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How It Works · Product Engineering

TrollTrue Custom Trolling Lures

The question I get most often about TrollTrue: how does the lure actually work, and what will make it more successful on my next offshore trip? Here are the four patented design elements behind it.

6 MIN READ · DAVID ROSE · PRODUCT DESIGN
TrollTrue custom trolling lure

TrollTrue lures make great tuna lures, king mackerel lures, and mahi mahi lures alike. If you want to troll a natural bait like ballyhoo or a cigar minnow, TrollTrue helps you present a better-looking bait — and it's worth understanding how it works to appreciate what it can do for your fishing success.

There are four key elements to TrollTrue's patented design, each solving a specific problem with how natural baits swim when trolled. Together they're why anglers can rig fast and trust the bait is doing its job behind the boat.

ELEMENT ONE

Weight

The body is a one-piece design molded solely from lead. It weighs in at 1.5 oz on its own, and 1.65 oz once finished with four coats of paint, lacquer, and acrylic eyes. That weight matters for two reasons: it needs to be substantial enough relative to the baitfish to control its action, and it's substantial enough that trolling speed, line angle, and distance behind the boat can put the bait at different depths without extra trolling weights.

TrollTrue naked...

...And fully dressed

Why it's not "just plastic"

It's molded from 100% lead with an integrated keel weight — not a hollow plastic head. That's what gives the lure enough mass to actually control how the bait swims.

ELEMENT TWO

Weight Distribution

Baitfish swim upright, without spinning. To mimic that, TrollTrue's weight is distributed so roughly 80% of it sits below the bait's center line. That holds the baitfish upright and natural in the water, and it overcomes imperfections in the bait or rigging that would otherwise cause it to spin or roll.

Two Steps, On the Water

Rig As You Go, Not at the Dock

Pin-rigged ballyhoo is typically rigged before you leave the dock, since it's slow to do underway — so anglers over-rig "just in case" and waste bait that never gets fished. TrollTrue rigs in two steps: hook the bait, slide the lure on. Rig only what you're about to fish.

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ELEMENT THREE

The Slot

The lure is slotted on top to accommodate the nose hook. The nose hook slides into the slot and locks the baitfish in place — that's its whole job, nothing more. It serves the exact same purpose the pin serves on a pin rig: holding the bait secure while the lure itself carries the weight of the rigging, not the baitfish.

1

Treble Hook

Standard on 60 lb rigging. 4X strong, built for everyday trolling up to 30 lb drags.

2

J-Hook

Standard on 100 lb rigging — 8/0 size, built for tuna and marlin.

3

Circle Hook

Available as an optional trailer hook on either rigging weight.

The rigging accommodates a variety of trailer hook styles to match the fish you're after. TrollTrue's 60 lb rigging comes standard with 4X strong treble hooks and is the recommended setup for drags up to 30 lbs — in 90% of fishing situations, this is what anglers should be running. For larger fish like tuna and marlin, TrollTrue offers 100 lb rigging, which comes standard with an 8/0 J-hook as the trailer hook. Optional trailer hook styles include treble, J-hook, and circle hook in various sizes, and all work fine with TrollTrue lures. Regardless of which trailer hook style you choose, the hook is meant to swim freely alongside the bait as it trolls — not be embedded in the baitfish itself.

ELEMENT FOUR

The Nose Hole

Rigged ballyhoo

Cigar minnow (same rig)

The hole in the lure's front is sized to accommodate a range of baitfish. With ballyhoo specifically, the beak can extend through the lure and engage with other skirts or lures — giving a different look while keeping all of TrollTrue's benefits intact.

Bottom line

Success offshore comes down to attention to detail — tackle in top shape, satellite imagery for the right water conditions, nothing left to chance running the boat. TrollTrue carries that same attention to detail into your bait presentation. Rig fast, and trust it'll troll with the most realistic presentation possible.
Offshore trolling rods and reels rigged and running off the stern of a boat over open water Offshore trolling rods and reels rigged and running off the stern of a boat over open water Offshore trolling rods and reels rigged and running off the stern of a boat over open water

four patented elements - 40 years of fishing

Built to Fish, Not Just Look Good in the Tackle Box

"Whichever bait's running that day — ballyhoo, cigar minnow, or sardines — TrollTrue is the same fast rig for king mackerel, mahi, wahoo, and tuna."

Performance

Molded from 100% lead with an integrated keel weight — bait swims true and never spins.

Ease

Two steps: hook the bait, slide the lure on. No pin-rigging, wire, or bands.

Trust

Four patented design elements, made in the USA and handpainted, built on 40 years of fishing.

Shop Offshore  Lures

See the full rigging guide →
Offshore trolling rods and reels rigged and running off the stern of a boat over open water

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