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Sailboat Fishing

37K views 48 replies 25 participants last post by  downeast450 
#1 ·
Hi,

I am look for tips for fishing from a sailboat. I sail in the FL panhandle area, and for the most part, I have been bottom fishing with shrimp while at anchor. We have caught most pan-sized fish: gulf kingfish, cats, and small sharks. I have also trolled (3-4 knots) using a silver spoon. Been lucky less.

I search the forums, and was surprised that I did not find much sail-fishing info.

Does anyone have a tips or suggestions to better join sailing and fishing. My youngest kid loves fishing, and because of our better success on the hook, we find ourselves spending now actually sailing.


Thanks.

Paul
 
#39 · (Edited)
Afternoon dreuge,

I prefer to use hand lines for trolling while sailing. On occasion though a stout pole is handy when you are in mahi or wahoo country :D.

I have sailed and fished all along the west coast of Florida and have always had good luck with the setup described in a thread I created on one of the other sailing forums. Pretty easy to make and not expensive.

A Simple Handline for Trolling while Sailing

A bunch of the guys with kids around the marina made pairs of them up and the kids have been having a ball catching fish.

Hope you give it a try and good luck with your fishing.

Regards, John
 
#43 ·
The trip I took with my son and daughter in law from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau, Bahamas was the best fishing I've ever had. We were using a pole and a small blue plastic "flying fish" (don't know what brand, name, etc). We let out about 100-125' of line while sailing about 4-6 knots and we caught at least one good sized fish each day. Mahi, tuna, jack?, barracuda (which we didn't eat). We'd throw the line over as soon as we got going and forgot about it until we heard the reel screaming. We were mostly off the wind so we would ease the sheets on all the sails to slow the boat to make it easier to reel the fish in and then used a long gaff to bring it onto deck. By the time I left the boat the reefer was full. They continued to catch fish regularly using the same lure and technique the whole time they were in the Bahamas.

Here in the PNW we regularly catch Dungeness crab and Spot prawns. Occasionally we can catch a salmon but without a downrigger and a 12lb ball it's rare. We do catch quite a few Ling cod jigging with a "Buzzbomb".
 
#46 · (Edited)
Making slow ahead on those really light days in the south I cast forward off the bow and sail over the lightly weighted white rag lure. Fish hiding in the boat shadow are waiting for you.Here on the left coast ,salmon are rarer and fussyier but with a licensed clam gun you can still fill the bucket.Molluscs like clams, oysters and scallops freeze or can well and feed you well after the EI runs out. edit I just saw this was an old thread but wha the heck .still timely.
 
#47 ·
Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico - Florida Coast.

We use a heavy boat pole with a Penn trolling real and drag a 1.5 to 2.5 inch shiny silver spoon about 50 to 100' behind the boat. We have a couple of bolt on rod holders on the stern pulpit. Set the drag just tight enough so it will peel out line when something hits it. When you hear the reel go, yell "FISH ON" at the top of your lungs and watch the kids go crazy. Tighten up the drag and make the kids reel in the fish. In the Gulf, Spanish Mackeral are plentiful, fun to catch, they hit at any boat speed, they are beautiful in the pictures, they're fairly easy to fillet, and taste pretty good if you cook them up same day... with Lemon Pepper.
 
#48 ·
Socal Sailboat fishing

After 5 pages lots of information on fishing in Florida, one contributor out of SF bay a few in the PNW, what about So Cal?

I have been sailing between San Diego and Dana Point. What is the chance of catching anything in these waters if I get a rod and troll while cruising? Any suggestions on fishing rigs for this type of fishing? What might I catch here?

I am racing tonight with a guy that fishes a lot but I think he mostly goes way offshore towards Mexico and does not fish locally. I know he has no interested in sailboats unless there is a race involved.
 
#49 · (Edited)
Fishing? Yup. There is "Fishing" and there is "catching fish". My fly rods and waders are for "Fishing". Hove to with a hand line is for "catching fish".

We do not clutter the boat with rods. If we had kids to share it with that might be different. A home made hand line, work gloves with leather palms, a piece of black PVC pipe split and snapped over the stern rail, a cod jig for weight with its hooks removed and a gaff.

The hand line is 200' of heavy mono (200#) wrapped around a gently tapered piece of marine plywood that has pieces of 1x1 fastened across the wide (10") end as a handle. The cod jig is a heavy shiny weight at the bottom on a swivel. 6, 6/0 snelled hooks on 50# leader at 2' intervals above it. The hooks are on a section of the heavy mono also on a swivel. The hooks get hooked into the handle when not in use and it stores in a small tub. This rig is lowered over the stern rail so you can pull down when retrieving. A sacrificial piece of PVC is snapped on the rail to protect the line. The gaff has a piece of line attached to keep from loosing it overboard.

This rig is not for fishing while sailing around here but I am sure it would catch fish in the right spots. We sail to a "bank", hove to, lower the hooks and drift over the structure. This is usually in water 50' or less. Ground fish are what we catch. There is always the possibility of a large halibut. I have a halibut rig with heavier hooks when that is a real possibility. Haven't had to deal with a monster yet. My old spear gun is available just in case.

The fish go into a cooler of ice and get cleaned at the dock. Fresh fish are my favorite protein. Nothing else compares. Today's killed halibut is to die for! Ha!

Bait can be anything. We catch a couple of mackerel or harbor pollock before we go fishing for food. Any fish can be cut into chunks for bait and the fish don't seem to mind if it has been frozen. Last weeks catch works.

Enjoy! Yummy!

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