Fishing while sailing

[Gamechanger]

Has anyone had success fishing while underway on a sailboat? If yes, what type of hardware did you use? Is a simple line and lure adequate or???

Would appreciate your help.

[captain58sailin]

Hand line with a snubber works good. Just about anything that makes a disturbance on the surface will attract fish. I like the feathered jigs, I have heard a lot of people like the cedar plugs. There are several threads here concerning fishing do a quick search for more in depth information. You gotta hold your mouth right.

[sharkwatcher]

Try a Cuban Yo-Yo with 100-200lb test mono and 6" trolling feather about 100-200 ft behind the boat. I use a bungee with a shark clip attached to it and clipped to the line as a shock cord for hard strikes. Hand over hand the line in and try to not get tangled in it. A sawed off ball bat makes a good "pacifier". I have caught many dolphin (dorado), king and spanish mackeral, and small tuna this way. Very low tech and almost bulletproof!

[Cheechako]

I've had good success. Hand line and rod. I far prefer a short stout rod and big reel to the hand line though. Why? Because you know immediately when the fish hits. I caught a lot of fish on the hand line only to discover them later... all that was left was the head! Also, playing the fish immediately will get you more fish instead of Barracuda.... although you still get some Barracuda.

[SVNeko]

We just use a short stout rod with a heavy old Penn trolling reel. Skirted lures seem to work the best for us. Went to the plastics store and bought a big piece of cutting board material to make a ... big cutting board for cleaning.

[Gamechanger]

Great ideas..... and a few considerations that I never would have thought of. Thanks to all who responded.

[Lizzy Belle]

You can probably find some more info with a search of the Fishing Forum?
Fishing, Recreation & Fun - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[thinwater]

Snubber. Pure myth. If you have 150' of mono out, that will stretch 20 feet on any kind of hit, so what difference could a short bungee make? Just mono.

Strike alert on yo yo. Route the line through a trolling release clip (yo yo hangs down until tripped). Locate the yo yo so that when tripped it will bang on the rail. Never missed a strike.

Obviously the lure is local.

I can store 6 yo yos in a small bucket. We also carry 3 rods, but yo yos, pre-rigged with different lures and sinkers, are the standard for trolling.

[HankOnthewater]

Generally use a hand-reel, and wind the line 3 or 4 times around a winch on the windward side, so if anything gets caught (including seaweed), the force will pull the line and rattle the reel that lies on on the cockpit seat, and often slides down to the cockpit floor. Boat has aft cockpit.
I use lures that dive 1-3 metres deep, catch what we call Bonito here, or otherwise garfish, pike, tailer, or mackerel more to the north of Oz.
Yes, sometimes you have to get the fish on board quickly, as the sharks will beat you to it.
For a big fish, happy to slow down the boat to get it on board.

For those around here and check this site for fish info:
FISHING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA | Western Australia | www.wanowandthen.com

[RaymondR]

Heavy nylon mono on a hand reel and wind the recovered line onto the reel as you pull the fish in.


Most regular catch on the east coast of Australia for me is Spanish Mackerel and biggest problem is boat speed because I mainly downwind sail.


I gaff them then slip a noose over their tail and leave them hanging over the back to bleed - too messy in the cockpit and I don't want to get anywhere near a large, thrashing fish with treble hooks on the lure hanging out of it's mouth.


I have never perceived a need for a shock absorber with the heavy nylon mono I use but some sort of signalling device would be handy.

[Gareth Hughes]

I've tried over the years:A reel, hose clamped to the rail, with split PVC pipe as protection, a yoyo, leading the line the "wrong" way around a winch before securing it, so the ratcheting of the winch informs you of the strike, using clothes pins to contain a bight of the line.

I alternate between using cedar plugs and homemade out of a red and silver Coke can lures.

You can kill the fish cleanly by pouring cheap liquor down it's throat.

Good luck.

[Foolish]

I've heard of people catching huge fish off the stern. If a fish is too big to eat in one day, is it possible to dry the leftover fish in the sun on a moving boat?

[The Garbone]

Salt, pack it in salt.

[alctel]

I salmon fish off my sailboat with downriggers. It's good practice keeping the speed low, as you need to be between 1.5-2.5 knots

[zeehag]

i use lures color of fishies favorite snacks: dorado babies(green and yellow), magenta and purple, silver colored ones and color of flying fish. i have that on a looooong line--blue braided 100 pound test. . i affix this to a shroud, as i am sailing a ketch i have those at hand in cockpit. there i make a slip knot. when slipknot slips, i has set a fishie for my dinner. i then hand over hand rapidly bring that fishie to my table. every time. sometimes the fish striking will make a sound with the shroud. always it will slip the slipknot, so i know when i have a set fish. too long in water, fishie is eaten. get it fast

i catch dorado(mahi), peanuts(baby tuna) and bonito, and sierra, aka spanish mackerel, and whatever else happens to be interested. all fish are eaten and their remaining bits feed other fishies.
and bubba is happy.

oh yes, as dying fish emit a neurotoxin, i clean my fish rapidly while they are alive. we eat sashimi.