By Captain Fred Gamboa
When I’m searching for midshore bluefin tuna, my approach is simple and efficient. Before I ever worry about a full trolling spread, I’m looking for life. Birds, bait, whales, dolphins. Anything that tells me fish should be in the area.
Once I find that life, I deploy a quick four-rod side tracker spread to prospect the zone. This setup lets me cover water, read my electronics, and determine quickly whether fish are present and willing to bite.
This is my down-and-dirty prospecting spread, and it has helped me locate fish more times than I can count.
The 4-Rod Midshore Prospecting Spread
For prospecting, I run four Side Tracker® bars, all in similar colors to keep the presentation clean and natural.
My Go-To Setup
- (2) 36-inch Side Tracker® with Mini Bullet Head Lures – Purple
- (2) 36-inch Side Tracker® with 6-inch Floating Bulb Squids – Purple
Each bar rigged with a 6-inch Machine Stinger in Green.
This combination gives me profile, flash, and contrast while still keeping everything uniform enough to mimic sand eels and small bait schools.
Why This Prospecting Spread Works
The goal of this spread isn’t to fish aggressively. It’s to find fish efficiently.
Running four tracker bars allows me to slow down to 5–8 knots, watch my fish finder closely, and look for the telltale signs of bluefin moving through the area.
If fish don’t come up and commit to the bars, that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
If I’m marking fish deeper in the water column, I can drop streaker jigs directly to the depth where they’re feeding. This flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of using side trackers as prospecting tools.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve located fish by employing this exact technique.
Transitioning to a Full Bar Spread
Once I’m confident the fish are around and feeding, I’ll settle in and expand to a full eight-bar spread.
At that point, I’ll run:
- Four bars of each style
- Alternating lures
- All in the same color profile
Most of the time, I stick with green stingers to match sand eels. Occasionally I’ll mix in a purple stinger, but green remains my primary choice.
Keeping the colors consistent helps maintain the illusion of a tight, cohesive bait pod, which is exactly what bluefin want to see.
Why Side Trackers Are Key to Prospecting
Side trackers allow me to:
- Cover water efficiently while searching
- Pull baits into clean, quiet water
- Maintain control at slower trolling speeds
- Quickly adjust presentations based on what I’m marking
They’re one of the most effective tools I use when bluefin are scattered and not showing aggressively on the surface.
Fish Captain Fred’s Exact Prospecting Spread
If you want to run the exact setup Captain Fred Gamboa uses to locate midshore bluefin, we’ve put together his 4-Rod Prospecting Spread Bundle.
This package includes the same Side Tracker® bars and machine stingers Fred deploys when scouting areas for tuna before setting a full trolling spread.
Built to mimic sand eels and small bait schools, this spread helps anglers cover water efficiently while watching their sonar for signs of feeding fish.
Individual Retail Value: $925.88
Bundle Price: $784.99
You Save: $140.89
Includes:
- (2) 36″ Side Tracker® with Mini Bullet Head Lures – Purple
- (2) 36″ Side Tracker® with 6″ Floating Bulb Squids – Purple
- (4) 6″ Machine Stingers – Green
- (2) 200g Streaker Jigs – Sand Eel
- (2) 150g Streaker Jigs – Pink / Silver
👉 Shop Captain Fred Gamboa’s Midshore Prospecting Spread Bundle
About Captain Fred Gamboa
Captain Fred Gamboa of Anderas’ Toy Charters is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain holding an OUPV Near Coastal certification to 100 miles offshore. He has been running boats out of New Jersey for over 25 years, targeting everything from inshore species to offshore pelagics.
Captain Fred has been a contributing writer for The Fisherman Magazine for the past six years and has conducted seminars over the last three years for The Fisherman Magazine, Shimano, and Sportsman Center. He is a pro staff member of Contender Boats, Yamaha, ChatterLures and Shimano.
His industry affiliations include Garmin Electronics, AFW, Owner Hooks, Costa Sunglasses and UVT Jigs.
Book a Trip With Captain Fred
Want to see this system in action?
Captain Fred Gamboa runs trips aboard Andrea’s Toy Charters, targeting bluefin tuna and other offshore species throughout the Northeast. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your trolling program, learn how to read your electronics more effectively, or gain hands-on experience targeting tuna, a day on the water with Fred is one of the best ways to shorten the learning curve.