Fishing under Sail

[jawfly]

Use yellow and green skirts or jap feathers for dolphin killers[mahi not flipper],small planners or trolling wieghts will keep your baits down if they keep skippin

[waverider]

Thanks for the tips, any particular way to cook Dolphin the best.

[Palarran]

Jawfly, how do you attach the trolling weight? I bought myself several plugs with 5' leaders for christmas. Do I put the weight on the swivel where I attach the leader? Also, because I'm from the Great Lakes region, I can't believe how big the darn hook is on these plugs. I know big hook = big fish but this seems quite large.

[Palarran]

Never mind about the weight I think I found it. Attached. What weight should I get? They are sold from 2 oz to 16 oz in 2 oz increments. What test line do you use?

[Hud3]

Waverider,

I just saute it in a little butter. Splash some white wine in the pan after you're done to de-glaze it, a squeeze of lemon, and voila! Once I sauted some diced onions and green peppers in the pan after sauting the fish, and added some mango chutney at the last minute. The crew really liked that one! Nothing like really fresh fish!

[s/v Beth]

Now that were sharing specifics- how many of you use liquor to kill the fish? A little potent stuff right in the gills or mouth. Seems to be the most humane way to kill your meal...
Will beer work too?

[forsailbyowner]

Ive tried the alcohol worked efficiently. Ive taken to making ceviche out of most of my trolling catch. The mackeral are by far the most often caught fish in 's florida and its a mainstay. Two great ceviche recipes are the simpler one first. coconut milk and lime juice is great, another that a german friend turned me on to is tomato chunks, pineapple,hot sauce,salt gets rave reviews all out of cans for convenience. Heres a King we caught near tortugas

[Vasco]

I use rum in a squirt bottle. For the fish vodka.

[Cheechako]

A good stout pole, 80# test and it's nice to have about 3 or 4 ft of stainless leader to keep from losing your rig to the barracuda. Just drag a rubber squid whenever you can.... or people here may have better lure ideas.

[Cheechako]

I used the special lead that you put inside the head of the rubber squid skirt.

[Hud3]

I've had my best luck with cedar plugs of various ilks, trolled on the surface and not too far behind the boat. When they start skipping, the fish come after them.

[s/v Beth]

What speed do you guys use? I find the spoons working best at 3-4knts. It sounds like the cedar plugs or even the rubber squid goes a great deal faster.
BTW this is great fun. Its like having a bunch of you over to chew the fat about fishing....

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by newt

...BTW this is great fun. Its like having a bunch of you over to chew the fat about fishing....

Yeah! How about another round of beers?

I troll at whatever speed the boat is sailing, say 5.5 to 6.5 kts. Seems to work fine. I have caught mostly dolphin fish (mahi-mahi, dorado).

The small skirted squid lures seem to attract bonito, which I always throw back.

[unbusted67]

Why, Bonito is amaizing eating? It's like tender, sweet tuna.

[Bill_E]

Originally Posted by waverider

Looks like a good book, I will for sure pick it up and leave it on my boat.
I will get a Coke bottle as well, I wonder if a rolling pin would work?

Thanks

Coke bottles and rolling pins?? What kind of sailor would pass up another use for rum bottles? Gotta have some of them around!

Actually, this sounds like a neat trick. I'll have to try it soon.