I use the manual downrigger with 3lb weight for up to 5m down and the electric downrigger with 10lb weight for deeper – set up works well with rigged garfish. Cheers, Trevor

Beautiful fish Trevor, and glad to hear the Head Starts are producing results for you. For those unfamiliar with them, here’s how they work. You’ll need a knife or braid scissors, a fresh garfish, yellowtail or slimy mackerel, a Head Start and a bait needle. Mine’s made from a plain wire coat hanger. Just cut the long side of the coat hanger with side cutters, and bend one end to form an open eye:

Cut the beak off the garfish, then loop the bait needle onto the top ring of the bead chain:

Thread the bait needle from the bait’s vent through the body, and out the mouth:

Drop the end of the bead chain through the hole in the hard plastic head. This will be the tow point. Then, push the pin through the eye socket. In the pic below, the plastic pin can be seen in the eye socket. This will lock into the Head Start cover:

Slide the larger cover part of the Head Start over the smaller first part, dropping the end of the bead chain through the gap. The tag end of the bead chain is attached to your line, wire, or snap swivel:

There are four reasons why this system is so much better than ganged hooks, nose springs and the like.

1. The bead chain is super flexible – more flexible than wire or even mono – so it doesn’t restrict the swimming action. Way better, than ganged hooks. It’s rated at 80-pound breaking strain. Check this 10-second video to see how well they work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq3G9EZ72ZI

2. The hook is set well back and will catch fish that chop at the bait, like wahoo and Spanish mackerel, even tailor when trolled or cast around the washes.

3. The head protects the soft parts of the bait and the bib forces the bait into a CD-18 type wiggle, that gets tighter the faster you go. These can be added to a marlin lure spread, trolling at 7-8 knots is no problem at all.

4. Best of all, it’s fast and easy. Head Starts are two for $25 including delivery, call or email if you’d like to know more, or want to place an order? The bead chain is rated at 80-pound breaking strain. For tougher work, like marlin fishing, we also have beaded 175-pound wire with a heavier gauge hook:

Here’s a 40 second video showing a yellowtail swimming on a Head Start:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH0pX-S0Ktc

Call or send an email if you’d like more pics and customer reviews. Thanks for reading,