Please check my choice of trolling gear spec.

[Franziska]

Hi,

I'd like to get some basic, low budget but efficient fishing/trolling gear for offshore fishing from our 35ft catamaran.

We aim for Tuna or similar to be caught while trolling behind the boat offshore at about 5kn under sail.
Next offshore leg will be the Bay of Biskay.
We only want to catch fish for the two of us to eat it. We only want to catch and get on board, no intention to fight or play with the fish any more than absolutely essential.

Can anyone with experience have a look if what I have choosen below would fit the bill? Thanks so much!
If you suggest alternatives, please link to a suitable source in Europe and specifiy the precise item in terms of model & size.

Cuban YoYo (please no costly reels or similar)
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00...JQNSBARP&psc=1

Bungee (Home salvaged)
Old bicycle inner tube cut oben as bungee


300lbs braided line
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B08...QU7RHQBN&psc=1

Stainless feeder
???? Suggestions for type, size and source please (we are located in Europe, so European source preferred)

Lures (home made)
https://12a29aff-b2fe-036e-4d4e-04e4...a3c527a4de.pdf

Hooks
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01...QPOZFBFQ&psc=1
Size 10

Suitable swivels & connectors
???? Suggestions for type, size and source please (we are located in Europe, so European source preferred)

Gaff (Homemade)

[Franziska]

Hey, any of the folks fishing successfully able to comment on line sizes and what steel feeder to get?
Appreciate it, our fishing experience is close to zero, hence the question.

Thanks.

[thinwater]

If you go for a Cuban yo-yo, get the larger 9" (23cm) size. Winds faster, better with heavy line, better with big lures. That is what I used for everything from 12" bluefish to 40" stripped bass. The 6" size is for hand lining and trolling for smaller fish with <50-pound line.


https://www.amazon.com/Challenge-501...0546167&sr=8-1


There is NO need for the bungee. If you consider the stretch of 150-200 feet of mono (easily 20 feet on the strike) the bungee stretch is a rounding error at best. Keep it simple. I have never broken mono due to the strike. If in doubt, let out another 20 feet of mono, which will stretch as much as the bungee.



Mono. You want the stretch, since you don't have a pole or adjustable drag.


Definitely good ball bearing swivels. If the lure begins to spin the line will be ruined in 10 minutes (think hundreds and hundreds of twists).


Flat line clips. Rig a loop of the line back to the clip. When you get a strike, the yo-yo will jump and bang on the railings, the change in sound alerting you to the strike. Bungee does not do this as well (no change in sound--you have to watch it, which is really boring). Many styles.


https://www.amazon.de/Flat-Line-Rele...=sports&sr=1-1




This is my Striped Bass rig--the lure and line size for tuna would be different. I run up to at one time (multihull with outriggers), but 2 is more reasonable on a mono. I keep extras on the boat with different lures. You can keep a big stack in a bucket.

[Franziska]

This forum is a great source of info yet again.

Thanks thinwater!

What size (lbs) and length of steel leader and hook do you suggest for tuna or similar?
That's the part I'm struggling most with.
Is the steel leader meant to be more "chew proof" but lighter than the main line, as that it breaks rather than the main line?
Say 300lbs main line with a foot of 150lbs steel leader at the end?

Is the 300lbs main line overkill?

One more, we have attachment points for poles on our arch in the back. Never used them, but as we have also some old surf masts, could they be used as DIY outriggers?

[Tupaia]

You don't need a bungee. You don't even need a reel you can make a wooden "kite reel" https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...8f5Eys2xoVs22w these are easier to wind without exposing fingers.

Get some clothes pegs and some rubber bands. Tie the reel / winder off on a cleat then take a "bite" of line and clip it into the peg that is tied off somewhere obvious, bimini support. Adjust the tension of the peg using the rubber bands. A tuna hits its bait at about 40mph so you need a steel leader but the loose line between the cleat and the peg is just enough to take the shock out of the line and you can see hear the peg release so you know when you have something on the line. It also give you time to sort things before hauling it in.

Don't mess about with alcohol or beating the poor thing to death, as soon as it is on board cover its eyes with a damp cloth and it will go limp, insert knife between you thumb and forefinger directly into the brain.

It is always sad to see the colour disappear from Mahi Mahi when they die but they do taste very good.

[Franziska]

Thanks Tupaia, what strength and length do you recommend for each, the line and for the steel leader when going for Tuna?

Originally Posted by Tupaia

You don't need a bungee. You don't even need a reel you can make a wooden "kite reel" https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...8f5Eys2xoVs22w these are easier to wind without exposing fingers.

Get some clothes pegs and some rubber bands. Tie the reel / winder off on a cleat then take a "bite" of line and clip it into the peg that is tied off somewhere obvious, bimini support. Adjust the tension of the peg using the rubber bands. A tuna hits its bait at about 40mph so you need a steel leader but the loose line between the cleat and the peg is just enough to take the shock out of the line and you can see hear the peg release so you know when you have something on the line. It also give you time to sort things before hauling it in.

Don't mess about with alcohol or beating the poor thing to death, as soon as it is on board cover its eyes with a damp cloth and it will go limp, insert knife between you thumb and forefinger directly into the brain.

It is always sad to see the colour disappear from Mahi Mahi when they die but they do taste very good.

[chris mac]

I'm no expert fisherman. In fact we have hooked around 8 mahi last winter, and failed to bring a single one in.
A couple chewed through the line, now we use a steel leader.
I had a couple lures break in half. They came with the boat though so were old and worn. I only buy plugs now that have the line attachment wire run through the plug to the hook attachment. I also am trying squids with a wire leader.
I also ran over my own line once[emoji56] rope cutter took care of that.
The rest though have just flailed and pulled off of the hook.
I use 250 lbs mono (150 feet) with 300 lbs swivel. I'm adding a bungy this year in Hope's they can't just RIP free as easy. I don't know if it will help or not. Time will tell.
Finding a way to attach to the boat that announces a catch is important. I also use the clothes pin method and it works well.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Thanks Tupaia, what strength and length do you recommend for each, the line and for the steel leader when going for Tuna?

The leaders need to be about 60cm to 1m (max). The single wire strand is too thin and the bicycle brake cable too thick, braided leader somewhere in between is fine. Adjust the line length according to wave conditions. Again thick is good, no idea of the actual strength just bought a job lot.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

You don't need a bungee. You don't even need a reel you can make a wooden "kite reel" https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...8f5Eys2xoVs22w these are easier to wind without exposing fingers....

Try a yo yo. It is basically the modern version of a kite reel, easier on the line and very easy to hold. There is hidden rim that your fingers grasp. Like the kite reel, your fingers never hold the line. The yo yo does the work. You wind it with a figure 8 motion, never touching the line other than for very light guidance.

[donradcliffe]

I use 300 lb mono line with 150 lb monel leader. Bungee keeps fish from shaking loose and let's you know when you have a fish in. I have yoyo reels with a roll up handle that spin on a center handle. They work really well because they don't twist the line.

You will catch more tuna at 7 knots than at 5. Better trade the cat in on a bigger monohull.

[Franziska]

Thanks!

So a 3ft/1m Monel or Stainless 7x7 150lbs leader is what I need to find.
Any idea where to get that?

Here they sell only 30lbs max...

As to selling the boat, unfortunately that's out of budget, and we would get a catamaran anyway.
Lady Rover can do more than 5kn :-)

If I ever would change for a mono, which is unlikely unless we are forced to, than it would be an Ovni, a Boréal, a Garcia or a Bestevaer. Still those are all way way over budget.

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I use 300 lb mono line with 150 lb monel leader. Bungee keeps fish from shaking loose and let's you know when you have a fish in. I have yoyo reels with a roll up handle that spin on a center handle. They work really well because they don't twist the line.

You will catch more tuna at 7 knots than at 5. Better trade the cat in on a bigger monohull.

[Cpt Mark]

I ran into Scott as he was writing his book. If you really want to know about fishing for everything as you cruise this is the book.

Scott, actually Dr. Scott Bannerot was a highly sought after PHD in marine biology. Had his choice of whatever he wanted with one caveat. He was too valuable to be in the field much, they all wanted him in an office. He went from being a marine biologist to a deck hand on a long line tuna boat to setting up his own fish guide service meanwhile banking funds and building his sailboat. During his travels with his wife Wendy he noticed that most cruisers don't know how to fish. He does. he wrote the book on it. I saw one cruiser who hadn't caught anything in thousands of miles of cruising. Scott told him his equipment was junk, buy this. He did, rowed about 100 yards out from his boat on anchor and caught a 100 pound yellow tail tuna in 15 minutes. Bummer. he was so excited to have caught something but now had fish for a long time lol.

https://www.amazon.com/Cruisers-Hand.../dp/0071427880

[RickG]

I recommend the Cruisers Handbook of Fishing too.

On our 43-foot monohull we run two handlines and two short boat rods with Shimano trolling reels. The handlines we use are from WaayCool - https://waaycool.com/ - 150-feet of parachute cord attached to a 900 pound leader with a swivel. I put long 150 pound wire leaders on the swivel. Our most productive lure is a blue/white skirt. We catch fish on a lot of other lures, but the bonito colors do great on the East Cost and Caribbean.

The hand lines are easier to use with a bimini than the reel. It is also easier to pull in a big fish. We use hand lines with 20 pound monofilament and 10 feet of flourocarbon leader with a very small jig and cut bait or squid for yellowtail snapper. We fish from the dinghy on anchor and chum with a mix of glass minnows and sand.

Cheers, RickG

[zstine]

Originally Posted by Franziska

...

Is the 300lbs main line overkill?
...

No, 300lb is not overkill for yo-yo trolling. I had 100lb mono and it broke constantly with any decent size fish. I moved up to 300.


Yes, you use a steel or monel leader b/c of teeth. Not being a fisherman, you should probably buy lures that are already rigged with wire leaders, though you can get away with non-wire rigged lures too.



https://m.tackledirect.com/c-and-h-l...lyhoo-rig.html

https://m.tackledirect.com/boone-dolphin-rigs.html

[Cadence]

Do you not have a local bait and tackle shop? If you do ask there.