Catching Squid and Flying Fish mid ocean

[homeless]

I always trawl a lure behind the boat on ocean crossings, and catch my fair share, but based on the number of dried squid and flying fish I have scraped off decks they must be the most plentiful potential food out there, but how to catch them in sufficient quantities on a sailing yacht?

Options I have considered are trawling a 1 meter cone shaped net behind the yacht under sail. I have also considered stopping on calm nights and using a bright light to attract squid, then catching with a net. I suspect flying fish would also be attracted by the light.

Anyone tried these options on long crossings on a sailing yacht (not at anchor) ? If so, what kind of net did you use, or what kind of light ?

[bobconnie]

We tryed the trawl behind the boat, and tho it caught some stuff, it was more trouble then it was worth ! at least to us ! As we always have someone awake and on watch at night, we collect ALL the flying fish we get on deck! they are to good to let dry out ! The same with squid! we have used a bright light and a big landing net to get squid at times ! ya can tell when they are around cus ya can see em even in a flashlight beam !! Ahh nothing like flyin fish for breakfast! YUMMY ! If ya have big light try useing it for the squid, lots of folks we have met over the years don't really know how good squid really are !! Cus they look do different when ya catch em compared to what ya get in a fancy eating place !! just sayin good food sometimes looks a little uggie !! LOL

[zeehag]

i have trolled using a lure on 200 pound test. worked just well enough for me and my crew and cat. we did it mexican style, no rod or reel, just a slipknot to show there is a fish on the hook and set it.., and hand over hand it in and onto boat.
in gom i used a rod and we broke 3 of em...so i stopped using rod n reel set ups as they are pricey for such short life. but i caught a lot of fishies. we used a lot lighter line with rod n reel rig.

i troll the lure around 100 ft off stern....

[homeless]

Flying fish and squid are obviously attracted by big lights as you can see below links, but I would be using 12v light, and I wonder if that would be sufficient in open ocean where the creatures are fewer and further apart ?

Catching flying fish for tuna bait. - YouTube

Squid Fishing - YouTube

Anyone had much success with a net ? I guess something like a plankton net, but with larger mesh to reduce drag. I do understand nets are a pain, will slow the boat, and you need to be careful not to wrap the prop, and have a swivel to avoid tangles.

[S/V Alchemy]

Well, I had a single LED headlamp on the lowest setting on a 3 AM nightwatch about 250 NM north of St. Thomas when a good nine-inch flying fish whacked me upside the head.

So they are definitely out there, and even a little light some height off the water (I was in a Bristol 45.5 CC at the time) seems to attract them.

I waited for him to settle down before I chucked him back. I figured such athleticism should be given a chance to propagate.

We caught a big mahi-mahi/dolphinfish, about 10-12 lbs. by trolling off the stern on the same trip between Virginia and Bermuda.

That was a tasty fellow.

[homeless]

I have been hit in the head by flying fish in complete darkness on night watches, so not sure your headlamp was the cause. Flying fish can glide a long way, but not sure they really aim for a particular target.

Having said that though, I did find some references on the internet of using a light behind a shower curtain or white sheet. The fish hits the shower curtain and falls down into the cockpit (rather than hitting the deck and sliding back into the sea)

[zeehag]

when we were pooped over stbd quarter in gom, a flying fish hit my face as it swam thru the sea that pooped me..lol...was funny..none has flown over the decking of my formosa yet--has higher freeboard than the seidelmann we sailed in gulf...

[motion30]

Originally Posted by zeehag

when we were pooped over stbd quarter in gom, a flying fish hit my face as it swam thru the sea that pooped me..lol...was funny..none has flown over the decking of my formosa yet--has higher freeboard than the seidelmann we sailed in gulf...

Poop deck??

[zeehag]

seidelmanns donot have poop decks, but surely you are familiar with the term been pooped by a sea???? is when a following sea crashes over your transom or quarter and into the cockpit...

[tartansail]

I was on watch south of Bermuda hand steering in a 3AM daze of semi-awakeness when a flying fish hit the sail and bounced off against my cheek. Woke me up in a BIG hurry. I didn't see where it hit the sail, but it would have been a minimum of 10 feet off the water.

[mrohr]

Squid too seem to be able to get airborne as I have encountered a few on deck in conditions that were relatively calm.they make the best bait also

[homeless]

Some more references to traditional methods of catching flying fish using lights at night, and floats with small baited hooks :-

Journal of the Polynesian Society: Fishing For Flying Fish In The Gilbert And Ellice Islands, By I. G. Turbott, P 348-367