Fishing

Winkfish · Aug 19, 2010

Jfelkins said:
I'd love to hear how you fish from your boat. What setup up do you use? What do you fish for? When do you fish? I grew up fishing but never from a sailboat. Time to learn! Gotta picture of the big one that didn't get away? I'd love to see those posted also. Have a great weekend everyone!

John

Ahhh!! Now you're hitting a subject close to my heart! I've fished from a sailboat on a race, actually, from Gulfport, MS, to Pensacola, FL. We basically tolled the line behind us, much like a deep sea fishing boat would do. We caught a nice sized jack crevalle. When the skipper woke up, he put an end to it, at least while we were racing.

We haven't had our own boat since Katrina, but my son and I fish all the time from our Whaler. He's made me promise that when we get a sailboat we put a couple of rod-holders on. As for that, Academy Sports, and even WalMart, sell these stainless steel rod holders that clamp onto a rail, about $35.

Here, our lake is such that in a sailboat, we could get to some fishing spots and anchor, or we could troll. Trout, redfish, flounder, sheepshead, abound down here. Further out into the gulf, you can catch tuna, wahoo, snapper, amberjack, on and on.

I've got plenty of photos of my son with fish, none on a sailboat, though. (If I can just figure out how to post a photo!)

jimmyb · Aug 19, 2010

Sailed a new lake a few weeks ago and saw a couple guys fishin from a single sail dory style saiboat (sorry I have no clue what kind of boat). I myself am no fisherman but it was pretty sight to see them out there dragging a line and trimming a sail. I here there are huge pickeral/pike in the lake there. Check out this link for some woppers caught on the lake. http://www.onotaboat.com/bigfish.html

I was more interested in the OTHER fisherman on the lake that day....three bald eagles flying over head, perching in the tall trees and settling in on the nest in a tree by the side of the lake. Neat stuff.

God Bless, jimmyb

Barnacle Bill · Aug 19, 2010

I assume you are talking about fishing in the ocean and not on an inland lake. If that be the case I would buy a pole holder to mount on your stern rail. Then go buy a fishing rod and reel. Penn makes some midsized combo units. One type is called the president, I think. Anyway, it is an open faced reel that will hold up to 50 lb. line. The rod is stiff with eyes and toward the end and at the end, two pulley or sheave eyes. You want something that can handle larger fish. Then go buy frozen or packaged ballyhoo fish bait. You can get artificial ones or a number of lures, but I find that the real fish, even though dead, is the best. You can buy them already rigged with double hooks and a wire leader. After you get good at it, you can buy it all separately and make up the rigs yourself to save money. Then I would buy some plastic skirts of various colors. The wire leader is threaded through the hole and the skirt is pushed down to the snout of the ballyhoo fish bait to add extra color. You attach the wire leader to your mono line with a heavy duty swivel and snap. Then you drop the line off your stern and let the bait out. You can run it at different distances, but you'd be surprised that you don't have to have it that far behind the boat. But....try 25 yards or so and let the bait float on the top of the water where you can keep your eye on it. Usually let it ride at the top of the wave instead of at the bottom of a trough. Put the rod in the holder and wait for a strike. If you catch a fish, reel it in to the boat and have a gaff hook ready to gaff the fish and pull it into your boat. It will be flopping and you can either hit it on the head with a club or pour some rum into the gills to finish it off. Then you fillet it out, toss the skin, head and entrails overboard and put the fish in your fridge. Some fish are best skinned instead of filleted. In other words, you pull the skin off rather than use a knife (Dolphin). Of course you have to use the knife to cut the meat away from the rib cage and the vertebrae. Great fun and fabulous eating. It is best to fish in deep water like the gulf stream, etc. If you are in shallower water you will start picking up fish like barracuda. In deeper water you will catch dolphin (dorado in the pacific), wahoo, tuna, and mackerel and maybe even a sailfish or swordfish (and shark).
Hope this helps.

Steve Dion · Aug 19, 2010

On our trip home from Hawaii we just fastened a conventional fishing reel to the stern pulpit. Attached a leader and feather and before we knew it we had our first plate of sushi. A day or two later we hooked a small marlin that was returned (unharmed) to the sea.

rfrye1 · Aug 19, 2010

we use a bolt-on rod holder (WM) and usually drag a lure while out sailing in S. Calif. I also have a hand-line I take when bareboating. We catch alot. But it seems like whenever we go out actually "fishing" we catch nothing. Go figure.....
good luck. Bob

Caboteur · Aug 20, 2010

We use a 6' rod with a penn reel, about every lure was used: they get eaten up a lot. We haven't found that any lure is really better. When we catch, we stop fishing until the catch is eaten...

We have no real technique; we just lay out 100m of 50lb line at daybreak and reel in at sundown if we haven't caught anything. When we catch tuna we usually eat it raw, then marinate the rest (never cook). Wahoo, dolphin and swordfish we cook a little with onions, ginger in olive oil.

Winkfish · Aug 20, 2010

Jfelkins said:
I forgot to ask, what about licenses? On inland/inshore water I know the drill but what about offshore and when cruising elsewhere (carib, etc). What do you do?

It's going to vary by state and by country. I don't know of any federal license for far offshore recreational fishing, but I haven't checked into it either. When we've gone offshore, we just have our Louisiana license, and I don't think we went further than La. territorial waters. (Not sure what that limit is off the top of my head.)

Most states have their regs online, and you can usually get a temporary non-resident license online. I've done that when going to other states on vacation.

Be aware of size and creel limits, and seasonal limits as well. Down here they will fine you big time for violating those limits.

Ross · Aug 20, 2010

I googled 'offshore fishing license" and got several hits that say you must have a license out to 200 miles if you are going to land the fish. There is no mention of the rules for eating what you catch for supper on the boat.

Winkfish · Aug 20, 2010

Ross said:
I googled 'offshore fishing license" and got several hits that say you must have a license out to 200 miles if you are going to land the fish. There is no mention of the rules for eating what you catch for supper on the boat.

That's good to know. Was that a federal license or a state license? Where would you get one?

Ross · Aug 20, 2010

State dept of natural resources is the place to start.

wonkodsane · Aug 20, 2010

The 200 mile boundary is for the Exclusive Economic Zone and gives states the authority to participate in fisheries management outside of their 3 nautical mile territorial sea boundary. What I've read shows that most states are deliberately vague about the distance from shore boundary with regard to licensing for open water sport fishing. Virginia is an exception and states clearly (and sensibly) that sport fishing licenses are required only to the 3 nautical mile boundary. Maryland and California are less up front about it and imply that there is no boundary for those states' offshore jurisdiction over sport fishing.

To me this means:
1. Return commercially out-of-season fish to the water.
2. Don't charter fish without a permit for the state off whose shore you are fishing.
3. Recognize that no state's fisheries management will ever enforce to the 200 mile boundary on a non-commercial vessel (What's the farthest offshore you've ever seen state enforcement? Honest question for others in the thread.)

Beyond 200 miles is "high seas" and is governed by international treaty. I doubt seriously that you'd ever have to worry about any enforcement of non-commercial fishing.

Winkfish · Aug 20, 2010

Wonkodsane, if I understand correctly, states may enforce fishing regs out to the 200 mile zone? That makes sense to me now. As for enforcement, our Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries rides around in its boats and they will check boats coming in, checking for proper equipment and for whether your fish are within the limits. If you're fishing inshore, the DWF will do random checks, sometimes just as you're leaving the launch, coming in, or while you're out and about.

wonkodsane · Aug 20, 2010

And one other thing to check, some adjoining coastal states have reciprocal agreements for fishing licenses, so a license in one may cover you for several.

Also, Wink, you're absolutely right, but if you're out and about, cruising farther than 3 or 12 miles offshore, eating and disposing of the fish in question is going to be something the enforcement folks will have a hard time discovering. (-:

Outside of the US someone on the board has mentioned in the past that even having fishing tackle on the boat without a permit in some of the Central and Southern American countries' territorial waters is enough to be heavily fined.

Winkfish · Aug 20, 2010

You're right about the enforcement, Wonkodsane. In fact, the La regs allow for eating the fish you catch when you're out overnight.

Ross · Aug 20, 2010

Fishing with heavy hand lines with mono or wire leaders is adequate and can be put away such that only a thorough search of the boat would find your hooks and lures.

wonkodsane · Aug 20, 2010

Ross said:
Fishing with heavy hand lines with mono or wire leaders is adequate and can be put away such that only a thorough search of the boat would find your hooks and lures.

Ross, my buddy who introduced me to sailing uses a bungee and a little slack in the line so he can tell if he's got a fish. When the bungee is stretched, you've got a fish!

Fishing

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