Shark fishing while Cruising or otherwise. (experiences)

[sidney777]

Or, just Sailboat Fishing. My limited experience in Gulf. Trolling from sailboat and using Lake Michigan Downrigger and lurers.
In daytime I caught large one large Grouper and many Rock Bass, I think.

I used fish heads overnight and sleeping, while anchored in Gulf (yes really). Northern Gulf, Big Bend area,from Appalachacola to Steinhatchee.
Both lines were completely taken out. One broken and other intact. Caught nothing. I admit I did not know what I should do (training,experience).

BUT, two others told me (I hope true) that while anchored with other Sailboats, others Hooked Sharks and asked for help.. Help was turned down because my story-tellers did NOT want to(Correction!) -go over to Fishermen in Inflatable Dinghy to help. -xxx have an Angry Shark caught by people on an Inflatable dinghy (or otherwise)!
If Not Enough Shark stories, please tell of any fish stories from Sailboat. For me, it was a highlight of sailing in Saltwater (as opposed to Lake Michigan).

[Plumper]

I have never caught a shark (or even fished for one) but I have caught lots of other interesting fish off the back of my boat.
Sailing back from Hawaii to the PNW we caught several Mahi Mahi. We were using big plugs on parachute cord with a bungy loop to the boat. When the fish hit it the bungy would snap tight and set the hook. We then just hauled the fish in. We caught them at speeds up to 10 knots (the fastest the boat would go). We also caught a couple small tuna that trip once we got farther north. Same rig and boat speed.
Last summer we caught loads of salmon. We used a rod and a diver to get the flasher and hoochie down deep. The boat was going very slowly, about 1.5 knots) and we had great luck. We have caught Coho going faster but not as many. We use a bucktail and tow it in the wake of the boat so it just jumps out of the water every once in a while. If there are Coho around it is a killer setup. We don't have refrigeration so we throw the big ones back and only keep what we can eat in a single day.
Great way to have fresh meat.
One word of caution. Here i the north you have to be careful where you clean the fish. If you get fish guts and blood on your boat or dinghy you are inviting bear trouble. Although it has not happened to us, we have heard of folks who left their dinghy on the beach and came back to find it shredded because it smelled of salmon.
Bummer!

[sailingdog]

I would be very hesitant to try and catch a large angry fish and bring it aboard an inflatable dinghy—especially a shark. One of the owners of a sister boat to mine bought his for the express purpose of using it as a fishing platform.... his wife was rather upset when he upgraded the port side settee to a fishing tackle bench. I plan to do some fishing this season, but haven't done any off of my boat yet.

[billangiep]

I've had pretty good luck trolling with a Yozori (sp) lure in the gulf. When anchored a bit of chum should bring the black tips in, an easy catch using squid, mullet or any other oily stinky stuff. (g)

[sidney777]

Really nice, clear,big picture. How did you cook it and how did it taste ?

[billangiep]

Spanish Mackerel, good stuff....fillet it (making sure to cut the red line out of the center of the fillet) toss some garlic, lemon, butter, black pepper then wrap in foil and throw it on the grill for a few minutes. (CD would be proud.)(g)
I often fish out of the dingy in and around the flats using white or gold tail grubs with 1/4 ounce head. Another excellent bait are the new "Gulps" baits in a bag. Not nearly as messy as the real stuff and work quite well for catching Reds, Sea Trout and the occasional Flounder. This time of year if you can find a few rocks in less than 10 ft. of water your surely to bring up a few Grouper, though under size they taste just as good as the bigger ones.
Bill,

[sailak]

No no no. Slice it about 1/4" thick, put it on a ball of rice with a bit of ponzu sauce. Yeah baby.

[Plumper]

Here is my wife catching a salmon north of Vancouver Island.

[Plumper]

Here is one of me catching a coho near Hartley Bay, northern BC.

[sidney777]

You and family look to have done alot of fishing. You even use technical fishing terms like ' bucktail" . What is that ?
It appears you are close to Fresh and Salt Water fishing??. I an not familiar with your area(but will see on web).