I’d hazard a guess that 95% of the fishing done from sailboats is using surface lures but the problem is that far too often the fish tend to hang out a bit deeper…
One way to get off the surface is to use a lure that is designed to work below the surface. Most of these lures have lips of one sort or another that act as a diving plane…
What’s even better about this sort of lure (in this case a Rapala X-Rap) is that just about every diving lure is designed for slower speeds so just perfect for sailboat use…
Another Rapala but this time with a jointed body which I have been noticing have become serious fish catchers here in the Caribbean of late…
Of course, you could just use a diver/plane (a Luhr Jensen Jet Diver is pictured) to get your normal squid or lure down into the fish zone.
A good hedge is to troll a couple of lines having one on the surface and the other running deep and see what happens…