Any fishermen out there?

[Gary M]

Hello All,

I recently received a birthday present of a day aboard a private 50 foot motor yacht to get a fishing lesson from one of the best fishermen in our area!

I had a great day fishing, but as the skipper said, not a great day catching!

So now I'm looking for a new rod, reel, and start building a tackle box again. I want to start on the cheap and build up.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I need a salt water reel, I'm fishing in 90 to 300 feet, and hope I won't catch anything that a CD22 can't handle!

Gary

[mgphl52]

Hi Gary,

Every time I've gone fishing, I've caught exactly what I went out for!
.
.
.
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and it came to me on a plate 'cause I only fish from menus.

From watching others, I find that far cheaper and it gives me more time to sail!

-michael

[BillyO]

This is going to sound like heresy, however I have trolled for salmon om NE lakes for years. NEVER on a sailboat though.
That being said, it has occured to me that the speed of my 22
on light winds on a broad reach would be a natural for land locked
salmon fishing. May God forgive me for this.

[Jim Walsh]

A rod holder on the stern rail is fairly common in the northeast. I've always keps a trolling rod and a small spinning rod aboard. Over the years I've caught dozens of blues and two stripers trolling. The spinning rod comes in handy when the harbor blues, snapper blues, or mackerel are present. Once in Block Island sound I had a big shark come in to investigate a feathered spoon I was trolling. He was perhaps a dozen feet long. the boat was seventeen feet long so I reeled in the spoon quietly and did my best to become invisible.

[BillyO]

I see that we are coming out of the closet on matters of fishing from our sacred Cape Dories.
May God hsve mercy on our sailing souls.

[Gary M]

Very good advise Michael, but even though I'm sure you are right, that the best price for fish is on a menu or a grocery store, I think I'll learn that the hard way!

Since all my old tackle has gone away over the last 30 years I have to start from scratch. Walmart has great prices on rod and reel combos but they also have a close out on a Penn reel.

I'd like to start on the cheap, and prove Michael right then to dive in to the tune of hundreds of dollars to prove Michael right!

Do any of you have experience with low to medium priced rod and reels?

Of course I'm keeping my eye on CL just in case.

Gary

[Ron M.]

Often when on a cruise for a few days I'll troll, once in I while I'll actually catch dinner. I think I've caught every sea robin in Nantucket Sound.......weird little fish.
________
Vf1100S

[Steve Laume]

I am always amazed at how long you can troll without catching a fish. I have two rod holders on Raven. The idea was to troll at different depths. My son actually liked to fish and as a result caught more than I do because he was paying better attention. Now I keep a trolling rod in one holder and a lighter spinning rod in the other just to keep it handy and out of the way. The hard part is finding a fishing area without obstructions. It is either lobster buoys or floating eel grass. A fish will not bite if there is grass on your lure. This summer I found a lure that would vibrate the rod tip if it was clean. If I looked at the tip and it was just sitting there then it was time to reel in and clean off the grass. Slowing down can be a problem too. This summer I hooked a bunch of blue fish just off Cape Cod. I was running down wind with the vane set and never did land one. It was just too much trouble to slow the boat down. In most situations, the best thing to do is tack the boat so you can heave too then grab the rod and attempt to bring in the fish. A gaff is good. I have a king sized stringer that I can slip through the mouth and gills of a fish without bringing it aboard. So, heave too, reel in the fish, gaff it, get it on the stringer which is already tied to the stern rail, then worry about taking out the hook or dealing with the boat. If I had left the stringer in the fish when I was cleaning it last year I wouldn't have lost half the fish overboard at night while trying to clean it without making a big mess in the cockpit. What really pissed me off is that I had already scaled it and we had three people and only one good sized blue fish. We would have had a nice big fish dinner if I had not dropped half of it. Wire leaders and some trolling sinkers will help. Unless you run into a feeding frenzy on the surface, most fish are down fairly deep. Big lures are good. I never worry about fishing off my boat. To me it is a boat and not a yacht. If I can't enjoy it in anyway I see fit, without feeling guilty then what good is having it, Steve.

[BillyO]

The secret to catching fish whilst trolling is to have some knowledge of the fishs' swimming and feeding depth.
ALL my success has been on LEAD LINE.
One fishes lead line by the number of colors that are put out.
Each color represents a given number of feet that the line will sink via the lead line.
When you get used to the number of colors "out" then you will be killing the blues in season.
If anybody wants any more info on this it is very available.
Contact moi--if you want to. I fished for years this way.

[mike ritenour]

over the years i've gone to simple gear......a bungee cord, 100# test line, wire leader, hook or lure for the conditons and i seem to catch a fair number of fish.
rit

[Gary M]

Hey Mike,

I'd like to try that. How do you rig the line as far as weights and so on?

Gary

[mike ritenour]

I attach a bungee cord (a fairly long one - 26"- I made with materials from Sailrite) to my stern rail (usually fairly low down), play out the hook, line and trolling sinker off a little wooden "H" board and when I've got the right amount deployed, I double loop the bungee cord around the "H" board and secure the bitter end of the cord onto itself, leaving a fair amount of bungee to do the "fighting".

The key seems to be the speed of the boat, too fast and I get barracudas hunting on the surface, a little slower usually brings in dinner.

Self experimentation will enhance the basics for you. I've found this method useful as I can still use my windvane while fishing, Otherwise the pole and line gets in the way.

Once hooked, I use a spray bottle filled with cheap rum, a few shots into their gills and they are in la la land.

Hope it works for ya

sea u,
rit

[dugout]

I consider this to be a basic set-up for the Ocean and trolling.
Most folks don't know this but Sportfish captains and mates, especially charter boats, hate to see sailboats fishing close by because it is a known fact they raise fish, and raise fish much more consistently than a SF boat. They just seem to have the right buzz and motion. It’s embarrassing to be out fished by a sailboat for the charter boat. Remember all this, boat and lures, imitates a school of fish feeding on the surface and the lures are wounded stragglers trying to keep up, appearing as easy pray. Sailboats have a cleaner wake and your lure is much more visible from below. While the Gulfstream deserves great respect in many ways, it also offers a terrific fishing opportunity, especially the edges, and eddies, where blue water and green water rip the surface with opposing currents and major SST differences exist in close proximity. Birds feeding and any breaking school of fish assure a great fishing opportunity.

Tools
Cotton gloves
Fisherman's Pliers
Knife
Small Hand Gaff
Longer 3" gaff
Good stout rod holder
Small crimping tool
One release clip
One 15-18# float ball rigged with 4' of rope and clip.

Tackle
A short, 5', stand-up rod
Shimano TLD20 or 25, spooled with 30# line
100# fluorocarbon leader material
spinning rod, 10-12# test set-up
The TLD Shimano reels have stood the test of time and remain the most durable and serviceable reel in the world. Penn has suffered many management and owner changes and frankly they just are not what they used to be. Keep grease and an extra drag washer.
A rod with good quality ceramic rings will outlast the high maintenance roller guides every time and rollers are not needed on light tackle.

Rigging
Put a loop in the line with a Bimini twist. Tie the leader into the loop with a modified Albright. Crimp your lure on the leader with an appropriate size double barrel crimp. This is considered a wind-on leader set-up and as simple as it gets.

Lures
Lures are very regional and any real tackle shop can offer you an assortment for your region. Just be sure they know the speed you intend to pull them. Speed is everything and you need lures which produce at sailboat speeds. Remember most lures are designed to catch fisherman, not fish. On the east coast, consistent producers includes
Green machines
Huntington Drone Spoons
Cedar plugs
Islander sailures and trackers, also known as hawaiian-eyes, Blue/White
Moldcraft Squid and wide-rangers

A good running wide-ranger, for instance, set in the third or fourth wake will break the surface, cup air, and then go sub-surface and trail a stream of bubbles before it breaks the surface again. Depending upon your boat, you may need to place the release clip higher on the backstay, end of the boom, etc, or adjust how far back and where on the swell you put it. Take the time to place it where it works correctly.

Keep the spinning rod at the ready. More than a few Dolphin have been caught by casual casts, with a feather jig, under debris or weeds on the way by and it's well worth the effort.

WARNINGS
If the thought even crosses your mind that what you have hooked is more than you can handle cut it loose. More than one big, and I mean BIG, Blue Marlin have jumped the above list of lures. They can take the lure and leave a hole in the water the size of a Volkswagen. You will get spooled so cut it off NOW and settle for the excitement of the strike. Don't even think about bringing any live billfish in the boat. Even a green 40# white marlin can do a substantial amount of damage to a cockpit and crew. Be careful! Almost everything you catch will have teeth and they are as quick as a cat. Sharks; don't even think about it!!! Even a green dolphin can beat stuff up pretty good and toss a hook out of its mouth with speed of an arrow. If you get a hook in you push it all the way through and cut the barbed end off with your bolt cutters. Then it can be backed out cleanly. Yes four fingers of rum will help.
Know the law. A tuna needs to be reported on the east coast and you need a permit if you wish to fish for them. You can not land and sell your catch without a commercial license to do so, so forget it. Stripped Bass are protected as well so be knowledgeable of the laws.

Tuna Trick
Most don't want to release this favorite table fish but anything over 30lbs is a handful in the cockpit and they will beat you and your gear up, too! Here is a trick to employ. We are not fishing for IGFA records here. Take the float ball rig, or a fender, and clip it to your reel. Set the drag up heavy and toss everything, yes everything, overboard; Float, rod, reel, everything. Then sail around the ball till it stops bobbing and dunking. Pick up the ball, your rod and reel, and hopefully enough subdued tuna for you and all your friends. You will also need to take the reel down, clean and lube but that is a small price to pay. Don’t do this with a Wahoo or you will watch your float go over the horizon!

Finally, be a responsible fisherman if you plan to fish. Honor your catch by taking the time to learn how to prep and preserve its wonderful table qualities. Only catch what you can use and just stop fishing when enough is enough. One decent fish is usually all that is usable. There is nothing uncouth about fishing from a sailboat, so have fun and catch dinner.

[chase]

Gary,

We've been catching a lot of fish offshore with an old Penn Senator rod and reel my cousin gave me. He insisted I should work up to at least 6 rods but I told him I have enough lines to handle already.

My first mate that accompanies me on offshore trips is an avid fisherman, here's a pic of a decent size king he caught during a 60 hour run from Ga to NC.



We have a good system when a fish is on and I luff the sails and even head up while he lands, kills and immediately filets and cleans the side deck. We packed the icebox on my CD 30 last time with king, spanish, tuna and mahi.

Mostly we use either real ballyhoo or fake and spoons. The fake ballyhoo is convenient and catches fish. It also seems to foul less in weed than spoons. We also setup a downrigger this time which is a flat piece of steel that forces the bait down but pops to the surface when fish on. We knocked together a gaff in the shop before our last voyage with an old axe handle and heated, bent and sharpened some steel rod. The fender trick is a good one if you land a big one.

I'm not good enough to fish much while singlehanding, just too much going on. My mate would have lots more to say. He won't let me back on course until all three rigs are in the water. More than three is a bit much if you are an optimist. We have had our hands full before, especially when you are on a run with whisker pole and preventer. It is a lot to do each time you have a big fish on. Don't spend much money and have a blast. Here's a video of Jeff catching a little bonito 30 miles off Savannah:




Chase

[mgphl52]

Thanks, dugout! That is great info & I'm sure many will appreciate the time and effort you put into the post.

-michael