rig a ballyhoo for trolling, but all demand preparation of the natural bait.

This is how Mitch Rogers prepares his hoo for use:

1. Break the lower bill off of the fish and discard it.
2. Gently squeeze the gut contents of the fish toward the rear and out its anus.
3. By hand, break the backbone of the fish in three places.
4. The fish is threaded on a hook crimped to the 300-pound-test leader, and a nose spring is screwed down on the crimp pin.
5. Mitch might troll a ballyhoo “naked,” but more often combines it with a blue-and-white ILander.