IsSea Fishing Skilful

[Vagabond]

spasor:

 

Most big game boats decide everything for the angler? The crew set the downriggers, put on the lure that `they` decide.

Paul.

I know what you mean Spas, the problem is that many clients know nothing about big-game fishing, and often their only involvement is pulling in a fish that has already had most of the sting taken out by a crewman playing it. Crews are used to doing everything for the client, and are used to clients displaying little interest in searching for fish (especially when the clients are seasick!).

 

It is important to establish good relations with the crew, which is done by showing an interest in the sport from the start. Tell them you fish to IGFA rules (that usually stops them grabbing the rod if there is a strike) Ask the right questions, get up on the flying bridge with the skipper and join in looking for signs of fish, discuss what lures you fancy trying, ask about the spread pattern, trolling speed, etc etc. If you don't, then of course the crew will do what they decide.

 

"Asking the right questions" is something that came initially from being well read on the subject - we are adding practical experience to that as often as we can - life is too short for all the big-game fishing we want to do!

 

We usually try to book three days with the same crew, so that we learn to work together. Often the skipper is the only one to speak English, so contact with the crew is by pidgin Spanish (Mexico) or Creole French (Mauritius) and sign language. Norma is much better at getting a dialogue going with the crew than I am.

 

As for being told "when to pull the rod up, or when to give line" - well, I don't understand the Spanish for either If a big fish is hooked, there is not usually too much time to "listen to instructions" in those vital first few seconds. Either you know what to do or you don't.

 

We have been out with one or two "dogs" but the majority of crews are excellent - given the chance. Once they recognise an enthusiast, they will try their hardest to find fish.

 

One crew in Mauritius has its own means of "testing" clients - they offer them breakfast - corned beef heated in the tin on the exhaust manifold, mixed with onion and huge quantities of hot green chillies. The client response to that tells them if there is a chance of coming in early because of seasickness A plateful of such "Mauritian hash" was much appreciated yours truly, and established good relations right away.

 

Your experience was obviously different - where did you go out from?

 

[ 18. June 2003, 08:12 AM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[chevin]

Elton:

 

Do you think sea fishing requires the same sort of knowledge as other forms of fishing, or is it "hit and miss"?

 

Elton

If you are going to fish over a coral reef in water that is clearer than tap water, you need to be able to catch chub in a narrow, shallow and clear stretch of river if you want to do any good. Many sea fish are even more easily spooked than are chub. The majority of fish in such an area are predatory and there are a lot of fish eating birds in such areas too. Just about everything you catch is a meal for something and they are all aware of it.

 

Anchors must be lowered and not dropped. You have to move around your boat stealthily and be careful not to drop anything that will make a noise. Flourescent lines will scare fish as will wire traces. Because the water is so clear, bait presentation is of paramount importance and tackle rigs have to be as neat as you can possibly make them. Quite a lot of anglers I meet tell me that I am being too fussy, but where as they go out 10 - 15 miles to catch their fish, I frequently get my bag limit in two or three hours less than a mile off shore, and very often the average size of my fish is better than theirs. Not skill really, just attention to detail.

 

I must confess that I was most impressed with some of the terminal rigs described by Alan Yates in Sea Angler. Although he uses them in the English Channel where the water is often murky and the fish scarce, I saw that they had great possibilities where I fish, and they work well.

 

Basically I will say the same as others, you will only get out of sea fishing what you put into it, but as a newcomer to it, you will have to come to terms with the conditions that are confronting you first.

[littlefeathers]

Hello everyone I agree totally with what you've been saying, you get out of it what you put in to it. If you know what rigs, tackle, hooks etc to use then you stand a better chance of catching a better fish. Thou saying that if your lucks in you could catch a beauty on a maggot Ive been sea fishing since I was a child and my claim to fame so far is a full house of mackeral at once(6) and endless doggies. I have been out deep sea (with skippers) approx 12-14 times and either no bites or nothing but doggies. 2-3 times a year my sister, brother-in-law and I take a self drive boat out of Beer (Dorset) for 4-5 hrs, mackeral fishing on the way out and if im there we're lucky to catch one or two, but if im not there my sister catches buckets loads. Same with the fishing, just doggies when im there yet when my sister and brother-in-law go out alone, using the same bait and hooks as before they catch a variety of fish. My brother-in-laws answer to my poor claim to fame is that im just jinxed , HAHA and their letting me go to Abbotsbury, sssh, dont tell Little onions

[spasor]

Oh no Feathers, not you as well!

Jim tells me he`s met both yourself and onions. Now you`ll get to meet the `Complete Plonker`. But I`ll be groundbaiting my patch from early Friday!!

Did you realise we`re due for severe thunderstorms on the 28th? Just thought I`d inform you, before you bring beach-casters!LOL

Paul.

[littlefeathers]

Originally posted by spasor:

[QB] Oh no Feathers, not you as well!

. Now you`ll get to meet the `Complete Plonker`.

Did you realise we`re due for severe thunderstorms on the 28th?

-------------------------------

 

Hello Spasor,

'Severe thunderstorm' I actually quite like watching thunder storms and what better place to see one, thou it will be me being the 'complete plonker' as I'll be the one still clutching my rod

It will be nice to meet you and any one else from Anglers.

[Vagabond]

littlefeathers:

my claim to fame so far is a full house of mackeral at once(6)

As a kid, I saw a bloke take half-a dozen "full houses" in succession on Brighton Pier.

 

Other people were casting further, but only getting the odd one or two. One of these long casters asked how he did it.

 

I've never forgotten his reply

 

"It ain't 'ow yer bungs the fevvers aht, mush, it's 'ow yer oicks 'em back"

 

That works for fly fishing too

 

BTW Don't let Jim tell you that you can't cast far enough. NO angler can ever cast far enough - ask Poledark

[littlefeathers]

Originally posted by Vagabond:

 

BTW Don't let Jim tell you that you can't cast far enough. NO angler can ever cast far enough - ask Poledark

 

---------------------------------------

 

Yeah, that's one thing I'll never be able to do is cast out far enough, one of the most embarassing things I no is when you cast out and you got no idea where your weights gone, your stood there looking all smug thinking, yep, that must have been a good one so you start to reel in only to see your weight moving on the edge of the shore opps. I must admit thou, practice does make perfect and chesil is an ideal place to learn, providing your neigbour is about half amile away from either I or Little Onions.

 

Ref Jim's cast, last year when Little Onions and I met Jim for the first time at chesil he kindly offered us advice and helped with our casting . The mackeral were further out than what Little Onions or I could cast so Jim cast out for us on a few occasions, with us reeling our catches back in, and I must admit, if France had been a mile or two closer Im sure Jim would have needed his passport.

[RUDD]

Beach casting was the first fishing disipline that I learnt.

No suprise as I live on the Suffolk coast.

When I was nine years old I could cast a six ounce breakaway approw 70-80 yards during winter storms.

I would catch fish every time from anywhere along Felixstowe beach.

These days you need to cast up to or over 150 yards to get a bite most of the time from only a few local marks.

 

ALL fishing has skill involved as you cant rely on luck (or we would all of won the lottery).

Venue, rigs, bait, species, watercraft and method all play a big part in all fishing.

 

Whatever fishing you do :

PRESENTATION, LOCATION AND BAIT are the main things to consider.

EG :

Whats the point in fishing lugworm 100 yards from the shore when there is a nice pier or groin nearbye crying out to be lure fished!!!!!

[chevin]

Vagabond:

Originally posted by littlefeathers:

[qb] I've never forgotten his reply

 

"It ain't 'ow yer bungs the fevvers aht, mush, it's 'ow yer oicks 'em back"

Yeah, I would go along with that, I remember fishing on the Heugh breakwater at Hartlepool when I was a kid. One of my teachers at school was one of the best at getting full houses on his feathers and so I watched him. The thing I noticed was that while the others never paused between their hauls on their retrieves, he did, only for a second or two, but in that time he got the hits. Many years later when fishing from my boat in Brandon Bay, Co Kerry, I often wanted more bait during the course of a day, so I put some feathers on a rig and jigged until I hit a mackerel. Once I had done that I stuck the rod in a holder and let the hooked mackerel work the feathers until I had a full house. I am of the opinion that fish work feathers a lot better than do anglers.

[Vagabond]

chevin:

let the hooked mackerel work the feathers until I had a full house. ..... fish work feathers a lot better than do anglers.

Right, and as soon as you feel the first one hit, you know you are at the right depth, so it makes sense to leave it there for more hits, and not pull the rig away from the shoal.

 

I've found that out also, funny neither of us has mentioned it in conversation before in all the times we've fished in a boat together. I guess when the mackerel hit, then both of us were too busy to talk!