I grew up spending my summers fishing the waters of Lake Huron. When my family and I moved onto Sargo, our 46-foot Garcia Passoa, I had plenty of enthusiasm for fishing, but close to no actual saltwater fishing skills. Over the past 12 months, I have taken every opportunity to talk to (interrogate) experienced saltwater fishermen. I’ve also learned from many mistakes. As we have caught more fish, my enthusiasm for fishing has gradually spread to the entire Sargo crew. Aboard a cruising sailboat, catching and landing fish takes a full team effort. On our recent passage from the U.S. Virgin Islands to St. Augustine, Fla., we landed five tuna and two mahi-mahi. For sailors who would like to catch more fish, here are some basic tips to catch, land and eat fresh tuna while voyaging!
Gear
You don’t need a lot of fancy, expensive gear to be a successful voyaging fisherman. Our “go-to” tuna lure is the basic cedar plug. You can find these in the fishing section of nearly any saltwater fishing store. I like the ones that come rigged with a heavy-duty monofilament leader. They don’t look like much, but I’ve been told their spiraling action mimics a distressed or injured baitfish. Whatever the reason, they do seem to catch fish!
We typically fish two lines while under way. The first is a 100-foot handline of 200-pound line with a shock-absorbing bungee cord attached. The second is on a short fishing rod with at least 30- to 50-pound line that we send “way back” at least 100 yards behind the boat. Once you have your gear in the water, make sure to check it frequently for weeds. Sometimes it seems like we have to clear weeds on a near-constant basis.
Denne historien er fra November - December 2020-utgaven av Ocean Navigator.
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Denne historien er fra November - December 2020-utgaven av Ocean Navigator.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Stay Connected
Satellite phones have evolved a full ecosystem of gear and services
Respecting Paradise
Thoughts on voyaging responsibly
Yankee sails on
The steel ketch Yankee in the Connecticut River.
TRANSPAC RACE PREP
How a group of determined mostly military veterans built a race team
NOAA upgrades its global weather model
More data and a better global weather model should make for improved weather distributed to users, like this temperature gradient map.
From North Sea fishing to Sea of Cortez voyaging
The former Dutch fishing vessel turned power voyaging yacht Varnebank in Mexican waters.
Chatter Chartroom
IN 2019, MY HUSBAND, DOUG PASNIK, AND I RACED OUR first Transpac together with a team of 10 on our Andrews 70, Trader, comprised primarily of military veterans (see story on page 22). This year we are doing the race again and inviting four mentees from The Magenta Project to race with us.
Doing it all with one screen
The steering station on this Gunboat cat is equipped with large-screen B&G Zeus MFDs.
Don't scrimp when it comes to the crimp
Solid crimp connections make your power voyager’s electrical system more reliable.
Chartroom Chatter
Maritime Publishing acquires Ocean Navigator