With the ever-increasing number of enthusiasts dedicating themselves to offshore trolling, those who decide to refine their technique often turn to tricks and rigs developed by our oceanic angler friends, adapting them for our seas. One of these is the Daisy Chain rig.
Apparently, offshore trolling might seem like a simple technique: deploy a few lines, set the speed, and wander aimlessly in the open sea… sure, sometimes, even done this way, it can yield a “lucky” catch, but anyone who truly becomes passionate about this technique, practicing it assiduously, studying, and experimenting, certainly can’t help but notice that it’s anything but easy.
There are countless facets, many tricks to put into practice, variations to consider, setups and baits depending on the weather and sea conditions and the time of year… and there’s a lot to study, especially by taking a peek at oceanic techniques, then testing them several times until they become one’s own, adapting them to one’s boat, one’s fishing style, and especially the prey one prefers to target.
In this article, I’d like to focus on one of the most effective types of teasers ever: the rig called the Daisy Chain. Specifically, it is a leader with a series of teasers (therefore without hooks) in tandem, usually from four to eight, at the end of which there may be a rigged bait if the leader is fishing, or it may end without any hook, using the rig only as an attractant.
This category includes: Mud Mirror, Flippy Monkey Chain, Squid Chain, Flippy Monkey + Squid Chain, Bullet Daisy Chain, and Mini Squid Chain.
As for the rigged bait to connect to the snap swivel of the teasers, it will be a Kona, preferably a noisy bait such as a Jet Monkey, a Cube, or an Albacore Tube.
How to use it
The Daisy Chain rig can function purely as a teaser, or it can be fishing. If it is fishing, we will connect another leader of about 2 - 2.5 meters with the rigged Kona to the snap swivel at the end. In reality, the rig is designed not to be “broken,” and even the rigged bait is inserted directly onto the main nylon… but we prefer the snap swivel variant because we think it’s important to be able to vary the Kona behind the Daisy Chain, depending on the color, size, and head that are deemed most effective in certain conditions.
This rig is very effective on calm sea days on long rods, such as the center rod (shotgun) or one of the two outriggers, while it is advisable to work it closer to the boat in rough seas.
In general, with 6 rods fishing, at least 3 Daisy Chains should always be deployed. If you want to use it simply as an attractant, we recommend placing two unrigged ones between 15 and 30 meters, with the rigged rods following.
