fishing on passage

[Ketchcalimbo]

I am heading to the Azores from Ireland in a few weeks, stopping off in NW Spain for a while on the way, returning to Ireland in early August. I am not very knowledgeable about fishing, I only have a have a light rod, which I have used for fishing mackerel etc in inshore waters. My boat is a 36ft Ketch, so expect to be traveling at 5 or 6 knots. Any suggestions as to what tackle I should buy and what are target species for feeding us in the waters we will cover?

[seandepagnier]

I catch squid average catch 2-3 a night sometimes a lot more. Easy to catch underway, I travel 4-5 knots. They weigh about 1kg are good to dry.

[roverhi]

Get yourself a meat hook setup. You are looking to catch dinner not mess around with light tackle and probably losing a meal and your lure. Used a handline of parachute chord and 150# stainless leader. Ono will cut mono filament leader so use stainless or take plenty of spare lures. Made up a board about 18" long to wrap the line around for storage.

Caught fish up to 50#, mostly Ahi, Albacore, Mahi Mahi & Ono. Luckily did not catch a couple that straightened the hooks. First half of cruise hauled in a fish every time we dragged a lure. Had spotty luck there after probably because our lures, all 3 of them, had gotten pretty chewed up and ratty looking.

[MarkJ]

I caught a flying fish with my head one night. Damn hurt!

[Greg4cocokai]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I caught a flying fish with my head one night. Damn hurt!

I had a cute Dutch guest on our Marquesas crossing that got a squid and a flying fish in the face sleeping up in the cockpit the same night!!!


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[DeepFrz]

Use a handline on a large handline reel. Do a search on handline fishing from a sailboat.

This looks like a good place to start.
http://blog.saltwateredge.com/2013/1...ne-essentials/

[Steadman Uhlich]

Open Ocean North Atlantic?

Possibly Dolphin, aka Dorado (aka Mahi Mahi) in warmer waters. Possibly Tuna (rare). Possibly Mackerel.

Hand line on a donut reel (no need for rods or metal reels). Comes with heavy line.

Big hook. Leader.

Pink Squid Plastic Lure.

Extending Gaff Hook (most important for making sure the fish makes it on board the boat).

Winch handle or club to kill fish in the cockpit before he destroys the boat.

On passage we caught a big Dorado (Mahi Mahi) on similar setup. The fish was delicious. Smart crew takes some soy sauce, wasabi paste, and a little pickled ginger for some fresh sashimi.

Tight lines!

[sailboat chef]

I am inspired to watch some video on sushi preparations. I love the taste of fresh caught fish on the grill,every sailors delight I'm sure but not even cooking it,now that's 15-minutes fresher..

[DefinitelyMe]

In my opinion, keep lines and leaders BIG! I don't remember what our is but it's somewhere around 300lb test i think. Let out however much you want, tie it off to a cleat and then take up some slack and add in a shock cord to adsorb the shock loading when the fish strikes.

I like to use two lures - one diving plug that goes down to about 30 feet and one surface squid that bounces along just behind the boat, maybe only 40 feet or so behind the boat. Works a charm for tropical stuff (tuna, dorado, wahoo, also marlin and occasionally sharks but they're a pain). Afraid i'm not sure what you'd get up where you are.

Rather than killing the fish with a billy (which makes a mess), buy the cheapest bottle of vodka you can find and pour a little in the gills. Works very quickly and is supposedly 'humane'.

A decent gaff is a must-have. We bought a proper gaff hook and lashed it securely to a stout wooden broom handle.

[Saleen411]

Rather than killing the fish with a billy (which makes a mess), buy the cheapest bottle of vodka you can find and pour a little in the gills. Works very quickly and is supposedly 'humane'.

I tried this on a striped bass recently after reading about this technique here.

It didn't seem to work too well. The fish was very relaxed on my cutting board and when I poured high quality vodka in it's gills, it started flopping around like crazy. After the flopping stopped, the poor bugger was doing it's underwater breathing thing...for a long time!...

So I gave him another drink. In all appearances, didn't look too humane to me. Just sayin'

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

I tried this on a striped bass recently after reading about this technique here.

It didn't seem to work too well. The fish was very relaxed on my cutting board and when I poured high quality vodka in it's gills, it started flopping around like crazy. After the flopping stopped, the poor bugger was doing it's underwater breathing thing...for a long time!...

So I gave him another drink. In all appearances, didn't look to humane to me. Just sayin'

"I poured high quality" in its gills. That was your mistake.

You see, that fish has spent all his life drinking. You have probably heard people say: "He drinks like a fish."

When you used the good stuff on him, he got a taste and said: "This is GOOD! High Quality! Give me more!" (That is what he was saying in fish speak with his mouth opening and closing and he was flopping around.)

If, instead, you had used the CHEAP LOW QUALITY booze, he would have expired instantly, as he would have been thinking: "I would rather DIE than drink THAT stuff!"

Of course this is added just for a bit more humor on the forum.
________________

I have used both a club (it can be bloody mess AND it takes work) and I have used the "cheap booze" method too. For me the "cheap" vodka worked instantly.

[Saleen411]

Of course this is added just for a bit more humor on the forum.

And humorous it was I just figured "last rights" and all....give the bloke a shot of the good stuff.

I have used both a club (it can be bloody mess AND it takes work) and I have used the "cheap booze" method too. For me the "cheap" vodka worked instantly.

Hmm...guess I will try the cheap stuff next time. My lady was quite perplexed when I broke out the vodka to kill the fish....then very disturbed at its apparent suffering.....yea yea...just a fish, but where she comes from in Asia, this experiment was lunacy. Next time she will have the "Chopper" at the ready.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

And humorous it was I just figured "last rights" and all....give the bloke a shot of the good stuff.



Hmm...guess I will try the cheap stuff next time. My lady was quite perplexed when I broke out the vodka to kill the fish....then very disturbed at its apparent suffering.....yea yea...just a fish, but where she comes from in Asia, this experiment was lunacy. Next time she will have the "Chopper" at the ready.

Glad to see you saw the humor.

Next time….

If all you have is GOOD booze aboard, bring that bottle out AND have a club handy.

Then announce to the newbie crew who is watching attentively, that you are going to use a very special traditional sailor's method of dispatching the big fish you just caught. Embellish this line as you can.

"Have you ever seen a sailor kill a fish with a bottle of rum?"

Then, take a swig of the booze straight from the bottle, and then after swallowing it and nodding with approval, say in a salty voice "AHHH", then proceed to smack the fish with the club till it is a dead'un.

The moral of this story? "The booze aboard is always for the sailors. The club is always for the catch."

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

I tried this on a striped bass recently after reading about this technique here.

It didn't seem to work too well. The fish was very relaxed on my cutting board and when I poured high quality vodka in it's gills, it started flopping around like crazy. After the flopping stopped, the poor bugger was doing it's underwater breathing thing...for a long time!...

So I gave him another drink. In all appearances, didn't look too humane to me. Just sayin'

Try putting it in a little plastic "spritzer bottle" and squirting it all over the gills rather than pouring it.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by StuM

Try putting it in a little plastic "spritzer bottle" and squirting it all over the gills rather than pouring it.

Thanks Stu.....will give that a try. I wasted a bunch of good booze the way I did it. Was hoping some of it would marinate the fish.