Trolling a Garfish Rig

For a garfish to be trolled at a slow pace (about 2 to 4 knots) you will need to make sure that you break off the lower bib as this will stop the water pressure from trying to open the mouth of the bait.

To help the bait swim more realistically you will need to break all the vertebrates in its back as this will make the whole body of the fish more flexible.

You will then need to tie a leader line onto the hook and then onto a swivel. Between the eye of the hook and the swivel you will need to have a running ball sinker.

The hook is then passed through the underside of the body (below the eye) and then passed out through the bottom of the fish (about where the stomach is). A thin cable tie is then poked through the eye, around the shank of the hook and pulled tight.

Before you tie the other end of the leader or mainline, you will need to thread on a plastic skirt. Once this has been put on you will then tie the line off to the swivel and slide the plastic skirt down over the head on the fish.

This rig can then be trolled slowly for kingfish, tailor, tuna, bonito, and many other pelagic species.

You could also cast and retrieve this rig from the boat or off the rocks.

Technique 1

Try mixing up the colour of the skirt when trolling this rig. Most times I will troll two outfits at the same time, starting with my favourite colours of pink and purple. If I decide to troll a third outfit, much further out the back, it will be positioned between the other two outfits and the skirt will usually be white.

Technique 2

There have been times when fishing off the rocks that I have cast out a garfish rigged in this way. If that doesn’t work, try putting a small torpedo float onto the mainline, then the plastic skirt and then tie it off to the swivel.

This will give you a bit of extra weight when casting it out and will also give you more floatation and action as you retrieve it back to the shore.

Technique 3

Have you ever noticed how garfish will flee from a predator that is trying to eat it. They will skip as fast as they can across the surface of the water, while darting from side to side.

You can achieve this action with this rig, but you will need to have a rod length of leader between 10 to 13 feet in length. Once you have cast out the bait and engaged the reel, you will need to keep the rod tip pointing upward.

Commence retrieving the bait, while slightly shaking the rod as you wind. This will then keep the bait coming across the surface in a skipping motion, much like when you use a surface lure and a walk the dog action.

Suggested Rod & Reel Combos

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-1162NT, 11'6", 2-6kg Nibble Tip rod, matched with a Rockaway RA-6000 reel, with its 12kg drag for either off the rock breakwall or ocean rocks. Ideal for chasing tailor, salmon, and kingfish.

Surf-XT Surf Rod - SFXT-S-1202SFM, 8-10kg rod, matched with a Rockaway RA-6000 reel, with its 12kg drag for either off the rock breakwall or ocean rocks. Ideal for chasing tailor, salmon, and kingfish.

Azores Spin / Jig Rods - Z-S-702M, 7’, 8-12kg spin rod, matched with an Okuma Cedros 6000 threadline / spin reel. This combo spooled with 50lb Platypus Pulse X4 Braid and 60lb Hard Armour Leader in Tough.

Azores Spin / Jig Rods - Z-S-572MH, PE 5.0-6.0 rod, matched with a Cedros CJ-10000 spin reel with 20kg of drag. This combo spooled with 65lb Platypus Pulse X4 Aussie Gold Braid and 40 to 50lb Platypus Pulse Ghost Clear Mono.