The right fishing reel for sail cruising

[alctel]

The handlines are nice, but it's good to have at least one rod/reel setup so you can run lighter (20 - 40lb) tackle for fish that are picky and are scared off by the big thick tackle on handlines (it's hard to run anything under 100lb on a handline as you'll get broken off). A lot of fish have good eyesight!

I'll seriously get 3/4 times the hits using the lighter tackle on a rod reel (pair of second hand PENN Senator 113W) over my handline, and the fish are smaller (<20lb) as well which is better for me as I don't have a huge fridge/freezer.

Anything over 20 knots windspeed however I am switching to handlines - less to deal with when it gets boisterous

If nothing else it's great at improving how fast you can douse sails (if i'm running the spinny) or heave to (my preferred method of stopping if I'm on a beam reach or above and I hook something)

[GuyFromTheNorth]

Originally Posted by beetle

Ah - you go with light tackle. I use 400# monofilament 100 feet behind the boat, same donut for line storage, with a 1/4" bungee cord as the shock absorber. A coke can with a couple of nuts and washers inside is attached to the shock cord. When the can goes 'rattle' there's a fish on the end - usually skipping across the surface like a frisbee.

Rot-gut vodka in a plastic bottle labeled 'Fish Juice' at the transom is available for dripping onto the gills (instant anesthesia), along with gloves for handling the line.

A few folk I've run across swear by parachute cord instead of the monofilament, they are using even heavier gear than I.

- rob

While on the topic of fishing, this has to be a trait of saltwater fish right? I literally tried this a year or two ago, had vodka in a bottle and POURED it into the gills of a big whitefish (freshwater) we caught to try and show off my new heard of trick from the sailing world...didn't even stun it let alone kill it like I've seen on youtube with ocean fish. I poured over half a liter into its gills and then opted for the club...

[nwdiver]

My gaff is attached to a club......gaff aboard and then flip it and dispatch.....OMG your going to cut it up and eat the thing.......big halibut get shot, I would love to see someone try to pour alcahol into the gills of a 120lb fish flopping about......


Being in salmon territory I also carry a net.....most lost fish from offshore say up to 25lb could easily be netted....

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

..

Although a [monohull] sailboat is a terrible fishing platform.

Fixed that for ya. [emoji16]

[Stingo]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Fixed that for ya. [emoji16]

K'rekt, Belizesailor

[Greg Mason]

I use a 2 speed with 200' of venetian blind cord with a 10' wire leader and this homey lure. For shock, i have 4' of the line stuffed in a 2' surgical tubing tied off at each end and when the surgical tubing goes whooooing, there's a fish. Put the crank in the Harken and reel it in. Yep, that homey lure is a 3/4" sani hose, tapered at the trailing edge, wine cork for tensioning the length and a treble hook on a wire leader.

[beetle]

Originally Posted by GuyFromTheNorth

While on the topic of fishing, this has to be a trait of saltwater fish right? I literally tried this a year or two ago, had vodka in a bottle and POURED it into the gills of a big whitefish (freshwater) we caught to try and show off my new heard of trick from the sailing world...didn't even stun it let alone kill it like I've seen on youtube with ocean fish. I poured over half a liter into its gills and then opted for the club...

I'm unaware of a distinction between fresh and salt fish - the fish still breathe through gills therefore I would expect fish to react the same way.

I've great success with vodka on: dorado/mahi mahi, tunas, ono/wahoo. The cheap vodka can be found in plastic bottles with a built-in shot pouring device that dribbles out the alcohol. I wear gloves when handling the fish, the gill cover can be very sharp, as can their teeth.

I find it to be a lot safer to stun/kill the fish with alcohol rather than waving around a fillet knife while chasing a live flapping fish. Clubbing a slippery fish is also problematic as sometimes the boat gets hit by the club, particularly when at sea and washing around in the swell when everything including the fish and you are sliding around on the cockpit floor.

So far I haven't run into the issue of a fish not responding to alcohol. In every one I've done in the fish went from wild flapping to totally limp in 3-4 seconds.

Any fish that is too big (usually greater than 25 pounds) is boated (if possible), hook removed, and released. The ideal fish for me have been 10-12 pounders that yield a day or two worth of food - I have refrigeration but no freezer.

- rob

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

10 inch hand caster, rope, 100lb mono
Attached to boat with bicycle tube to take the hit
Trolled like that for 30+ years.

Yep, about the same for us, but with steel trace.

We dont lose lures any more.

[beetle]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

big halibut get shot, I would love to see someone try to pour alcahol into the gills of a 120lb fish flopping about......

Being in salmon territory I also carry a net.....most lost fish from offshore say up to 25lb could easily be netted....

I don't have a gun on board, and it's been difficult for me to manage a net and a fish all at the same time mostly because the boat is still running at 6-8 knots and that makes the net difficult to control. I do have a big salmon net on board, it is used for retrieving Japanese glass fishing balls.

And I entirely agree, a huge 120 pound fish would be problematic - I don't try to boat fish that large, preferring to let them shake the hook and release themselves.

- rob

[PhilC]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

10 inch hand caster, rope, 100lb mono
Attached to boat with bicycle tube to take the hit
Trolled like that for 30+ years.

This is exactly the right rig for sailing. Forget about rods and reels. Save that for when you want to sport fish. This setup with a Huntington drone is the biz. I like to run one on each side. One as shown and another with a small squid lure and a Boone bird. Only thing I would add is that if you are fishing in an area with sharks swap out the 100kg fleurocarbon leader with flexible stainless wire.

[Dave_S]

I've been thinking of one of these.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I've been thinking of one of these.

They cost several hundred dollars or more, are permanent mount and require maintenance.
https://www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/...ck_winches_631
Plus from a multihull performance viewpoint, are heavy.

Plastic handreels are cheap cheap, drop in a locker when not in use and require zero maintenance.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I've been thinking of one of these.

Great for deep dropping with wire if you are becalmed somewhere with a really deep bottom (>500ft) but I wouldn't use for trolling - they aren't designed for it

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Fixed that for ya. [emoji16]

So is a Cat, let me see you back down on one and open the transom door to drag it on board.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

So is a Cat, let me see you back down on one and open the transom door to drag it on board.

Ah, but with sugar scoop transoms its not hard to drag a fish aboard...and I can run a spread of 5 rods w no outriggers! [emoji41]

...and have plenty of room for light tackle casting at anchor. I can even fly cast from the foredeck!