Fishing or Diving ?

[kenackr]

For those of you who are active cruisers and like seafood, do you fish while underway, dive while not underway, use a net in some fashion, or buy them locally?

The poll will accept multiple entries for all answers that are applicable to the primary ways you get get your seafood.

[Weyalan]

I often troll (and not just on this forum, either) a line when sailing, althouh I rarely seem to catch anything (just the occasionaly couta). I seem to do a lot better fishing off the boat at anchor (or drifting in the dinghy). I often snorkel for abalone & mussels and occasionally scuba-dice for abalone & crayfish. I have never dive-fished with a spear or hawaiian sling. I don't own a net, but would definitely consider getting one... I have freinds that do well with a small net.

[rebel heart]

Buying from a market or fishing from the dock seems to work for me. Fishing from a dock, you'll catch a few little guys here and there, and maybe a big one sometimes.

Going to the market (like the kind that the fishing boats unload directly at) gives you great prices, an awesome selection, and extremely fresh fish.

It might be romantic to imagine catching all your own fish all the time, and maybe some lucky suckers out there can do it, but for me if there's an option to spend $20 for fresh jumbo shrimp and salmon, I'm on it.

I think some fishermen spend more on their fishing gear than it would cost to just buy the damn fish from a fresh market (or another fisherman).

I trolled a line for nearly 400nm once; didn't catch a single damn thing. Maybe if I become a better fisherman I'll change my tune, but right now sailing the boat takes enough of my time. The lure on the back seems to be for show more than anything I can honestly argue is useful.

[cat man do]

Pic's from my Vanuatu trip.

Most of the stuff here was caught on seamount's on the way across from OZ trolling , in the end using shopping bag's with big hook's and torpedo sinkers.

I also dive and spear untill shark's appear, and buy or barter from local fisherman.

Dave

[cat man do]

a few more.

Note on some of the pic's the toothpaste tube lure [ red and white was a Wahoo favourite] and on the Mahi Mahi the white shopping bag.

The white shopping bag got us 2 out of 3 marlin hookup's, the hook was straightened on on of the run's, and the gold Penn 130 reel had full drag and had no chance of stopping the fish.

Awsome power.

Dave

[beau]

I want to carry a Gill net which is illegal in Australia. I don't intend to use it in Australian waters of course.
Will I have trouble with out nazi style jackbooted fishing inspectors in Australia if they find it ON the boat (not in the water)
Should I remove the floats, lead line etc.
Remember this is MY home, surely I can carry extra crab pots, sticks of gelignite etc if I intend to use them in another country.
What is your experience.?

[Boracay]

... with having illegal nets as fisheries inspectors are notorious for lacking sympathy and a sense of humour.

Even minor transgressions of the fisheries regulations can result in confiscation of the boat and of any other vehicle used to convey the illegal gear. This is true in many parts of the world.

My understanding is that gill nets are illegal because they take large numbers of small fry which has a serious effect on the viability of fishing and some endangered species.

There are effective legal methods of fishing that do not damage fisheries or environment. They require skill, knowledge and patience in their use.

[beau]

I plan to take a 5 inch gill net which doesn't catch small fish.

The thing is I can have this net at my home on land, but from what I see if I have the net on my home on a boat it is illegal.

[Entlie]

Although we have a heavy duty trolling rod, we usually fish with a cleated off hand line with a long length of almost clothes line attached, and a pink lure. Orange and green lures just don't do the trick for us. We have caught tuna and mahi on this line as well as other fish.

Next cruise we are taking some bottom tackle as well - for grouper, etc, and some rattle lures.

The toothpaste tube looks interesting, but I don't get the shopping bag thing. Would you care to elaborate?

Entlie
Sailing Catamaran Sunspot Baby

[bearphish]

cat man do,
would that be the shopping bag rig you caught that peanut dolphin on in the first picture? was that trolling past floating structure, or open water? i love to hear about people catching great fish with what others would consider garbage! just goes to show that $300 in tackle doesn't always mean you get the fish. i have used the scoop end of a cook spoon with similar results...

nice catch bro,

bear

[Vasco]

The shiny mylar bags from wine boxes make excellent lures but most of the box wines have gone to the clear plastic which is useless. Cuban yoyo, 100 pound test and a bungee cord, no need for expensive tackle.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by bearphish

cat man do,
would that be the shopping bag rig you caught that peanut dolphin on in the first picture? was that trolling past floating structure, or open water? i love to hear about people catching great fish with what others would consider garbage! just goes to show that $300 in tackle doesn't always mean you get the fish. i have used the scoop end of a cook spoon with similar results...

nice catch bro,

bear

Thanks Mate,

yep that be the shopping bag.

For Entlie: Just had a big hook as in the pic and a big torpedo sinker above that all on big wire (we had light rigging wire and swages) but I usualy use piano wire/game wire.

This was about 1 metre long.

The important part is good quality swivells where it attaches to the line as without them you get twisted lines when pulling them in.

The shopping bag just got tied and wired onto the top of the sinker and shredded around the bottom and chopped of about 6 inches below the hook.

We had those flash reels to use, but I prefer a big handreel with cheap green 6mm rope attached to swivel, then trace.

Attach this to the boat with an old bycycle tube ( free at bike repair shop) as a bungee. This takes a bigger hit than bungee and is free.

I got that fish at the rocks near the Top of New Caledonia

In the pics you can see the rocks, they are the ones on the plotter.

If you look close you can see the white water on the eastern side of the lagoon about 1000m away.

As we passed the tip and dropped off the edge of the world, we hooked up to a big marlin, which we didnt have a hope in hell off holding.

The guy who owned the reels(Vanuatu game fishing champion) reckons marlin wont hit a steel trace, they swim up and tap the trace with their bill. He reckons these ones may not have seen steel before.

On the chart the top pink line with the short line in is that lagoon at the top, which we actually went in, plenty of room and depth and approched an Island that is on one of the plotter screen pics.

Dave

[bearphish]

The shiny mylar bags from wine boxes make excellent lures

they make excellent blow up pillows for lounging on beaches, or an extra waterproof back cushion for the cockpit in rough water...

they last forever, and you can let the air out and crunch 'em up in your rucksack for island trudging, etc.

ok, i'm off track here...

cheers

[colemj]

I've always had a question about using the yoyo's. Once the line is out, how do you connect the bungee to the line (I think I know how to connect the other end to the boat)?

Mark

[colemj]

I've always had a question about using the yoyo's. Once the line is out, how do you connect the bungee to the line (I think I know how to connect the other end to the boat)?

Mark