All the lures that we chose to pull on board the Grander are our own personal preferences. There are so many good lure makers out there and most of them happen to come from Hawai'i, so when it comes to picking the right lures for blue marlin, I rely on past experience and personal use.

When we first started the season here in Madeira I had chosen to run Polu Kai Lures because thats what Kevin Nakamaru and I mostly run in Kona aboard the Northern Lights. I've never gotten a Polu Kai Lure that wouldn't run right. The lures have performed well for us in Hawai'i and so far they've been unstoppable in Madeira.

We're also running a few Marlin Magic Lures just to spice up the pattern once in awhile. The XXL Marlin Magic Ruckus that's been on the short teaser has had over 6 short bites since it's been in the water. That's saying a lot considering that lure is run only 20 feet away from the transom of the boat.

My lure pattern consists of four rods and two teasers. The teasers are ran off electric teaser reals from the bridge. Those reels are made by Teezer. My two short teasers are usually the Marlin Magic XXL Ruckus and a Polu Kai Depth Charge, two big running baits. My corner rods are usually an XL Polu Kai Instigator and an XL Polu Kai Tubulation tube. I'll switch out one of the corners periodically for a Marlin Magic Super Dog or an XL Ruckus. The riggers have stayed the same through the season with a large Polu Kai Instigator and a Large Polu Kai Tubulation. My rigger baits are small lures that run big and move lots of water. I've found smaller baits tend to hook better than big headed lures. As for leader we've been using 750 Momoi Marlin hard. I was using double 7691 11/0 Mustad hooks in the beginning of the season but have since switched to a single 7691 11/0 and so far it's improved our hook up ratio.

The lures I've chosen have stayed consistent, hence the reason there's really no room left in the spread for anything else. If the fish turn on to something else, then changes will be made but until then team Polu Kai is holding down first string.

Some members of the 2009 Madeira All-Star Lineup (from top): Polu Kai Instigator Depth Charge (Purple), XL Instigator (Opelu), Large Tubulation (Opelu), XL Tubulation (Clear), Large Instigator (Clear), Large Instigator (Malolo)

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