The Art of the Run & Gun

Run and gun fishing is one of the most exciting and productive ways to target offshore species like mahi, tuna, and other migrating pelagics. Yes, it burns a bit more fuel, but in my opinion, the payoff is worth it. 

The strategy is simple: head offshore with your eyes on the sky and the sea, actively scanning for birds, slicks, color changes, and weed lines. Rather than slowly trolling and counting the hours away, you're constantly hunting for the next bite, finding fish faster, and filling your box more efficiently. Bonus points if your radar has a bird mode. We switch on our Simrad Halo 3000 in Bird Mode once we hit around 200 feet. It's a fantastic tool for locating life offshore quickly and gives you a serious edge. 

As for speed, you don't need to be blasting across the water at 30 knots. Around 18 knots is plenty to cover ground and find fish without beating up your crew or emptying your wallet. 

When we locate something worth fishing, say a weed line, we keep our spread tight and simple: just two or three lures or rigged ballyhoo behind the boat. We troll the area for no more than 20 minutes. No bites? We're back to running. Bites? We stay put and work the area until the action dies. Then rinse and repeat. 

It's fast, it's active, and honestly, it's just a lot of fun. Want to see it in action? Click here to watch our YouTube episode!