Fishing and seafood is what it's all about - how can you be on the sea - and not be catching what you can for pleasure and dinner - at every opportunity.
I ALWAYS trolled - whenever the yacht was underway. Letting the lines out the back with the lures was about the next thing after letting go the
dock lines - well almost.
The yacht
sails - or even motors - at the almost ideal speed for trolling for gamefish - and there's nothing like the sound of a screaming reel to wake you out of a
cockpit doze.
I was so keen to always troll when sailing - that I had 2 large outrigger
game poles - made up - and mounted on the aft
cabin edges - so that it was possible to swing them out sideways and run a wide spread of lures - while sailing along - and I've got 2 fibreglass sailboard masts - laying on the side
deck right now - for the very purpose - of making up outriggers.
There was a hardly a trip anywhere - that good
fish weren't caught - and freshly cooked and eaten - or the
freezer kept well stocked.
From the back of the yacht travelling along - I've caught Salmon and Tuna off the Central Coast of N.S.W. - Wahoo & Barracuda through the Barrier Reef - Mahi Mahi off
Guam - Marlin off
Vietnam. The list is endless. And I would think it's common practice for sailors anywhere to be trolling for fish - when they're underway.
Here are some photos of an extraordinary catch I made - off the yacht - years back - heading home up the coast from Narooma and about halfway between Port Kembla & Wollongong. While running two rods with big squid skirts out the back - I hooked and landed a Blue Marlin - about 10' from tip to tail - it took about 2 hours to get it on board - and as you can see - even though I got a gaff into it - I ended up having to lassoo it and haul it aboard with the
genoa winch.
Having got it back to Wollongong Harbour - it went straight into the Fish Co-op Cold Store - and the following day up to a Taxidemist at Narrabeen - who said it was the freshest fish she'd ever got - and she ate steaks off it for a month.
If you ask me - you're mad - if your not
fishing off the yacht - whether moving or at
anchor. Buy a set of those annoying clip-on rod bells - put out the line - have a rest - and wait for the tinkling bells to call you to come and collect your dinner.
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I have spearfished at every anchorage - where a good fish meal was needed - using both Hawaaiin slings - and both air and rubbered spearguns - and have used before regularly - and have on board now - a Cast Net - (which you can't use in N.S.W.) that I often would throw from the back of the yacht at night to catch fish and squid under the lights in
Hong Kong and wherever.
Plus prawning hand nets - lobster and crab traps. While tied up at Sanctuary Cove Marina in
Queensland - I put down a crab trap from the side of the yacht - with a chunk of oily tuna caught trolling on the way up the coast - the next morning there were 8 big mud crabs in the trap.
To be honest - I don't actually remember
buying a fish anywhere. I did buy 6 lobsters for $2 from a boy in a dugout in the Solomons once - then dived and found 20 crowded in under one parking station rock below me.
How could you be anywhere in the
Great Barrier Reef and not be catching
Coral Trout and Sweetlip from the yacht? Most of the time - the bait doesn't even get halfway down and your hooked up with a beauty.
Rodney
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