Fishing on an Ocean Crossing - The Right Technique ?

[AlexJageren]

Hi all,
new in here. I have bought gear for fishing while crossing open oceans. I thought I had a good plan: See the yacht's blog.

But now I have been told the opposite: That my hooks should just wobble at surface level 100-200 m. behind the boat. Any knowledge/viewpoints?

Would also appreciate if you could post your knowledge on the blog as well as here, if possible.

[captain58sailin]

I don't know about the weighted line, we just tow a feathered jig, not unlike the ones shown in the blog, with a double hook, and let out about 100~200 meters of line, the jig does not go very deep, I know trolling for Albacore, you want to be right on the surface with in a few feet anyway. There are some good web sites about trolling for Tuna, Albacore, Mahi, Mahi. All we have ever done is throw the line over the side and the fish does the rest of the work, except for the reeling in part. If you happen to spot a flock of birds wheeling over the water or some flotsam or jetsam in the water, it doesn't hurt to swing that way. When cruising I have never made a real effort to catch fish, they just seem to come to the boat with out us trying too hard. We usually catch at least 2 fish a day, more if we left the line in the water longer. I have seen posts here that say they have never caught a fish while underway, which is hard to believe, they must be holding their mouth wrong.
Good luck on the fishing.

[stevensc]

A lot of trolling is done with the baits skipping along the surface, speeds around 4 knots or so faster for some species. A cedar plug, tuna love them, looks like it would never catch a fish but it does very well and runs a little deeper than the surface baits like the squids shown on your blog.
Fish are often attracted to the boat, we usually troll about 100 to 150 feet back.
I would recommend using single hook lures like the squids, spoons, jigs and cedar plugs when fishing shorthanded at sea. Lures with multiple trebel hooks might catch YOU while you are landing a thrashing fish.
I have seen books on fishing for cruisers in marine stores.
Good fishing to you,
Steve

[AlexJageren]

Thanks a lot to both of you.

First. I am glad to have found this forum: It seems to be well trafficed and therefore answers are coming!

Steve, what you say sounds fair. The gear I have mentioned in our blog will be rigged such that I can take off/put on the sinker/replace it with a lighter one, just by removing its twister from the split ring. This should allow us to experiment on different depths as well as wobbling in the surface. Also good to hear that my choice of lures are reasonable. And, yes, only a single hook: No trebles.

Will also be looking for those books you mention.

But I would like insight from others, if you don't mind Also on our blog if possible.

[Surveyor]

I would say that the length behind the boat will depend on your speed. The main thing you want is for your bait to just barely skip the surface. So, the faster your going the more line you want out for line stretch and less line for slower speeds so that your pole actually suspends the bait on or across the surface, barely. The ratio under/skipping over is approximately 50/50. Your trying to imitate flying fish.

Ever have mahi circling your boat but refuse to bite your offerings? We all have and it pisses me off because I can see them laughing at me! If you have room for a bait bucket (or live well) and a long handled net your setup to catch these jokers. What you need is bait they can NOT refuse. You can find, in sargassum seaweed, little crabs and fish that mahi love. They forage for these tasty morsels naturally so its a no brainer bait. When you encounter sargassum, scoop it up with your net and pick out the small baits and keep them alive in your bucket.

When you catch a fish with your trolling rig, you more than likely will draw other fish from the school to the boat. After landing the first fish, switch to a small hook rig using your small LIVE bait if there are stragglers around the boat. They will bite if they are hungry.

20 years of competitive offshore fishing experience here...

[AlexJageren]

Surveyor,

Owe you a cold beer Norwegian style

[Lodesman]

This is a good thread, cause I know bugger all about fishing. Can anyone offer advice on equipment - do you use a pole in a rod-holder or a downrigger? How do use one of them?

[Therapy]

I copied another member's idea (Thinwater I believe - Thanks dude ) and it worked fine for me on our April cruise.

Reel to the steps, shoot mouth with alcohol, filet and release.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Surveyor

Your trying to imitate flying fish.

..

What latitudes and oceans are flying fish found at?

[fishwife]

In my experience, at least 15 degrees North and South of the Equator in the Pacific, I think you can find flying fish in the Indian Ocean as well though I've no recollection of seeing them. You also get 'flying' squid within about 2,000 miles of the West coast of the Americas, in the same latitudes.

P,

[AlexJageren]

Heck this is becoming complicated: I just wanted to fish from the boat...

[hummingway]

It doesn't have to be complicated but some of us have been fishing a long time and adding to our body of knowledge makes us better fishers and makes it more fun. A huge part of the enjoyment is figuring out where the fish are and what motivates them.

[AlexJageren]

And your advice, hummingway, was.. I a m utter ear!

Please share with us,,,

[starfish62]

Originally Posted by hummingway

What latitudes and oceans are flying fish found at?

In the Atlantic flying fish are in the Gulf Stream all over the place. I know they're as far north as Hatteras.

[hummingway]

It does depend on the waters you're fishing. That's why I asked about the location of flying fish. Fish are instinctual. In general you want your attractor to behave like one of the species of fish that are smaller and abundant in the waters you are fishing since the fish that are there will be triggered to strike by them. Hence Surveyor's ecellent desciption of how to offer a flying fish imitation.

If you see seabirds feeding in an area it will often mean a "baitfish" such as herring or anchovies are present and likely being predated on from below. Fish will take a sick fish before a healthy one so you're bait shouldn't "swim" well. Many fish are attracted to a fluttering motion for this reason. If you are simply dragging a line behind you unattended on a flat sea it will be up to your lure to provide the action. The swell could work to your advantage with another type of lure.

Fish don't just hang out they are usually found where bottom features produce some sort of current that brings food. Fishwife mentions, in another thread I believe, fishing sea mounts. In coastal waters you might fish transition zones, places where it suddenly gets deep or rock becomes sand.

Some fish are drawn to large flashers. You have your bait some distance behind the flasher. These rigs are often offered with a downrigger since it's hard to get them down otherwise.

So on and so forth. What waters are you planning to fish in? If tropics both Captain58Sailing and Surveyor are giving a technique that seems to work for many people. If you are in colder waters something different might work better.