Ultimate Saltwater Fishing Setup

[ShaunJ]

Originally Posted by HopCar

A conventional trolling rod with a Shimano TLD25 or Penn Senator loaded with 30 lb. mono and a cedar plug. This is the cedar plug Vasco and I are talking about. 6" Cedar Plain Plug - Rigged MFG#890
Keep it simple.

Cedar Plug and a Penn, the only way to go if you have only one choice. I have caught an array of various fish on this combo, from blue fish to tuna....

[s/v Jedi]

Nobody using teasers?! Here is how to make good cheap ones: take a stack of 5 old CD's or DVD's and drill two small holes through it; one about opposite of the other and both close to the edge. Now use some filament to tie them in a string and trawl this. It'll make the racket that attracts the fish and convinces them to bite.

ciao!
Nick.

[Dave852]

Cedar plug, another benefit is it will stand up to fast trolling unlike feather type lures. I like to put out 3 or 4 to create excitement.

[Katiusha]

We started cruising with a very nice downrigger, 4 very nice rods, and a cuban reel. Over the four years we have downgraded to the cuban reel with a modified clothes pin for signalling when something's biting and a variety of plugs.

When not on passages the cuban reel much easier to store (we didn't like leaving nice rods and removable parts of the downrigger in marinas and anchorages) and [for us] it catches the most fish as it's closest to the water. When the fish is big it takes a while to bring it in, but it's part of the fun.

For the Med we added a lure with a bunch of mini-calamari rigged as the big plugs don't work for us here.

[Whippet]

Originally Posted by savoir

I don't get why a cedar plug would work. How many bait fish are red/brown?

Hi Savoir,

The theory is that brown, red and even black are very good colours for lures that run on, or near the surface. These colours give the best silhouette when viewed from below. Cedar plugs are exactly that, and represent flying fish the best.

If these colours are a mystery to you, have you ever thought how weird plastic squids and feathers are? If you think about it, squid doesn't swim that fast, or in such a linear way. This may surprise many, but plastic squids and feathers actually represent fish (mostly flying fish).

All the best!

[captain58sailin]

All of what the previous posters have said, with a slight variation, I prefer a hand line with a rubber snubber, less gear to monkey with, I have caught fish world round on hand line. Flying fish rule as a bait, and just about any feathered jig works good. Make sure your hooks are very sharp!

[Whippet]

Originally Posted by Katiusha

For the Med we added a lure with a bunch of mini-calamari rigged as the big plugs don't work for us here.

Helloo there!

Did you have any success in the Med? What did you catch? There is a real lack of literature about cruising-fishing in the Med, would love to hear your experiences!

Thanks!

[Katiusha]

Originally Posted by Whippet

Helloo there!

Did you have any success in the Med? What did you catch? There is a real lack of literature about cruising-fishing in the Med, would love to hear your experiences!

Thanks!

So far (we came in 2010):

- 1 small mahi-mahi on a small sedar plug trawling near drop-offs,
- 14 palamut (tuna-like fish, but smaller) on the calamari setup trawling when exiting larger, more fertile bays,
- 2 groupers speared when anchored in a non-designated anchorage with no settlements around,
- 1 octopus speared in the same anchorage,
- 1 snapper jigling near a reef,
- 2 calamari caught with a netted scoop - we have an underwater light, so they were attracted to the krill and things swimming around,
- 1 small crab caught same method as calamari above and let go.

Not a big list, so we usually end up buying fish from fishermen or fish shops. Med is tricky as you have to know when to fish where (unlike Atlantic where you trawl and you catch something). Wind, sun, rain, temperature will suggest wildly differing locations. Spear-fishing is even harder as [we think] the fish, over generations, learnt what a spear-fishing person looks like. When you snorkel, fish is not too far. The moment you're with a spear or a gun (even if you hold it against your body so that it or its tip doesn't vibrate) the fish is at least 60 feet away from you and not closer.

It's frustrating for us because we know what fishing can be like (Gulf Stream and nearby), but one of the most favorite past times for the locals here is to take a small boat out and fish the whole day. Not sure if there's more fish caught or more raki [anis drink] is drank on these days.

We are also choosier than locals - we won't fish on town peers or in the marinas. There's a lot of fish in these areas and people catch them frequently, but we're doubtful of the quality of the meat. We prefer pelagic.

I do have to say that fish shops and markets are excellent here - you can get pretty much anything here and very-very fresh (but for the freshness you have to look). Prices vary, but not bad.

[Whippet]

Thank you so much Katiusha for the info, much appreciated!

[zeehag]

i use a rigged lure--is feathers, and different colors for different fish and different locales.... i use 200 pound test and i affix it to my aftmost shroud, making a slipknot for setting fish, and i catch dinner regularly.
i USED to think i needed a reel and pole--- so unnecessary.

[demacsea]

If I could only have just one lure, then it would have to capable of being cast from the shore, jigged vertically from a boat or trolled astern on a handline. And it would need to be pretty much indestructible. That rules out plugs (you can't jig with them), skirted lures (you can only troll with them), spinners and spoons (you can't jig with them), and soft plastic lures (they're not robust enough).
So my choice? Easy, a bucktail jig!

[Whippet]

Very true Demacsea, there is no doubt the effectiveness of the good old bucktail jig, however, it should be noted that one can jig with a spoon too and that a bucktail do suffer from toothy critters, but in favour of your point, they are cheaper than spoons. I like your simple approach!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, demacsea.

[svcambria]

Saltwater fishing set up: hand line (about 3/16" or so triple strand nylon) 50 to 80 feet long, a thimble at the end, swivel, six feet or so of (big) wire leader. Easy to make, easy to maintain, easy to replace.
Cedar plug or asymmetrical (headed) squid lure - so it will bounce and wiggle - for surface predators, or a "crocodile" metal lure for depth or jigging. Better yet, go for broke, use all three...

Michael

[ReMetau]

I like the Cuban hand reels with a plug. I'm going to try the CD teaser mentioned earlier. When fishing with friends on their power boats, they always use teasers for dolphin and tunas.

I like having a heavy pole on board though for bottom fishing since I love mutton and red snappers.