Mackerel paravane ....

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I know this was posted a couple of times ... but search doesn't bring it up ... - not for me anyway !!

Can anyone give good details / dimensions etc. to make the Mackerel paravane .... instead of buying over shop counter ???
 
As Jimbuoy knows ....

I am a great one for the DIY and saving a few coppers ....

I get great satisfaction from making things that work ... must stem from my model making days I suppose ......

There was an article in PBO couple of years ago ----- someone had made a load and posted a short few words about them ... plus there was a post on forum .... but darned if I can find them ........
 
Re: As Jimbuoy knows ....

From memory the one we use is about this shape.

(This isn't what I am supposed to be doing with this CAD system and I don't even want think about my charges for preparing the drawing.)

Have fun making it and make sure you bring it to Cherbourg.
 
None of your business. Actually.........

I was answering the question as to why Nigel won't consider paying for one. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I have extensive knowledge of his tightfistedness.

However, he is a great one for making things and finding alternative ways to get round a problem with out opening his wallet.

I too remember a thread that made mention of DIY paravanes.

Jim
 
Re: As Jimbuoy knows ....

The paravane we use is home made. It consists of a piece of 6mm plywood, size about 75mm by 200mm one side apinted red the other white. Attached to the front end on the white side is a 90 degree angle piece pointing down. The front is attached to at least 20m of line by a triangular bridle. At the rear is another bridle leading to a swivel and a makeral spinner. The line and the spinner are attached through a series of pairs of holes drilled through the float for adjustment for different speeds.

It floats normally red side upwards and is dragged under water at sppeds of 1 to 3 or 4 knots. When a fish is caught it turns white side upwards and comes to the surface where its wake is easily seen.

Simple but not easy to describe!
 
Re: As Jimbuoy knows ....

Re use of wooden paravane, my version was about 8" by 3" with a little triangular section lip fastened on the underside at the rear edage plus a very snazzy tail fin stuck on the top centrally placed at the rear. A bridle towards the front, but not on the leading edge for towing, but a series of holes on the vertical trailing edge of the tail fin so that I could adjust the depth at which the device cruised.

When fishing from the Drascombe Lugger it was particularly useful to have the paravane launch itself out of the water once a fish was hooked and then make a pitter-patter noise as it splashed along the surface. In this way I had an audible notice that the fish was on.

I found it very useful to have a long lead between the paravane and the spinner, and a short line from the boat as I could make the paravane operate at any reasonable depth with quite a steep angle of line entry. In this way once there was a fish on it was very easy to get the paravane on board before pulling the fish in.

The audible feature was a special bonus!

Ofcourse this is all a memory now as the Suffolk coast where I sail these days seems to be devoid of fish which will take a spinner, presumably because they wouldn't be able to see one!!
 
I bought some of those ( Cheap paravane (3rd item down) )

I find it has trouble staying down. Maybe due to me attaching both a feather rig and a lure. Damn thing probably thinks it has hooked a fish so rises to the surface.
/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
Paravanes are the business for catching Mackerel while sailing, there seems no other way to get the lure down to a depth where the fish are feeding when doing more than a knot or so hrough the water. Without a paravane no matter how much weight you add to the line - the lure still comes to the surface.

The vane is attached to the towing line by one of the three holes on the fin - the aft hole to run deep and the hole forward for shallower depth or when sailing faster. Lead or some other weight is attached under the nose to balance the vane

The spinner or feathers is attached on a 2m trace to one of the holes at the trailing edge, the hole used affects the angle the vane tows at to one side of the boat

With care you can tow two of these, one from each stern quarter. They will run deep and stable - when a fish is hooked, the drag upsets the balance and the vane with fish come to the surface

I got a bit fed up buying commercial vanes from fishing shops, they are only a bit of plastic and at £5 or so each they are expensive to lose, which can easily happen if you hook some weed or other rubbish.

My son was on his third trip to Africa and in the village where he stays there are some native wood carvers, he took a plastic paravane with him last time and got them to make some vanes out of wood for me.

I now have a lifetimes supply of unique individually carved paravanes - near the Solent anywhere between Hurst and Hengistbury head on an ebb tide, or off St Catherines the fish are queuing up to be caught.


paravane.jpg
 
Bluechip .... thanks

Allied with the CAD drawing by another ............ I'm off to check my wood stocks and carving skills !!!

I now also from Bluechips text know why it works .... I knew about the diving and balance etc. - but not why it had so many holes on trailing edge ....

Great - here we come !!!
 
Re: Bluechip .... thanks

as tribute those who understand my yearning to eb different ........ and not open zee wallet !! : Here is the luther Mk.1 that is proposed at this time .... >> (holes to be drilled of course in suitable places .... construction hoped to be in either ply or plastic ....)

paravanencl.jpg


Obviously this all slots together and is glued with suitable glue such as Epoxy .... (superglue is not water-proof and fails ....)


There is only one drawback with this item ... ideal trolling speed is 2 -3 kts ......... which is about tickover on my Greyhound of the sea !!
 
Re: Bluechip .... thanks

mmmm .... hope the long skinny bit on the bottom of the upright part doesn't snap off - might need to bond the two together with resin or similar.

OOPs - just read your post again and realised that is what you are planning to do, sorry!
 
Re: Bluechip .... thanks

Idea is to fillet the epoxy .... in fact the long bit ahead could be dispensed with - leaving the tang to glue into the slot etc.
 
Re: Bluechip .... thanks

Don't forget you need a sizeable lump of lead on the bottom of the nose to get it down, so you will need to shorten the lower part of the bottom piece (if that makes sense)

We have caught Mackerel at 6 knots and over, I don't know how fast they can swim but when we are going at those sort of speeds a lot of them seem to be hooked in the body outside of the mouth - whether they miss as they lunge for the lure or they are just unlucky and get hooked up as we pass I don't know
 
Lead weight ...

I know about that - left it off the drawing for clarity ... actually just lazy in Paint !!

Mackerel literally swarm when you get a good shoal and you can catch by casting a 'line of hooks' through them ..... used to do that in Cork Harbour !! Just cast out let it all sink in and then reel back in .... hooked in body / fins / tails etc.
 
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