Best white marlin lure...

[numbskull]

Take 3-4 live scup. They can live all day in a 5 gallon bucket if out of the sun and you change the water once an hour with your washdown hose (just leave it in the bucket and flick it on for a few minutes ever 1/2-1 hour. Whites eat them like candy. I even had a Blue marlin chase one down one very warm summer off the fingers years back, for that matter. Missed it but got a real good look at her, could have touched her with the rod tip. Obviously you need to spot the tail, idle up to it, and cast from the bow. The marlin will sense the fish in the water and come a good ways to get it. Watch that the momentum of the boat does not carry you over the scup (that's what happened to me with the blue). The fish get excited and it often takes them several passes to get the scup.

I think a dredge would be a horrible thing to hook a white on. They are not heavy fish and give the best account of themselves on light tackle (even #30 tuna rods are too much). We used a Penn ss850 and that was more reel than needed.

I used to get a few trolling on a smoker green and yellow feather with a strip bait of skipjack belly. Tuna loved that as well. I'd only pull one of those in the spread but most of the marlin I caught trolling hit it over other stuff.

When I was a kid guys also used to troll eels with a hootchie skirt on the head. Tried it once or twice with no result.

When there were lots around, some guys would try casting eels, but scup were clearly better and simple to get and keep alive.