Fishing in the Ionian and Aegean - a question.

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wellrigged88

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Can anyone help please.

We hire a yacht most years for a week or so, and I have been trolling (towing behind the yacht) various lures with little (very little) success.

We are off next week, and I really would like to catch something to save a bit of face!

I have seen the local guys fishing from their small boats by raising and lowering their handlines whilst the boat is stationary.

Does anyone know what is on the "hook end" please?

I wonder if perhaps they are using bait of some kind rather than lures - I am pretty sure they are trying to catch Dorado.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks for any thoughts.

WR
 
alexsailor said:
Usually they are catching squids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq7gewh5KXg
http://www.waveinn.com/nautical-fishing/lures-squid-jigs/rapala/7112-293/sm
For dorado you must be on the move...
Click to expand...

Thank you Alex, but I have seen them fishing in deep water and especially off the tips of land, and once in Spartahori (sp) when we were moored - up and the locals were catching Dorado for sure - blinkin' deep there in the centre of the bay.

They were just drifting.

Sadly, I didn't ask the chaps when I had the chance.


WR
 
Ok, bear with me, if you tow lures behind the boat it is possible you could catch a small Tuna or Scomber, if you really want to catch a fish, it is a bit more difficult, there are bluefish and Tuna plus big grouper and barracuda, the best fish arrive at the end of September. Try this, find a fish farm (there are plenty) take some wool and wrap it round your hand so that it is about 4 inch diameter and just under a quarter of an inch thick, simply tie this on the end of your line (no weight) and tow it behind the boat, 20 yards behind, 2 knots speed, you will catch Garfish, they will grab the wool and cant let go because of their teeth. put 3 or 4 in a bucket. look at the land and how it slopes into the sea, a gentle slope is good, find 20/30 metres, lower the Garfish as a livebait, hook near its chin and mid body, light weight (3/4 ounce) lower it carefully down and drift with the wind, early morning or early evening is best, do not kill the Garfish by moving to fast, the more active the Gar, the more chance you have, if you do troll a lure behind the boat, do NOT tow into the sun, across or away from the sun is best, these fish hunt by sight, not scent, not like a Cod in the murky north sea!
By the way, Dorado (big Dorado) can be caught near the surface, if you spot floating weed there is a good chance that Dorado will be under it! good luck!
 
wellrigged88 said:
Can anyone help please.

We hire a yacht most years for a week or so, and I have been trolling (towing behind the yacht) various lures with little (very little) success.

We are off next week, and I really would like to catch something to save a bit of face!

I have seen the local guys fishing from their small boats by raising and lowering their handlines whilst the boat is stationary.

Does anyone know what is on the "hook end" please?

I wonder if perhaps they are using bait of some kind rather than lures - I am pretty sure they are trying to catch Dorado.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks for any thoughts.

WR
Click to expand...

This kind of fishing is called "tsapari" (spelled tsaparee). No bait is used. Usually safridia are caught.
Care must be taken because a 'drakena' is often caught where you have to cut three black fins, one above and one at each side, using a pair of scissors.
Keep trolling, we always do. Once in a while you will catch something.

Good luck.
 
Glyka said:
This kind of fishing is called "tsapari" (spelled tsaparee). No bait is used. Usually safridia are caught.
Care must be taken because a 'drakena' is often caught where you have to cut three black fins, one above and one at each side, using a pair of scissors.
Keep trolling, we always do. Once in a while you will catch something.

Oh God,

I think I am going to make a tit of myself!

But what is a Safridia, and what is a Drakena then?

Sounds a bit like tartan paint, or a left-handed screwdriver to me - but I would really like a chance at catching something, so I have bitten!!

WR
Click to expand...
 
wellrigged88 said:
Can anyone help please.





I have seen the local guys fishing from their small boats by raising and lowering their handlines whilst the boat is stationary.

Does anyone know what is on the "hook end" please?







WR
Click to expand...

Those guys are fishing for octopus. No trolling speed needed.
Octopus will take anything, Italians like to use a chicken foot.
Some use big hooks to “Catch “ the octopus when he tries to swim away with the bait, others use only the bait, the Octo will only leave the bait when breaking the surface.
I like to use a slice of salami on my octopus catcher ( Self made ) If I don´t catch an eight arm I can always eat the salami as a comfort.
 
I was at Vathi on Ithaka one day, the storms had opened up one of the nets on the fishfarms, the fishfarms here hold Bream (gilthead Bream) and Bass. All the locals were lined up on the quayside, it did not matter what bait they used, the fish were starving, and they caught one after the other! there was no skill needed, they were filling boxes, buckets and anything they could get hold of, they were only small fish around half a pound. It was an amazing sight!
 
OldBawley said:
Those guys are fishing for octopus. No trolling speed needed.
Octopus will take anything, Italians like to use a chicken foot.
Some use big hooks to “Catch “ the octopus when he tries to swim away with the bait, others use only the bait, the Octo will only leave the bait when breaking the surface.
I like to use a slice of salami on my octopus catcher ( Self made ) If I don´t catch an eight arm I can always eat the salami as a comfort.
Click to expand...
A Swiss friend used a small natural poly bag (sandwich bag) as the 'bait' on his lure. As he jigged it, it resembled a jellyfish in motion which (apparently) the octopus is attracted to. Worked for him.
 
If you are trolling then speed is the quay. We troll two rods both set up with 15 cm squid on the end and 2 x small squid with no hooks further up the line as teasers.

Catch the occasional tuna (biggest so far about 35 kg's.

They always take when we are sailing off the wind and at speed, 7 to 10 knots :) and when they take at that speed all hell let's lose on the boat as we are double handed.

Enjoy and tight lines
 
Our old small boat sails just to slow with low winds to catch the small hunting fishes.
When the wind picks up and the boat goes 5+ knots all gets different.
Sailing slower than 5 knots I noticed that it is always with gusts or when reeling in the line that I catch something. Sailing single handed and having 4 sails to manage it can get hectic slowing down enough to take the fish in.
So sailing slower than 5 knots and having nothing else to do I let go the whole line ( 400 yards ) and reel it in again. Over and over. That way the lure does extra speed half of the time. An electric driven reel would be handy.

Did catch zilch trolling this year but the best season is just beginning.
 
We fished for two weeks per charter when chartering about 25 times in Greece, from the Mount Athos peninusulars to the Peloppenese and never caught anything, my suspician is their waters are over fished. In the Mount Athos area we did see fishing boats coming in with Tuna they had been fishing well offshore.
 
First a big thank you to Davy_S who took the time to give good and detailed advice.

Second, I caught booger all - though Dave's method was exactly what the locals suggested.

And third, I too think that the Med. is fished out - when we first chartered we saw a few flying fish, and caught a couple of small Tuna and Dorado.

We let them all go to swim away, and maybe breed a few kids, but where did that lot go.

Bloody depressing, but thank you all for your advice.

WR.
 
I also think the Med is fished out, BUT, saying that we in Monenvasia and every time we been he we tend to meet up with an Italian who come here each year to spend the summer each day he goes out in a rib fishing, for the last four days he returned with an abundant amount of fish.
He uses also sorts, lures, bread, Sardinia, even wool.
Maybe it's just a case of having lots of line with different Baits and lots of luck.
 
I am told that the Romans reported in the first century that the Mediterranean was fished out.

In our travels I have seen a lot of big fish swimming in open seas and many gull frenzies over big shoals. In Port Augusta, Arki last week a spear fisherman brought ashore a good sized fish, maybe 5lb, that was cooked for him in a taverna. The huge Greek fishing fleet must surely be catching enough to make it worthwhile running their boats?
 
A beach taverna I frequent in the summer here in Kefalonia ,
regularly hang the days catch up for all the diners to see
and this years catch included a 55 kilo tuna and a 17 kilo grouper !
most people have their photos taken alongside the bigger fish

Spiro always has wild sea bass, lavraki , milakopita, grouper all over 2 kilos ,

but I have never managed to catch a fish here after much trying .
 
We saw some huge Tuna a couple of weeks ago jumping out the water on the way to Kalamos from Fiskardo , they were big fish 3-4 ft long , motored towards them but were gone by time we got there .
Caught this beauty off Ithaca a couple of years back Dorado off Ithaca.jpg
 
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