Fishing

[Bob S]

I searched the archives and didn't find any information.

Has anyone mounted a rod holder to their boat and trolled on their way to their favorite anchorage? I got a new grill for my birthday and it needs a stanchion mount or fishing rod holder. i was thinking the latter. Does a sailboat travel fast enough to catch dinner on her way? I would think the back stays would be a pain.

Just curious?

 

[Cpt. Jon]

I've done a little bit, with mixed luck. Generally when I troll in my fishing boat I go as slow as the boat will go, so a sailboat can be too fast even. Just depends on your gear, what you are fishing for and your speed. I mounted a rod holder on my rail, will probably mount another one soon so that its symmetric.

 

[okawbow]

Lots of fish will hit a fast trolled lure. You almost can't go too fast in most sailboats. Just use a lure that will stay in the water and have the right action.

 

[DannyS]

My wife and I love to fish so we found a spot to mount a removable downrigger and a couple of rod holders to the boat. We're fishing for Lake Trout and Salmon on Lake Superior so we have to get the jures down deep where they live. There's nothing like fresh fish on the grill in a remote anchorage!

 

[Fishing Champ]

Killed 'em

Yes, last year, I won 1st place trolling off of bird island with my sailboat an "on the water" magazine sponsored fishing tournament at KYC, won $250 for largest fish. Sailed around 3 knots, spilling air off main to achieve trolling speed, picked up a monster bluefish. Now is a great time for Black sea bass, bottom fish off mattapoisett, go 2 nm east out of harbor, let your boat drift, use sea worms with a small circle hook and you'll have enough fish to feed the whole village.

 

[tsmwebb]

We almost always tow a line. I have a rod holder and it works okay but because we're sailing primarily and fishing as an afterthought I prefer hand lines. For those we use "yo-yo's" (plastic toroids) with ~300 lb line attached to the boat with surgical tubing and a backup line. I put the fishing line in a downrigger clip and that holds till something hits it most of the time. We usually notice when we get a fish because we hear the line pop out of the clip, but not always -- sometimes we look back and notice a fish skipping along the surface. In either case, we deal with the fish when we have time for it. It must be about the least "sporting" fishing method around. We've caught marlin, mahi, wahooo and bunches of tuna. We've caught fish sailing in the teens so I don't think you need to worry about going too fast. I actually prefer it when we hook up at speed as it usually pulls the fish to the surface and drowns and bleeds them. Dispatching the lively ones on the deck is always messy and a little sad.

--Tom.

 

[Deadline]

Unusual thread. I always tell people that it's awkward casting a line since the hook would catch the sail, but trolling seems do-able. And when winds are calm, gives you something to do.

 

[Patrick S/V Shangra-La]

I don't use a rod holder but do place my rods on the cup holder and against the rail of the stern seats. When we get a fish, if it's big enough to have to fight for a while we just hove-to and catch the fish. It makes for an easy way to get a fish on board.

We have caught King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Tuna, and others. I use deep diving lures with 50 to 80 lb tests line, if we catch something great, if not it's OK we're sailing, not fishing. The biggest fish I've caught have been at boat speeds of around 6 knots, with big deep diving lures set about 30 feet deep. For short trips I also have a yo-yo, I figure eight off to a Stearn cleat with a medium diving lure.

 

[Chuckbear]

We drag lines up and down the east coast, Gulf of Mexico, and all over the Caribbean. We have caught lots of fish and there is nothing like hooking one up in the morning and having it on the grill for dinner in the evening. Unless we are in close waters like the ICW we always have a line behind the boat. You never know when you might accidentally hook something. Chuck

 

[MoonSailer]

Cuban reel (same as yo yo?) hooked up with a elastic cord and 80+ test line. We have caught lil tuna and mackeral in the gulf. we have also lost some rigs when something big hit.

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

My experience has been in fresh water in a smaller boat than yours, but trolling, casting and bottom fishing are all doable. Trolling under power (5hp outboard at idle) I had to drag two buckets to keep my speed down. In salt water that is not likely to be a problem. As for casting, I work from the side deck, with my left arm hooked around a side stay. You're right the stays can get in the way, and you should put you sails away before you get started. I've also seen a Santana 20 used for trolling under sail while single-handing. So I guess its doable, although it seems things could get busy in a hurry.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

 

[jibes138]

Trolling

You can get rod holders that mount to your stern pulpit that have a face ratchet so you can adjust the angle. I have one on each side of the boat. Every time I transited between point judith and cuttyhunk I would catch at least one bluefish. I also regularly caught them in vineyard sound. As with most fishing you need some structure around, in other words you will catch fish but there have to be fish in the area and that usually means some kind of structure. I would fish with tuna clones and use a large torpedo sinker to keep the line down and let out about 100 to 200 feet of line. I use trolling reels set on the clicker position so you know when a fish hits and starts stripping out line. As others note nothing like a fresh fish on the grill right after you catch it.

 

[Bob S]

Thanks everyone, I'll be trying to catch dinner this season.:dance:

 

[Guest]

Rod holder

Check out the Boat Info tab above, Hunter Owner Modifications, model 42, then stern tie. Our rod holder came with the boat, but it serves other purposes as you can tell by the pics. I never fish (too busy sailing) but I have everything on board for those guests who want to give it a go.

Terry Cox

 

[caguy]

I drag a lure most every time I sail unless the wind is really kicking up. I mounted my pole holder to the vertical support of the stern pulpit. I tried clamping it to the stern rail but it twisted under load no matter how tight I made it.
I like to use a yellow and green feather lure with a metal plug and have had pretty good luck with it.

 

[Timo42]

I mounted an angled rod holder at the rail near the stern, more to mount a cutting table someone gave me than to fish, but when the wind is light I stick a rod in it, and we have caught fish with a lure while trolling. I used a holesaw with a long drill bit to cut the hole at the proper angle, 4200 to seal it, and I keep the rubber cap on when not in use to keep the water out. Tim

 

[Buck420]

Ditto Chuck and Jibes ..
I have the same rod holders mounted on my stern pulpit as Jibes and
troll (ususally w/ a ceder plug or similar) whenever offshore, like Chuck.
Most offshore cruisers do likewise... why not.
Biggest problem I've had is loosing alot of lures when (apparently big) fish hit them.
Plus, turning a sailboat into a "sportfiish" when you hook something big can be "challenging".... but, always fun.

 

[MoonSailer]

A rod and reel is a PITA on a sailboat. The cuban reel is easy. Easy to store in a small bag and easy to use when hauling in a fish. Between my boarding ladder ,backstay and bimini it is just too hard to use a rod..I tried. My brother suggested a cuban reel as he had good success hauling in some 50+# tuna using one. I have had no luck trolling in a lake with my 32' boat. It is too risky getting in close to structure. In my old boat I did catch some fish lake trolling. It was 26' long and needed less water. Also that lake was deeper so I could get real close to shore with little risk of running aground. You need a routine when you hook a fish. My wife usually takes the helm and heads us into the wind some to slow down. Then if it is a bigger fish she gets out the gaff and hands it to me to land the fish. Personally I don't want to land a fish much over 5-10#s too much bllod and scales in the cockpit. I keep a 5 gallon bucket or a trash bag handy and put the fish in the container immediately. It is also wise to put away cushions as they can be hard to clean. I try to cut the gills so that the fish dies quickly and then have an ise chest dedicated to fish. Nothing worse than blood and scales floating around with your food. Of course when you have everything ready the fish don't bite. There is nothing better than grilling tuna fillets while out at sea. I don't know what the game warden would do if you were grilling fresh caught fish. Some states require the fish to be intack until back at the dock. But if you are spending the night at sea and want fish??

 

[Ross]

Moon , They don't want you bringing cut up fish ashore. What you eat before you land just turns to waste by the time anyone can question you.

 

[caguy]

How can you tell when you have a hit with a yo-yo or cuban reel?