History

• No one knows who first invented outriggers to put on deep-sea fishing boats. No doubt, the first ones were home crafted models and only after they proved their worth as fishing tools and accepted by captains around sportfishing hot spots did the first commercially made outriggers and accessories become available. The authors, Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway were big game fishing pioneers who popularized the sport and the equipment used in the sport.
  
  

Wide Swath

• Just as mowing a lawn with a wide lawnmower covers more territory than cutting the grass with a small mower, the outriggers on a boat enable the captain to deploy the lures over a wider swath of ocean. Most offshore boats are only 12 feet wide and the fishing rods are perhaps another 5 feet in length. So positioning the rods at 90 degrees to the port and starboard side only allows a 22-foot wide path to be covered when trolling lures. Add a pair of outriggers 25 feet long on each side of the boat with lures trolled from the end of each one and suddenly the boat is covering almost three times as much area with each trolling pass.
  
  

Dangerous Waters

• Certain species of fish hang out along the edge of reefs or rocky outcrops. Trolling near these can be a dangerous business if the structure is near the surface. An outrigger can position a lure along the shallow area while the boat stays in deeper, safer water.
  
  

Wake Riding Lures

• Many big game fishing lures are designed to skip in and out of the wake waves created as the boat trolls at high speeds. The outriggers allow lures to be positioned in the outer waves as well as the ones straight behind the boat.
  
  

Operation

• Using outriggers is a simple concept. The outriggers are lowered from their upright position to a position almost parallel to the water's surface. A pulley is located at the end of each outrigger with a cord running through it similar to how a flag is hoisted on a flagpole. Instead of a clip on which to attach the flag, a special release clip is connected to the cord. This clip will hold the fishing line securely to hold the fishing lure in position but it will open at the strike of a fish, releasing the line so the fish can be fought using a conventional rod and reel. The lure is first let out behind the boat, then the fishing line is attached to the outrigger clip. Finally, the outrigger cord is used to pull the line and lure out towards the end of the outrigger.
  
  

Catch Flags

• Fishermen love to brag about how many fish they caught so on the trip back to the harbor, catch flags are positioned on one of the outriggers to announce the success of the trip. One flag is raised for each fish caught. Marlin flags are blue, sailfish flags are red and tuna flags are yellow. So when you see a big game boat at the marina with a large cluster of flags on its outriggers, you know the fishermen had a good trip that day.