Choosing Skirt Colors for Offshore Fishing

Which of these skirted ballyhoo belong in the spread, and when?

Skirted ballyhoo are unquestionably the number-one choice offering of offshore anglers. And there are countless options in all different colors and color combinations. Unfortunately, many anglers make their choices simply because one skirt or another looks good to their eye. Hey – we’re trying to catch fish here people, not humans. The next time you head offshore in search of pelagic game, rather than picking color according to your own personal preference try choosing according to these criteria, and you’ll likely catch more fish.

Which of these skirted ballyhoo belong in the spread and when?

On dark and overcast days, dark colors like black, purple, and dark green excel.
On bright sunny days, light colors like white, pink, and yellow work best. Sunny clear conditions are also when skirts with a bit of flashy tinsel tend to generate more strikes.
When going for mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna, in particular, remember that they often seem to favor pink, blue, and green.
Wahoo usually favor darker colors and blends with contrast. Blood red, black, and purple are all good choices but skirts with a combination of red/black or purple/black are often a killer.
In calm, clean conditions going natural with naked ballyhoo sometimes is the best move.
Multicolor or “rasta” colors, a combination of red, pink, and yellow or green, is a great pick for tunas of all types.

So: taking these factors into account will you know which skirt to reach for on any given day? Yes, no, and maybe. The truth of the matter is that you simply never know which color or type of skirt will generate the most hits when you start setting that spread. Savvy anglers will use these factors as a starting point and choose half or a little over half of their offerings accordingly. Then they’ll add in a few wildcards. After getting a few strikes it should become more or less apparent what the fish want. Note, however, that as conditions change through the course of the day the fish’s preferences can, too. The smart move is to have all of the above ready for action and constantly adjust your spread as the day goes on and you monitor which colors get hit, and which go untouched.