Catching Fish while Sailing?

[lo2jones]

Jack Mackerel from Mexico are good if you cook them and eat them right away…I’ll try using this method of filleting next time.
Thanks!

[rasher]

We use a "Cruiser's Meat Line" hand line setup. I found these a couple years ago, but a google search now doesn't turn anything up. I think we paid like maybe $30 for each rig.

The rig came with the jankiest looking cedar plug with a big exposed hook and when they were new, I thought, "no way anything's ever gonna hit that" and spent a bunch of $$$ on fancy lures.

Anyway after years of trying different lures, the only thing we've ever had hits on is the cedar plug and we get something almost every trip. I don't know why anybody spends money on fancy rods, rigs, and lures because the hand line and junky cedar plug (we call him "Mr. Cedar") is what always works for us.

We don't slow the boat, I just throw on some sailing gloves and haul the line in, bash 'em with a winch handle, and clean on the swim platform or in the cockpit while wifey and crew look the other way.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by rasher

We use a "Cruiser's Meat Line" hand line setup. I found these a couple years ago, but a google search now doesn't turn anything up. I think we paid like maybe $30 for each rig.

The rig came with the jankiest looking cedar plug with a big exposed hook and when they were new, I thought, "no way anything's ever gonna hit that" and spent a bunch of $$$ on fancy lures.

Anyway after years of trying different lures, the only thing we've ever had hits on is the cedar plug and we get something almost every trip. I don't know why anybody spends money on fancy rods, rigs, and lures because the hand line and junky cedar plug (we call him "Mr. Cedar") is what always works for us.

We don't slow the boat, I just throw on some sailing gloves and haul the line in, bash 'em with a winch handle, and clean on the swim platform or in the cockpit while wifey and crew look the other way.

I Googled "cruiser's meat line" and the first hit was:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sp3Gq2koyg

[col50]

Originally Posted by pt49

That is what we did after hooking a Marlin a few days out on a crossing the Atlantic after leaving the Caribbean in 1977. It took us almost an hour to land the fish... in the end we had to lower the dingy, get the fish into it, get a line around his tail to lift him on board.

We were a crew of 6 so it kept us in meat for a while.

You're making me hungry.

[mstrebe]

I fish two ways depending on circumstance:

1) Trolling while sailing. I have rod holders mounted to my stern rails and put one line (if I don't want to bother tending) or two lines in the water with lures appropriate for what's in the area. Here in Socal it's Bonita that I'm mostly getting while actively sailing.

One major problem is that I'm often sailing a bit too fast for the bonita, doing 6 knots when 3 knots would be better. So if fish is more important than time I'll trim to slow down so some of those bites turn into hooks. I have caught Bonita sideways (i.e., line drags and the fish in the spine and drags them) doing this which I feel bad about it but it happens.

2) Rock fishing from the dinghy. This is much more productive generally. Anchoring and then fishing from the dinghy in rocks or kelp almost always lands dinner. Around here it's calico bass and a few others.

If you know how to fish, fishing from a sailboat is easy, so learn how to fish first would be my advice.

[bermynick]

My Experience and preferences;

Always handlines [to be clear, braided] with bungie

Yes to luffing up to take a little speed up

Yes to dragging the poor barsteward till he calms down

I have a cat so "catcher" goes down to bottom step [with gloves, little f*ers are slippery] and #2 brings in last 20'

And last, which I haven't yet seen; have an old dishwash bottle with a few ounces of vodka on hand. When he comes out of the water, squirt a bit as direct as you can into his mouth or gills. He'll shiver and karck it! No drama, no clubbing and no blood

My experience is you catch one of 2 quantities [almost always dolphin]; a sh!t ton, or sweet foxtrot alpha. Nothing in between

[lo2jones]

I left Grenada for a long haul to Charleston with cheap leaders that failed all the way…no fish!!

[DancingDays]

One of my "favorite" chartering experiences: I was at the helm of a Lagoon 450 with the flybridge. We had just fallen off to a beautiful downhill run off the SE coast of Vieques when the lower cockpit announced they had a fish on the yoyo and could I please slow the @#% down.

Not happening :-)

They got it in anyway. There was a bit of excitement as they got it under control, but we had a nice tuna dinner that night.

[Kiwicrew]

A month ago sailing up the West Coast of New Zealand (on my Mahe catamaran), maybe 80 miles offshore, at 7 or 8 knots, we hooked 2 Albacore tuna. 3 of us were up forward about to set the gennaker at the time, so it was a bit fortunate that the strike came beforehand. Anyway, we just eased sheets and slowed down to about 4 knots, and successfully landed one on a hand line. A beautiful fish about 60 cms long.

I stuck it so there was quite a bit of blood spreading around the cockpit, so someone slid the sliding doors closed, and lo and behold, we all ended up locked outside in the cockpit! Whilst I pondered how I might undo the tramp and climb in the bathroom window, my partner grabbed hold of a door and gave it a big yank, and easily broke the lock (which has since been strengthened).

So quite a few morals to the story, but yes, I agree: no need to and probably unwise to luff up with a sea running. Stay alert, ease sheets, haul it in, and enjoy!

[johna]

Ok- here’s the secret. After slowing the boat down a little either by the jib or main or engine- bring the fish in the back scoop or gaff up the stern. Immediately in the cockpit- pour vodka in the gills. This will subdue the fish fast. Then filet it up. I’ve always used the little plastic bottles the airlines use. They are cheap. If it’s a bigger fish like a yellowfin tuna- you may need 2-3 minis. Keep them in your cockpit table.

[pendragon]

We just keep going at what ever speed. I got fed up loosing 200 lb line trolling, due to sharks hitting the stainless spoons.
I now have 500KG (about 1000 lb) tied to a motorcycle inner tube as a bungy.
We used to get just get fish heads coming up, in the Coral sea , sharks again.

So now I have a brass bell tied to the bungy, it rings when a fish hits, we pull it in right of way, no more shark problems. And yes we mainly get Tuna. Mahi mahi and Spanish mackerel.

[lewisa]

I sail in New England and trailing a fishing line in an area with thousands of lobster traps is an invitation for trouble. I don't even use an autopilot becasuse of the need to constantly avoid running over the trap buoys and snagging the prop or rudder.

I do fish when offshore where there are fewer buoys, but with the changes in water temperature, they are moving lobstering to deeper waters. I heave-to to reel in a fish.

[Flagfish]

I do nothing with the boat; just leave it on windvane/autopilot and haul in the fish. Here's the way it's done:

7-10" plastic squid with large 1" gap or better hook attached to 10' of 300# mono attached to 30' of 1/4" line. Tie the line to the stern rail and toss the squid out. It'll skid around and bubble/thrash in your wake. When you catch a fish, which usually happens quickly, put on sme gloves and hand over hand it in, over the rail and into the cockpit. Simple.

Use heavy gear and keep it close to the boat.

[JuliettOscarNov]

I’d rather be landing mahi and tuna, but stripped bass are good sport in Alabama

[lo2jones]

Amberjack is kind of a gulf coast equivalent of the tuna we catch in Mexico