Do you fish while cruising?

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by philiosophy

Hand lines and rubber snubbers. We catch them easily when making near 7 knots. Mahi, Ono, yellow Fin, Albacore you name it. Catching them when making 5-6 knots is still a work in progress. Would love to know what works best on the Queensland Coast at slower 5-6 kt speeds.

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

There is a good book called "The Cruisers handbook of Fishing". Its an interesting read.
Philliosophy I wonder what works on the Queensland Coast?
Cheers

I'm not much of a fisherman, but my results sound similar to yours, although I have more success at the 6kn end, 6-8kn seems to be the sweet spot, above and below - not so much. I'm trying to find a lure to catch fish at above the 8kn.

I use mostly 6" and 8" Hard body lures with 3 treble hooks, my favourite is a blue one with the second smallest beak (I think it is meant to dive to 3m) and it rattles. I also tow a home made teaser that was on the boat when I bought it. It is a 12" piece of 50mm SHS covered in jewelled shinny sticker and the shinny inside of a packet of chips trailing from the back. I thought it was a bit of a joke at first but it seems to work.

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I'm trying to find a lure to catch fish at above the 8kn.

You are already using the right lure, because tuna will strike at pretty much anything moving through your wash. Just bring it closer to the boat and make sure it is in the biggest churning wash. I've caught them at 9kts - 20' from the boat.

In warmer water, I put chartreuse and bright green on. The colder I go, the greener it gets. But black and white work too.

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I use short 2 stout rods regularly with 50# line and often catch a fish or two each day out. I frequently day sail with the intent of catching fish so I bring my big fish cooler with ice in case I catch a couple or three. On a passage I fish but usually stop when I catch my first keeper. I catch a lot of bonita but throw them back; almost a PITA on some days when the 6th bonita hits, but getting your string stretched is always fun. I have also used the bicycle innertube method with 1/4" cord and 100# line as well. I wear my inflatable vest with harness and use multiple tethers to keep myself upright on the stern while landing fish. And I carry a spinning or casting setup for fishing at anchor for trout or redfish.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Donald Bryden

I think a mistake that a lot of sailors make is trying to catch the big fish. In the ocean, a big fish can be very big and to take one almost invariably leads to waste. As has been pointed out, it is best to take only what you can eat. Another thought, I have been sailing the oceans for many years. While under weigh at night flying fish and squid will often end up on deck. I used to toss them overboard after finding them. My partner and wife who came aboard in 2005 started cooking them. They are both quite tasty. I was very doubtful about flying fish thinking they would be boney, but the bones were no problem when fried.

Ha Ha, some folks would call that "road kill"! Just sayin . . .

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by Donald Bryden

While under weigh at night flying fish and squid will often end up on deck. I used to toss them overboard after finding them. My partner and wife who came aboard in 2005 started cooking them. They are both quite tasty. I was very doubtful about flying fish thinking they would be boney, but the bones were no problem when fried.

I have eaten flying fish, but I find the oil in them a tad gamey. Instead, I pack them in salt for a few days, then freeze them and use them for bait.

While I prefer to conserve my catch, whatever I don't need, I give back to the ocean. It would be different if I was putting the remains in the garbage dump.

[waterman46]

We fish a lot with about 100' of parachute cord followed by 25' of very heavy monofilament then a lighter mono then the storebought lure. Usually run about 6 knots, with the lure very near the surface. Only got one small tuna and a small dorado (I think) all the way from SF to Panama. Had about the same bad luck on a cruise from San Diego to Tahiti in 1990.

I was wondering, is there any problem with porpoises hitting the lures? We see hundreds of porpoises at various times, chasing the boat, etc. No I'm not an insane animal rights guy, I just worry that I would injure a porpoise by mistake so I pull in the line when I see any.

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by waterman46

I was wondering, is there any problem with porpoises hitting the lures? We see hundreds of porpoises at various times, chasing the boat, etc. No I'm not an insane animal rights guy, I just worry that I would injure a porpoise by mistake so I pull in the line when I see any.

I highly doubt they would be interested. Their eyesight and echolocation is amazing and could likely tell the difference. They are known to steal the bait while completely missing the hook. If you are concerned, use a bigger hook so they can sense the metal easier.

More often, they are snagged in the fin, but apparently they smart enough not to fight you getting it out.

[Sojourner]

Been stuck at a dock with repairs for a while, but am super excited to try out my squidding gear! Used to surfcast for squid all the time in australia from breakwaters, so easy and so tasty! You can hand jig the squid lures as well along docks/seawalls for octopus (tho I really have an ethical problem eating octopus...although I eat them. I just cant' stomach catching and killing them myself ) Squid however are @$$holes so I feel good about that

Also have yet to break out my shrimp pot but will soon enough

[swampbush]

Originally Posted by philiosophy

Hand lines and rubber snubbers. We catch them easily when making near 7 knots. Mahi, Ono, yellow Fin, Albacore you name it. Catching them when making 5-6 knots is still a work in progress. Would love to know what works best on the Queensland Coast at slower 5-6 kt speeds.

Halco 7 metre deep diver. Lots of action at lower speeds. Change to a 2m diver at higher speeds or the drag is huge.

[robert 56]

during my cruising years we were always fishing . while cruising at anchor ,snorkling . hand line and bungee , pole spear or hawaiian sling . we did not shy away from big fish , never frozen . if there was any fish left we would brine it and dry it . hanging it on the shrouds even while sailing . a little extra salt spay never hurt . it was so good we could never keep it for long .
makes me hungry thinking about it

[rsj8028]

We keep a bottle of rum in the cockpit when fishing and throw a capful into the gills while taking out the hook. Work like a charm to avoid the death rattle that sprays droplets of blood everywhere. The fish probably doesn't even know it died

[Dave9111]

My boats on the Great Lakes. For unknown reasons very few sailors drag lines on the Great Lakes. A slow day sailing is excellent trolling. Throw out a few lines and see what happens. If nothing, no loss. Standard rods, 20 lb test. A popular lure. We have tied into several walleye of excellent eating size and a few lunkers that we usually let go if we get them in the boat. It provides some food and excitement on an otherwise slow day.

[Jimmyhenry]

Ciguatera is a dangerous toxin in reef fish. Also occasionally in Pelagics. Common in the SW Pacific.
Life threatening.

[Souzag818]

Big fan of the parachute cord/ surgical tubing hand lines. Done the fancy rod/reel thing it's just too much of a pain in the arse. Fished with handlines most of my life in Hawaii, and it's just easier, and I think more reliable.

[nwsailor]

We flyfish for salmon quite a bit in Alaska. We look for isolated places with low gradient streams. Take the dinghy up the river on the flood tide, fish for and hour or two and come out on the ebb. One minor problem, when the salmon are in, so are the bears.
I haven't caught a halibut on a fly rod yet but I keep trying in the estuaries.