Ultimate Saltwater Fishing Setup

[cburger]

I would love to hear from some of you actual saltwater sailors as to what you think the ultimate saltwater fishing lure would be. I am talking about if you could only carry one lure and rod setup and you had to fish for survival what would it be.

[bobconnie]

Shrimp, and a big hook !! LOL Bob and Connie

[maxingout]

We made a lot of our own lures for trailing behind the boat when sailing. I used whatever was handy and shiny in combination with a large hook and seemed to catch plenty of fish.

[stacy]

there is a book written by a cruiser/ marine biologist that goes into great detail about fishing for cruisers. Unfortunately the book is on the boat but I think the authors name is Scott Bannerot. This book has all the info you could possibly want and more.

[Vasco]

Cedar plug, Walmart $10.
Plug can be seen in fish's mouth.

[HopCar]

A conventional trolling rod with a Shimano TLD25 or Penn Senator loaded with 30 lb. mono and a cedar plug. This is the cedar plug Vasco and I are talking about. 6" Cedar Plain Plug - Rigged MFG#890
Keep it simple.

[Geoduck]

Cuban spinning reel, big hooks, ball of different colored yarn, feathers (white seagull feathers work fine)

[savoir]

For those of you can't afford feathers, or can't find a seagull, slice a small white plastic bag into strips and tie it to the trace above the hook.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by stacy

there is a book written by a cruiser/ marine biologist that goes into great detail about fishing for cruisers. Unfortunately the book is on the boat but I think the authors name is Scott Bannerot. This book has all the info you could possibly want and more.

Yep, got that.....

[savoir]

I don't get why a cedar plug would work. How many bait fish are red/brown?

[HopCar]

savoir, I don't get it either but they do catch a lot of fish. If you don't like plain wood, they come painted different colors. The one in Vasco's photo is painted to look like the fish it caught. If you can figure out why fish bite you will make a fortune. I've heard of guys catching marlin on mop heads.

[savoir]

A mop head looks like a squid so that one I get. Oh, and I know cedar works but most bait fish have a silver belly.

? ? ?

[GordMay]

The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing ~ by Scott & Wendy Bannerot Bannerot
➥ McGraw-Hill: The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing : Book

See also ➥ Ocean Navigator | The magazine for long-distance offshore sailing and power voyaging

➥ voyaging-skills

➥
Claire Gobe

[Surveyor]

My ultimate rig would have Owner brand hooks on it. As a former competitive fisherman, I fully endorse their hooks as being the best! They make nice gifts for islanders too!



Owner Saltwater Hooks

[CabezonBD]

It really is a matter of what size fish are you targeting. Feathers, tuna clones, cedar plugs, jet heads of about 6 inches are very good for table fare size fish. If you are after trophy size fish of a hundred pounds plus then go bigger size lures of the same style as above. It not to say smaller lures only catch smaller size fish, and bigger lures only catch big fish, but you will be far more productive if you follow the size lure to the appropriate target size. There are other lures sometimes that will do the job like Maurader style plugs, Rapala style plugs, ect. I have caught my biggest fish from a sailboat outside of Panama using large (12-15 inch) Kona Head style fishing lures (~ 500-600 lb Black Marlin).

Flying fish when rigged properly also work very well (described How-To in the mentioned book above). BTW, Buy the book, it really is a great book!

Owner hooks are top notch....I agree, hooks can make a difference especially on larger fish.

Here is a link to a you tube of us catching a small blue marlin while running in the ARC rally a few years ago. Fishing is in the last part of the video.

CharMel Crosses the Atlantic in the 2006 ARC - YouTube

I have fished for 30 years plus in the ocean and can tell you sometimes no matter what you fish can be just the right thing and other times nothing will hit the same lure. Matching the bait fish in the area will also generally be the right ticket.....Thats why flying fish can be so good at times.

If you want to only get a few lures (never only fish with one lure if at all possible) try a Jet Head, or Tuna Clone of 6-8 ". Good colors seem to be regional but hard to beat Mexican Flag, Blue and White, Metallic Green, Zucchini. Add from there a couple of Cedar plugs, and buy the book to learn how to rig different bait fish including the flying fish that always seem to be on deck in the mornings if you cruise at night.

Good Luck