How To Rig Ballyhoo For Trolling

Making ballyhoo rigs for saltwater trolling

Save money and make your own offshore trolling rigs, it’s easy.

If you’re looking to catch big saltwater gamefish like Marlin or Tuna, then you need an attractive bait, and it doesn't get much better than a fresh ballyhoo. This fish is commonly used by anglers for trolling as a dead bait.

What is a ballyhoo?

The ballyhoo sports a little bill, almost like a miniature Marlin. Also, the sides and belly of the fish are silver while the caudal fin is a vibrant yellow or orange. It’s highly reflective skin and vibrant coloration are some of the reasons why the ballyhoo is considered a prime baitfish.

Learn how to make a Ballyhoo rig with this quick video. This is one of those skills that pays big dividends in terms of cost savings and customization. This will produce a weighted rig with different types of fishing weights giving you a great setup. 

Poor little Ballyhoo are the bait of choice for most anglers targeting pelagics with dead bait. Because of their swimming action and flashy silver bodies, they are an ideal bait. You can fish Ballyhoo naked, behind a sea witch, and behind larger lures or a soft head like a Squidnation chugger. It’s easy to catch fish on Ballyhoo, you just need to learn how to make the rigs first.

With our quick video, you’ll get the basics of rigging ballyhoo for trolling, ballyhoo rig components, order of operations, and more. Rigging ballyhoo is a simple task that you should be able to get the hang of pretty quickly, it just takes some repetition and of course, some trial and error. Ballyhoo rigs can be made in wire, mono, or fluoro. One of the biggest pieces of this puzzle is the selection of quality components. Make sure you use reputable hooks like a circle hook, leader, sleeves, rigging wire like a copper wire, egg sinkers and tools.

As with all of our fishing how-to videos, if you have a question, please call, live chat, or email us. We are happy to help.