Trolling in the channel

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Oscarpop

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Anyone got experience of trolling around the channel?

We are heading from Kent to Falmouth and then from Falmouth to La Rochelle in about a month.

I was going to troll a line as we go.

We hope to make 6 kts, so I've read that it's too fast for mackerel.

However I have a few quid to spend on lures, so anyone got any tips for either e channel bit or the west coast of France bit?

Types of fish ,lures etc

Ta
 
I my experience you will get very little if anything from Portsmouth - Needles. A few across Christchurch and Poole Bays but going west from Poole you will get more fish than you can eat. Use a paravane, slow to 3.5knts and when you have enough fish haul in the lines and continue at your original speed.
 
have intended to make a paravane for a while then next boat way too fast however now taken up paddling which is a sensible sensible speed for mackerel - anyone able to supply the design (Pbo had 1 years ago I remember) Or can you buy ?

Thanks
 
choppy said:
have intended to make a paravane for a while then next boat way too fast however now taken up paddling which is a sensible sensible speed for mackerel - anyone able to supply the design (Pbo had 1 years ago I remember) Or can you buy ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

http://www.force4.co.uk/8447/Fladen-Paravane.html

For that price, hardly worth the effort making your own.

Make sure it is tied on well to your line, though. Mine wasn't. Cost = £3.35. Fish caught = zero. Price per fish = infinite. :o
 
Oscarpop said:
Anyone got experience of trolling around the channel?

We are heading from Kent to Falmouth and then from Falmouth to La Rochelle in about a month.

I was going to troll a line as we go.

We hope to make 6 kts, so I've read that it's too fast for mackerel.

However I have a few quid to spend on lures, so anyone got any tips for either e channel bit or the west coast of France bit?

Types of fish ,lures etc

Ta
Click to expand...

Unless they have changed the laws this was illegal unless you had a License. Remembering back years ago in the
Blue Funnel Line we were not allowed to fish when underway as it was classed as trawling.
But hey ho who gives a shoite :D
Hope you do get some mackrel. Sardines are very short on the ground here this year. Maybe they know more
about the weather than we do :D
 
So trolling a single fishing line behind a sail boat is illegal?

Can anyone verify this?

And are we talking English or French waters? Or both?

Actually while we are on the subject: i have procured a lobster pot for while at anchor. Is this legal in French waters?
 
Oscarpop said:
Anyone got experience of trolling around the channel?

We are heading from Kent to Falmouth and then from Falmouth to La Rochelle in about a month.

I was going to troll a line as we go.

We hope to make 6 kts, so I've read that it's too fast for mackerel.

However I have a few quid to spend on lures, so anyone got any tips for either e channel bit or the west coast of France bit?

Types of fish ,lures etc

Ta
Click to expand...

The biggest mackeral I ever caught was when we were reaching at 7 knts +.
 
Oscarpop said:
So trolling a single fishing line behind a sail boat is illegal?

Can anyone verify this?
Click to expand...

I very much doubt that it is illegal but, if it is, I've been breaking the law for years. The fisheries people certainly aren't interested in what a yachtie might be doing; they've got bigger fish to fry.
 
Trolling a line behind a yacht is not illegal anywhere, we used two rods. On the lure front buy swimming lures, they have a plate on their chin that makes them wiggle, and buy a selection of colours. Different fish take different coloured lures at different times of year. As an an example we caught Mackerel east of Gibralter and we were using a silver and red lure and a blue and yellow lure. All the fish were caught on the blue and yellow. If you don't catch anything change to a different cooour. The lures should be 5 to 6 inches long.
 
AIDY said:
really... I didn't think the fish were Olympic swimmers
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Atlantic mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.98 metres/sec (2.19mph) with a burst speed of 5.5 m/s (12.30mph),

while chub mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.92 m/s (2.05mph) with a burst speed of 2.25 m/s (5.03mph).


Common lure trolling speeds will vary from six knots to 12 knots.
Source http://www.igfa.org/About/Trolling-Speed-and-Bait-Position.aspx


BTW
Hooked Mahi-Mahi may leap or tailwalk, darting first in one direction, then another. It is believed that they can reach speeds up to 50 mph (80.5 kph) in short bursts. Successful fishing methods include trolling surface baits (flying fish, mullet, balao, squid, strip baits) or artificial lures; also live bait fishing or casting. If the first dolphin caught is kept in the water, it will usually hold the school, and often others will come near enough to be caught by casting.
Click to expand...
 
Rum_Pirate said:
Atlantic mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.98 metres/sec (2.19mph) with a burst speed of 5.5 m/s (12.30mph),

while chub mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.92 m/s (2.05mph) with a burst speed of 2.25 m/s (5.03mph).


Common lure trolling speeds will vary from six knots to 12 knots.
Source http://www.igfa.org/About/Trolling-Speed-and-Bait-Position.aspx


BTW
Click to expand...
Hey RP, you are right about our warm water cousins, I've caught Wahoo whilst trolling at 15 knots, however in our chillier waters fish are bit more sluggish. As others have said max 3 knots or use a paravane. Personally, if I wanted some mackerel for tea, I'd heave to somewhere just s of The Needles in 60' or in Hurst Narrows or off St Aldhelms. Randomly trolling across The Channel is a low probability way of catching yor supper.
 
I think the mackerel was invented to mitigate the disappointment of boat speed dropping to 3 knots when the wind dies down (Boo! 3kts. Yay! Fishing time!). We've had (mackerel) success randomly trolling up, down and cross channel with a paravane. Never caught anything at 5 kts or over. I too would be interested in what else, if anything, we should be aiming for at higher speeds off the UK south coast and (hopefully) without extensive equipment..
 
As an angler of 40 plus years experience and a sailor for less than five, I love it when a question comes up that I feel qualified to stick my oar in on!

Try small Sidewinder lures http://www.sidewinderlures.co.uk/_shop/index.php?cPath=0_12 they are not expensive and I've had success with them for mackerel-sized false albacore (a mackerel in my book) in the Med. Bass will take them too but six knots is right at the upper end for species that you'll find in UK coastal waters.
 
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