Treat them well: Blue-ribbon runners make a huge difference in offshore fishing success.
West Palm Beach’s Ron Mitchell has spent countless days on the water during his 30 years as one of the most competitive tournament anglers in the Southeastern U.S. Mitchell has fished tournaments for a wide variety of bluewater species including dolphin, sailfish, wahoo and his chief target, king mackerel.
Recently, the Southern Kingfish Association Hall of Famer shared his advice for catching and caring for blue runners, often called hard tails. These tips for one of the most frequently used live baits by tournament anglers can easily be applied for the weekend warrior planning for a successful fishing trip.
Blue Ribbon Runners
Mitchell prefers blue runners as live baits over other popular choices like goggle-eyes, threadfin herring, pilchards, Spanish sardines, cigar minnows and more.
“Everything eats a goggle-eye, so you spend a lot of time catching fish you aren’t targeting,” he told FS. “Bonito, for instance, are relentless; jacks will find them and sailfish, too.”
Know Where to Find Them
When it comes to catching and keeping live blue runners, it pays to know where to find them in the first place…