Day 9, a day off and a recipe for a Dorado hoochie.

**JerryInLodi** · 06-24-2006, 02:46 PM

What are “Hoochies?”
When going out for Dorado I refer to trolling “hoochies” on my conventional gear. I’m sure many of you know exactly what I’m talking about but if you’re not sure, here’s a description of a proven “hoochie” pattern. This pattern has hooked (but not landed) blue marlin (maybe it has landed a blue marlin but not the one I hooked!) and hooked and landed the following: Striped Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Skipjack, Bonito, Yellow fin, Yellowtail, Sierra, lady fish, triggers, giant needlefish, and almost NEVER gets refused by anything near the top. Through experience I’ve found that the colors are VERY important and the colors mentioned in the pattern seem to work much better than anything else I’ve tried in the Sea of Cortez.

Materials: brass swivel, 40 inches of 40 pound test mono, two ¼ ounce egg sinkers, one 4 ½ inch green and silver plastic salmon squid, one 4 ½ inch pink plastic salmon squid., one ring eye 5/0 steel hook.

Pattern: (Ha Ha!)

1. Tie the 40 inch length of mono to the ring eye hook using an improved clinch knot or other knot of your choice.
2. Slide on a ¼ ounce egg sinker.
3. Slide on the pink salmon squid.
4. Slide on a ¼ ounce sinker.
5. Slide on a green and silver salmon squid.
6. Tie the swivel to the loose end of the mono using an improved clinch knot of other knot of your choice.

The two colors of squid are available through Cabela’s. They’re item number is Item:IG-113669. The sliver and green bodies are #109 and the pink bodies are #027.

I have no problem leaving the harbor without live bait but will NEVER leave the docks without some hoochies. Some days when there’s plenty of weed all you need is a fly rod but it seems that the weed is scarcer these years. Instead we’re forced to scout and to use Judas fish. A hoochie is all you need for either.

Hope this helps the novice Dorado fisherman.

**Darian** · 06-24-2006, 10:51 PM

Hey Jerry,.... Thanks for the info. When running aset of Hoochies, what lengths behind the boat do you place 'em at

**JerryInLodi** · 06-25-2006, 01:26 AM

If you watch closely when going about six miles an hour you'll see a series of waves off the back of the boat. I've caught fish by having the hoochies as close as riding the crest of the second wave however I believe they're most effective riding the crest of the third wave. When you set them to ride the crest they do the maximum of bubbling and skidding across the water, much better than when they ride in the trough.

**Darian** · 06-25-2006, 07:42 AM

Thanks Jerry,.... Your info confirms what I suspicioned was fact. To years agp, while trolling Mullet at East Cape, my fishing partner and I experienced a double hook-up (simultaneous) on Marlin. The bait ran on the crest on the third wave.... I recall seeing the frothy trail of the bait as we trolled.

That hook-up was one of the most chaotic moments I've experienced in a panga.

**JerryInLodi** · 06-25-2006, 02:29 PM

Darian, whoa dude! Double hook up on marlin. Wow. Who was more excited you or the guide. Was it his boat or was he just a day laborer. What was the outcome?

Another hairy experience. (1993) My wife was into a sailfish and somehow her line got in between her spool and reel frame. (Conventional). I had our guide, Juan Davis (of Loreto) start up the engine and follow the fish. I cut the line and did a blood knot splice with the line coming clean from the spool.

A sad ending. When we brought the fish up close we could see that it was mortally wounded. We had to boat it and bring it in. Juan took it and smoked it. I asked for some meat for the barbecue and he gave me about a two pound piece. We had a little hibachi that we were cooking on while camping in our tent trailer. We put the meat on the grill. It started bubbling and frothing. Nooooo Waaayyyyy! Though dirt poor, we went out to dinner that night.

**Darian** · 06-25-2006, 03:47 PM

My fishing partner is a very attractive 123 pounder who is even more excitable thn me when we're fishing.... We were trolling the last two Mullet we had on the way back to the landing and the panga captain was preparing the boat for days end.... I was staring, blankly, at the trail the bait was leaving in the water when I saw two Marlin cross, oustide to inside, over each other to taek the baits within a second of each other. The captain cut the motor while we tried to keep our fish on. Lotsa noise made by everyone in the boat. The captain trying to issue instructions to two amatuers hooked to a couple of runaway trains. My partner, who was smarter than I, didn't try to muscle her fish and was able to keep him on. I tried to apply some muscle after the intitial run when my fish came off.

My partner decided that she wasn't ready muscle her fish for an extensive period in the sun and demanded I take over for her. (....actually, that's quite a responsibility.... What happens if I lose this fish

I'd never live it down

)

Anyway, over the next hour and a half, I brought the fish to the gunwale 3 times. On the 3rd time, the fish looked ready so the captain reached out and grabbed the swivel. The hook, literally, fell out of the coner of it's mouth.

Instant release. No problemo....

We were releasing all of our fish anyway.

The captain estimated the fish was around 120 pounds.

Both of those fish nearly pulled me overboard by initiating runs while I was trying to regain my balance while rocking back and forth in the swells.

**Jay Murakoshi** · 06-25-2006, 04:46 PM

Darian,

Heck, a 5lb dorado just about had you over the side

or should I say it was almost in your back pocket. You two handle the fishing quite well.

I trying to get some flies tied up for the next trip but with the hot weather, I can't sit in the house and let the good weather go to waste. Still trying to work on my tan

Jay

**Darian** · 06-25-2006, 10:50 PM

Hi Jay,.... Yep, I recall something like that happening and a few others that must've given Efrain a good laugh, too.

Renee's been talking about going back down there ever since we got back. That trip sure was a lot of fun.

Everything going OK at your house

**fishbonz** · 06-27-2006, 09:14 AM

Hello JerryInLodi,

your documented adventures are fun to read. Keep sending them!!

Have you ever used other conventional gear other than hoochies? I'll be in La Paz in July, mainly to fly fish for dorado. However, it was suggested to bring some conventional tackle, in case it is slow. Have you ever thrown conventional jigs or swimbaits or any soft plastics in the rocks?

BTW what rod and line test do you use on your hoochie rigs? Thanks for your info on the rig itself!!

ced.

**fishbonz** · 06-27-2006, 09:20 AM

Hello JerryInLodi,

your documented adventures are fun to read. Keep sending them!!

Have you ever used other conventional gear other than hoochies? I'll be in La Paz in July, mainly to fly fish for dorado. However, it was suggested to bring some conventional tackle, in case it is slow. Have you ever thrown conventional jigs or swimbaits or any soft plastics in the rocks?

BTW what rod and line test do you use on your hoochie rigs? Thanks for your info on the rig itself!!

ced.