How BallyHoop Works and Baits You Can Catch
Catching clean, lively bait comes down to two things: technique, and gear that does what you need it to do. The BallyHoop line covers four hoop net models plus a set of chumming accessories, and every one of them exists to solve a specific problem on the water.
Below, founder Yunior Domínguez walks through the entire lineup on the water off Key Biscayne, Florida — how each model assembles, how each one collapses, and how the chum system works. Everything in this guide comes from that demonstration.
What do all four BallyHoop models have in common?
More than most people expect. As Yunior puts it in the video: "They all basically do the same function. The differences between all the units is the materials they're made out of and how they collapse."
- Same net. Every model uses a monofilament net.
- Same 4-foot hoop. All four models open to the same 4-foot diameter with a 4-foot net depth.
- Same job. The bait swims over the hoop in your chum slick, and you lift. No throwing, no crash, no spooked school.
So choosing a model is not about which one catches better. It is about what your boat can store and how you want it to fold.
Which BallyHoop model should you choose?
Aluminum — the entry model
A two-piece aluminum frame joined by stainless steel ferrules. You open the bag, bring the unit out, push the rods in, and they connect. Yunior calls it "very simple, very easy to attach."
Breaks down to a 4ft x 2ft half circle that slides into a round storage bag — put one end in first, then push the rest in. This is the original generation and the most straightforward net in the line.
Stealth — for finicky bait
The Stealth's defining feature is its frame: completely translucent. Not tinted, not semi-transparent — clear.
That matters for bait that spooks. "For a lot of those baits that are finicky, like the speedos, the cigars and all that," Yunior says, "this unit tends to work a little bit better than the rest of the units because of that."
The Stealth is also the one model that does not fold into a circle. It collapses lengthwise into a straight bag roughly 6 feet long and 6 inches wide. If your boat has a coffin box or long under-gunnel storage, this is the one that fits.
Flex — one-handed close
The Flex uses 3/16" ferrules on each side that intertwine and spin inside one another. That is what lets it collapse with a single motion: put your hands on the ferrules, push in, and it folds once down into two stacked 24-inch rings.
Opening it is just as quick — hold the frame and let it go, and it springs to full diameter. It stores in a round 24-inch bag with its own zipper. Keep your hands on the ferrules the whole time, opening and closing, and always put the sock in before it goes back in the bag.
Blade — the newest and smallest
The Blade folds down to an 18-inch package, against the Flex's 24 — a real difference in how much room it takes up.
The bigger change is the frame. Every other BallyHoop uses round bar; the Blade uses a flat bar frame, which cuts through the water more easily and lets you retrieve the net faster. That is the whole point of the redesign.
It folds in on itself twice, nesting down into three stacked 18-inch rings. Fold it in, bring it toward you under your arms, and it drops into place. Yunior is candid that it takes practice: "a little difficult at the beginning, but once you get it done for the first time it becomes simple." After that you just match up the rings and you are set.
That 18-inch folded size is what makes the Blade the most portable net in the line, and it opens up water the others cannot reach. If you are fishing from a kayak, a paddle craft, a bridge or a pier — anywhere you carry your gear in rather than running it out on a boat — this is the model that travels.
What are the Chum Bomb, the Bobber and the ChummyHoop for?
The nets get the attention, but the chumming system is what actually brings bait into range.
ChummyHoop Large and Mini
Two rubber chum bags sized to standard blocks. The Large takes a 25-pound block and has bigger holes. The Mini takes a 7-pound tournament block. Many anglers run the Mini for bait and the Large for fishing, though there is nothing stopping you putting both in the water at once.
They are made of rubber for a reason — nothing sticks to them, so they stay clean. What they are not designed for is force. "This bag is not designed to be yanking and pulling on it," Yunior warns. Let it hang and let the chum work.
The Chum Bomb
A sealed canister with holes on the top and the bottom and a removable screw-off lid. You fill it with fish pellets, which begin dissolving the moment they hit water. Water enters through the top and forces the chum slick out the back, into the current.
It clips to the same swivel where your strings attach to the frame — open the snap swivel, attach, lock it in place. It floats for a minute until it takes on water, then settles in behind the hoop.
The BallyHoop Bobber
This one replaces a workaround most hoop netters know well: the water bottle tied to the frame.
On a slack day with no current, the net wants to sink rather than drift out where the bait is. Anglers have been clipping empty bottles on for years to keep it floating. The Bobber does the same job properly — open the snap swivel, run it through the frame, close it. It sits straight up and down in the water and holds the unit where you want it.
How do you actually run the setup?
- Attach the chum bag to the boat first. Before it goes anywhere near the water. Yunior flags this twice in the video, and for good reason — "there's a lot of people put it in the water and they potentially attach it to the boat." Bags get lost this way.
- Get the chum in early. Break the box, grab the bag, drop it inside, pull it down so it settles, and put it over the side.
- Do not be stingy. "The more you chum, the more that's going to come. A lot of people want to be conservative. If you don't chum, nothing's going to come."
- Set the hoop behind the slick. Chum in front, net behind, so the bait works its way back over the hoop.
- Add the Bobber if there is no current. Otherwise the unit drops instead of drifting.
- Wait, then lift. Let the school settle over the hoop and bring it up in one steady motion.
What bait can you catch with a BallyHoop?
The honest answer from the video: "You can catch pretty much — if you get it in your chum slick, you can catch it. Cigars, speedos, all kinds of baits, all different areas and different conditions."
In practice that covers pilchards (also called menhaden, greenbacks or greenies), pogies, ballyhoo, speedos, cigar minnows, herring, threadfins, goggle-eye, blue runners, pinfish and shiners. Because the hoop lifts rather than crashes down, bait comes up with its scales intact and stays lively — which is exactly what you want for kite fishing, slow trolling and offshore live baiting.
Which one is right for your boat?
If you want the simplest, most proven unit, take the Aluminum. If you are chasing bait that spooks easily, the Stealth's clear frame earns its keep. If storage space is round and tight, the Flex folds one-handed. And if you need the smallest package, the fastest retrieve, or you are fishing from a kayak or a bridge rather than a boat, the Blade is the newest thinking in the line.
All four catch bait. Pick the one that fits your boat and the way you fish.
