Braided fishing line whilst trolling

[thinwater]

Sailors also tend towards smaller lures. We are often short handed (or single hand), and can't manuver well AND fish, so we only slow and drag aboard. We don't want more than we can eat. We aren't trying to land a trophy.

The normal aproach, as Blackkayak hinted, is to slow the boat, let the fish tire while we drag him for a few minutes (it genrally takes a few minutes to get organized) and then drag him aboard. The fight is generally to be avoided, not savored. Most sailors target 3- to 30-pound fish and use 50-100 pound line. The line stretchs, but the drag is tight and little spools out. I doubt I've ever passed 200 feet.

[captain58sailin]

I have handled the 80lb test braid, and it scares me. You make a valid point regarding the mono as a leader. We are not addressing tournament competitors. We are addressing cruising sailors that have varying degrees of skill and coordination. Me, I opt for simple, hand line and dispense with the rod & reel altogether. Regardless of the terminology you use, any time you put your hand on or near the line with a fish on it, one would be advised to be cautious. I am not saying it wouldn't work, just saying it won't work for me.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Sailors also tend towards smaller lures. We are often short handed (or single hand), and can't manuver well AND fish, so we only slow and drag aboard. We don't want more than we can eat. We aren't trying to land a trophy.

The normal aproach, as Blackkayak hinted, is to slow the boat, let the fish tire while we drag him for a few minutes (it genrally takes a few minutes to get organized) and then drag him aboard. The fight is generally to be avoided, not savored. Most sailors target 3- to 30-pound fish and use 50-100 pound line. The line stretchs, but the drag is tight and little spools out. I doubt I've ever passed 200 feet.

This. Even if you think you're going to do it differently, you probably won't. You'll look at the poled out genny, then back at the fish being dragged over the water at 7 knots, shrug, and go to pull him in, surfing him in even. This is not deep sea sport fishing, this is meat fishing.

The elasticity of mono is really helpful as a shock absorber if you have 50-75+ yards of line out, both during the strike as well as after, as you bring your victim in.

That said, it really all depends on what sort of gear you're using. Cuban yo yo? You'd be an idiot to use modern braid with that...might as well just go ahead and cut a couple of fingers off ahead of time to get it over with. I use yo yo's so I don't use braid. But if you've got a rod and reel it's a different story. You want the compactness of the braid, you have a drag to deal with a heavy fish, and non-self mutilating retrieval gear. Also, braid stands up to UV better than mono, which has some benefits if you're fishing a lot and/or leaving your rod up on deck.

As always ,YMMV.

[zeehag]

i has 7 kt envy..lol i dont have to slow down as i am slow to start with.. i dont use a rod so i dont have that to break..i broke 3 in gulf of mexico in one year....
i bring in my catch hand over hand using 100 or 200 pound test line..is a blue braided kind of stuff.. and easily handled. i pull my fish into boat with gaff if needed...have hand boated most of my fish without gaff...it is dinner.. it is mine. have only lost one here in pacific in 3 years, so far.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by zeehag

SNIP

i bring in my catch hand over hand using 100 or 200 pound test line.

SNIP

I use 300 or 400 pound mono. Just bought 100 yards at the flea market on Big Pine along with a dozen skirts for $US5. Already have several Cuban yoyos from Walmart. Normally let out three times the boat length and secure the mono on a stern cleat. Use an old bicycle tube to absorb the shock.

Pirated from this book

The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing: Scott Bannerot, Wendy Bannerot: 9780071427883: Amazon.com: Books

[colemj]

Originally Posted by HopCar

My choice of sailboat fishing rig would be a short stout standup rod with a good sized moderately priced reel, Penn Senator or Shimano TLD, loaded with 80lb or heavier braid with a 100 yards of mono on top, hooked to a wire leader dragging a cedar plug or feather.

That's the ticket! Use 150' of mono on the braid. Then I can have more line for those spooling incidents (they happen regardless of what type of fish you are trying to catch), while still only handling the mono.

Why didn't I think of that? Thanks!

BTW Zee, you won't believe the fishing action between 7kt and 8kt. Somehow that seems to be the magic speed for making the fish go crazy - particularly if you are trolling a surface lure. Luckily, that speed is within our range. At 9kts, things go dead again - go figure.

Mark

[donradcliffe]

I use 300 lb mono and 160 lb wire leader, with a bungee to take up the shock. Drag the fish at 7k until it tires, then pull it in--the big ones go around a winch--and the boat doesn't have to slow down. Probably don't catch as many fish as the guys with the fancy rods, but I'm going sailing, not fishing.

I catch as many fish on the short (50 ft) line as I do on the long (150 ft) line.

[colemj]

We do the same on our yo-yo, only I don't bother with a bungee for shock - the mono seems to handle that just fine.

We too find the sweet spot is 40-60' back from the boat. Much shorter than most people think.

Mark

[captain58sailin]

When trolling for albacore, we set 6 lines in a spread, (I cheat, I have out riggers), and the 2 lines directly astern are the closest to the boat, and they are also the ones that produce more fish. When I have been just cruising, not in deliberate search for fish, I have had plenty of luck catching dinner fish at what ever speed I am at under sail, between 5 and 7 knots. Usually average 2 fish per day, which is way more than we can eat, and usually fish a day, then lay off for a couple, then start again. Maybe we are just lucky. I like using the 300 / 400 lb mono for a main line, then use 6 to 8' of 80 to 100 lb mono for a leader and stainless wire to the jig. I use a snubber, I don't usually slow down once I hook up.

[blackkayak]

Fishing from a catamaran is too easy. Rod holders on stanchions, sit on the sugar scoops to land the fish and immediately dress it out on the back deck. You get spoiled. I like to get it up to the scoop, bend the bottom lip down and give it a generous shot of Popov. While in that state, (the fish) I pass a cord through the gill, always back to front, and filet it on a board I keep. One or two will feed you for several days. Filet knives are a very important part of your fishing equipment.
I usually fish a diver in close and a top bait further back.

[HopCar]

What do you guys think of trolling spoons?
I think they are very effective, relatively cheap, but it is a real pita dealing with the line twist. Yes ball bearing swivels help but I always seem to end up with twisted line anyway.

[captain58sailin]

I have used a strip of plastic garbage sack with some success.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by HopCar

What do you guys think of trolling spoons?
I think they are very effective, relatively cheap, but it is a real pita dealing with the line twist. Yes ball bearing swivels help but I always seem to end up with twisted line anyway.

I was about to suggest swivels in the line. Are there some big disadvantages to swivels?

[HopCar]

Onestep, I use swivels, in fact I use expensive ball bearing swivels and if I troll long enough I still get line twist.

[robert sailor]

I use about 50-60 feet of 1/8" braided nylon rope with about 15 feet of weed whacker clear mono and a short steel leader. Bungee cord attached at the boat. Caught lots of fish on this rig, never used a rod. Drag them behind until they are damn near drowned and then pull them in and gaff them, if they are smaller just drag them over the life lines.