Trolling from sailboat

[alexdiomedi]

I am considering skipping the rod and only using a good reel attached to the stern pushpit, any advice? Can you send images on how it's done? Thanks

[RaymondR]

Been there and done all that and now use just a large plastic hand storage reel. To anchor the line I pass a few wraps around an anchor winch then move the first turn over the others to anchor them. As I retrieve the line I re-spool it onto the storage reel which I hold in my right hand to do the pulling with. I'd try for an image but it's cold and dark out at the moment.

[Weyalan]

We use hand lines for trolling, with a heavy gauge line and a big heavy "spoon" type lure, or a large heavy sliver wobbler. We pull in any catches by hand. We have done ok with various types of tuna, yellowtail kingfish, trevally, etc. and even a few squid

[Delancey]

I use a Cuban Yoyo with 130 lbs. spedtra braid tuna line. Attach the Yoyo to the stern pulpit with a bungie or surgical tubing. Can use a winch to haul in a fish if you want.

[capt-couillon]

Used to use an old Penn real hose clamped to a vertical member of the pushpit... Now use a "cuban YoYo" and the lazy side sheet winch.

[a64pilot]

Keep the rod and reel, I'm trying to figure out how to attach a photo on Snapfish, but bottom line, when you catch 5' or so of Wahoo, you want a rod and reel to fight him with, no Old Man and the Sea action here

[Kenomac]

Depends on what you're trying to catch. There's no way I could have caught this 18kg tuna the other day without my Penn International II 80STW reel and big game rod. It was easy.

Dragging a line attached with just a spool of line would have been hopeless, resulting most likely in a broken line and lost 20 euro lure.

[Clipper4730]

I'll second A64pilot on keeping the rod and reel. We generally fight the fish from the side as we have our dink hoisted on the tower at the back. I can't imagine pulling in a large mahi or king with a handline. And a fishing pole in a holder somewhere at the back doesn't take up much space anyway. Problem we have is slowing down when we get a fish��

Cheers
Will

[roverhi]

Caught lots of fish using a hand line of parachute cord with 200# test stainless leader, a bit of bungy cord for a shock absorber and lures with pretty hefty hooks. Never a problem bringing aboard a fish. Worst came to worst, just drug them till they died. A few bent the hooks and got away but I was thankful for that.

[Steve_C]

I have tried both approaches and definitely prefer the rod and reel. However I would still use the hand line if I didn't have the reel available. As was mentioned, if you use the hand approach make sure you use big line. Less likely to lose the lure and MUCH easier on the hands.

It also seems a whole lot of people here on this forum like to go "Trolling" with their keyboards. It seems to be one of the most popular pastimes.

[deblen]

Just passing this along

FISHING FROM SAILBOATS: For Whom The Bait Trolls

[edmundsteele]

We used about 80 feet of 350 pound monofilament with a “tuna” hook on the end, attached to a stern cleat. A figure 8 loop about 10 feet out and six feet of heavy elastic shock cord between the loop and the cleat as a shock absorber. The lure was a piece of silvery bread wrapper around a small dowel.

The biggest we ever caught was a 5 foot Mahi Mahi – retrieved using Wal-mart work gloves, hand over hand on the line. The Mahi was hauled up on the stern and subdued with a mouthful of tequila spat into the gills. Eat your heart out Hemingway!

This setup has survived shark attacks without even coming close to breaking. The biggest that “got away” was a girl in a black bikini in Raiatea who came across our stern on a sailboard. She snagged the rig with the board but didn’t break the line! Those French women are probably hard to clean anyway and there’s no way my wife would let me keep her.

[a64pilot]

This may sound silly, but I crank the engine and put her in reverse, I can get speed down to about 1 Kt and still have the autopilot hold a course, fighting a fish at 7 kts plus and you may lose them, but if you ever get them to the boat, they are about dead.


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[a64pilot]

Round about way, but let's see if this works


Just get you a good rod holder and even then tie a dummy cord to the reel.
Parks, AKA Hopcar is a big fishing supply place, he can get you good rod holders. I lost one of the rods in this picture to a cheap West Marine rod holder when it broke.

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[savoir]

This is how you make up a cheap set of trolling gear that will last for years. Unlike fancy rods and reels no one will bother stealing it.

Head down to your local hardware and buy a reel of green nylon builders string at least 2mm or 3mm thick. The thin bricklayers twine is too hard on your hands. Then over to a fishing supplier and grab a reel of strong trace wire and use at least 10 feet. Add a bag of large size swivels. Add a selection of lures of around 4" - 6" size because you will lose a few. the fish win occasionally.

Finally grab around 4 ft of something strong and stretchy. You could use heavy bungee or an old bicycle inner tube.

Let out the lure, trace and around 100 feet of the string over the transom then tie the stretchy stuff across about 8 ft of string so that it acts as a shock absorber. Tie off on one of the stern cleats.

Reach for beer and wait.