How do you catch fish?

Gargleblaster

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I spent three months this year towing a trolling line behind my boat and caught absolutely nothing. I did pull it in every few hours to check if I had caught something. I also pulled it in whenever I sighted dolphins coming up to greet me. Yet I have friends with a Nic 32 in Dover who whenever I visit them feed me with fresh mackerel they have just caught with their trolling line. I asked them for a tip and they said 'always put the line out over wrecks.' Well there should be plenty of wrecks out in the middle Atlantic after the U boats had done their work [I hear the ghosts from both sides calling me; 'help' und 'hilf' all the time] and still I catch nothing. I've even sailed through a school of tuna and not attracted any fish to my line.
 

helixkimara

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Ya gota put something on the end of ya line !

You can't catch a rabbit by towing a piece of string across a field. You've goto put something on the end of it,

Like a dog !
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 

Noddy

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I have no trouble catching mackeral. Your friend is right it seems to be in the vicinity of underwater obsructions - I don't know why.

The secret technique you seek Glasshopper is a Palavane. (Paravane).

This uses the motion of the boat to take your line down so it doesn't just trail along the surface.

You can usually get 'em on ebay for a few quid.

In fact: http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=paravane

Tight Lines
Paul
 

andlauer

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Bonjour
-------------
I spent three months this year towing a trolling line behind my boat
-------------
I thought it was a non-race!!!
Eric /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 

damo

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And you can make one for nothing from a bit of ply or kitchen chopping board, and a nut and bolt to weight it in the right place.

In the summer months mackerel love mine - the handy thing is that a paravane stays below until the fishes grabs the lure then it splashes about on the surface to tell you it wants to be cooked /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif (Apart from the 12cm fish I towed 35M from Lundy to Swansea cos he was too small to bring it up!)
 

Noddy

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If you go at about 6 knots you only catch:
a) The really fast Mackeral
b) The ones with good eyesight and fast reactions
c) Lips

So boat speed would seem to have a negative correlation with fish size. (the slower you go the fatter the fish)

However, my experience of this type of trolling is coastal; ie in the North Sea / English Channel, where the wrecks and sandbanks are in shallower water. Fishing in the open ocean might be very different.
 

Saddletramp

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[ QUOTE ]
I have no trouble catching mackerel. Your friend is right it seems to be in the vicinity of underwater obsructions - I don't know why. -

Because blue water is proper boring. Well it is if you are diving. Probably more food related for the fish.

The Fastnet Rock is supposed to be teaming with marine life which will attract fish. Maybe a few circuits of the rock will turn up a few fish. Alternatively hop from wreck to wreck.
 

Gargleblaster

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[ QUOTE ]
Ya gota put something on the end of ya line !
Like a dog !

[/ QUOTE ]
I often tow my westie bitch around Langstone Harbour when she decides she would rather swim out to Glayva than stay in the dinghy. But so far she has not caught me any mackerel.
I do tow a large red sinker on the end of the line with about 12 hooks with attractive bits of plastic attached. The sinker causes the line to sink to a sufficient depth that none of the line is exposed beyond two wavelengths behind. But still no fish.
 

Bajansailor

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If you are out in the open ocean, just tow a suitable lure (like one of those bright pink squids) one boat length behind, such that it is skipping in the wake - guaranteed to catch dorado (mahi-mahi) if you are far enough south!
And the faster you are sailing the better - the bait is airborne half the time, hence the fish dont have much time to think about if they should go for it or not.
 

Lee_Shaw

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[ QUOTE ]
I spent three months this year towing a trolling line behind my boat and caught absolutely nothing. I did pull it in every few hours to check if I had caught something. I also pulled it in whenever I sighted dolphins coming up to greet me. Yet I have friends with a Nic 32 in Dover who whenever I visit them feed me with fresh mackerel they have just caught with their trolling line. I asked them for a tip and they said 'always put the line out over wrecks.' Well there should be plenty of wrecks out in the middle Atlantic after the U boats had done their work [I hear the ghosts from both sides calling me; 'help' und 'hilf' all the time] and still I catch nothing. I've even sailed through a school of tuna and not attracted any fish to my line.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe you're going too fast to catch mackerel, I catch most near to land/estuaries whilst doing only a couple of knots it seems that I can go too fast for them little tiddly things.

As we get further offshore we will probably get huge tail walking behemoths and going a bit faster is probably better for catching them. I think it's best not to try to catch anyhting inside a couple of hundred miles of the Azores waters as sportfishing is a big thing there and they probably wouldn't look too kindly if you came in with a still bleeding 250lb marlin. HArvesting the odd skipjack, mahi mahi or king mackerel whilst well offshore for eating purposes is fair game though IMO. Helps to pass away the odd day if becalmed if I've got a spinning outfit on the boat. I can also add "mid-atlantic" to the enormous list of places I've unsuccessfully lure fished.
 

andlauer

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Bonjour
A bottle of red wine is very effective for fishing.
Take a bottle in the hand raise it above your head and shake it.... in sight of a fishing boat next to the GB or Ireland cost.
Very efficient but it doesn't work offshore !
Eric /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 

PacketRat

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Bombard relied on fishing and a plankton net for nourishment and fluids as I remember. Perhaps there's more open water fish further South? Has anyone else tried plankton, or was that just a bit too eccentric. I suppose you could use a reverse osmosis water filter and eat the gunge off the filters. Yum. Anyway, I suggest for successful trolling you'd need to sail under the nearest bridge.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Robin.
 

Gargleblaster

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[ QUOTE ]
in sight of a fishing boat next to the GB or Ireland cost.

[/ QUOTE ]
I remember a Spanish fishing boat I saw halfway between the Azores and Newport on two successive days. Both days they came and had a look at me but I didn't think to wave a bottle of red wine at them. At that stage I was through my Australian Shiraz and only had some Bordeaux. Next time I might take along some Rioja for the Spanish fishermen. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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Now I really do know the answer to this one! We tried for ages without success, then spoke to some sports fishermen in BVI`s. You need about three white feathers-the sort for mackerel fishing, attach a diving lure beneath, and troll about 30 meters behind. We found best catches at about 4 to 6 knots - Dorado, and Tuna - use heavy line though! Worked in Greece, and Caribbean!!
 

fishermantwo

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Fishinglines.jpg


The diagram hopefully shows the trolling gear I use on my fishing vessel.
There are 3 reels here, all with the same set up. Roughly one and a half metres of heavy shock cord, 20 metres of 4mm Kuralon cord and about 10 metres of 80 kilo mono line to the lure.The length of line can vary but this just happens to suit my vessel. Tuna like species are surprisingly close to a moving boat, often attracted to the prop noise.
The lure I use mainly is a 75mm "Smiths jig". They start out as chromed plastic but soon end up as mostly white plastic as the bonito chew off the coating. This style of lure works from about 2 knots up to about 8 and is durable. Chrome metal spoons would also work.
If you wish to use plastic squids, jet heads etc I would suggest white with a hint of pink. Stick with the smaller lures so that you have a larger target range of species. Marlin will take a surprisingly small lure anyway. Marlin are more of a nuisance than they are worth.
Basic rule is, bright day bright lures, dull day use a dull lure. Fish will generally be over a reef or underwater structure, even if its several hundred fathoms deep. There will be some upwellings where the bait fish gather and the predators will be close by. Mahi Mahi will hang around flotsam and jetsam. If you see something in the water, sail close by and you may have a Mahi Mahi rush out and take a lure.
Close to land troll near headlands, mouths of rivers especially as the tide runs out. If you see a tide line thats the place to be.
 
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