Offshore Fishing

[Tony S]

Not something I've ever done. Inshore for blues, stripers, and what have you, yes. But no marlin, tuna, dorado, wahoo, etc.

I DREAMED of doing that all through my fish-obsessed childhood, though. Recently a bunch of offshore fishing reels - video clips - have come through my feed, and of course I've been clicking them.

So here's my know-nothing question: When there is a hookup, why doesn't the skipper cut the engine, or at least slow down to headway speed? Seems like the best way to strip a hundred yards of line off the reel in a heartbeat is to keep the engine gunned like they do. Not to mention making it hard to pump even a tired fish back toward the boat. Not to mention making it wicked hard to hear while trying to coordinate with the mate, etc. What an I missing?

 

[mikes781]

Mono stretches so they want to maintain at least the same speed on hookup to get a good hook set. Continuing to run keeps the rest of the spread in play for another bite or at least tracking straight so they can be cleared easier if needed. It also helps with fighting the fish by keeping it facing towards the boat and reduces the chance of slack which can cause the lure/hook to be thrown. I’ve only done offshore trolling a few times but that’s at least what I got from it,

 

[givethepigeye]

Mono stretches so they want to maintain at least the same speed on hookup to get a good hook set. Continuing to run keeps the rest of the spread in play for another bite or at least tracking straight so they can be cleared easier if needed. It also helps with fighting the fish by keeping it facing towards the boat and reduces the chance of slack which can cause the lure/hook to be thrown. I’ve only done offshore trolling a few times but that’s at least what I got from it,

^ All of this. We have had 4 rods go off many times with yellowfins. Trolling a weed line - same thing with Mahi.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Not something I've ever done. Inshore for blues, stripers, and what have you, yes. But no marlin, tuna, dorado, wahoo, etc.

I DREAMED of doing that all through my fish-obsessed childhood, though. Recently a bunch of offshore fishing reels - video clips - have come through my feed, and of course I've been clicking them.

So here's my know-nothing question: When there is a hookup, why doesn't the skipper cut the engine, or at least slow down to headway speed? Seems like the best way to strip a hundred yards of line off the reel in a heartbeat is to keep the engine gunned like they do. Not to mention making it hard to pump even a tired fish back toward the boat. Not to mention making it wicked hard to hear while trying to coordinate with the mate, etc. What an I missing?

I only have one question: how sensitive are you to the swell? How resistant are you to seasickness?

It was my childhood dream too and then it quickly turned to one of the biggest nightmares in my life. Don’t ask. Let me just say it involved my wife, a white plastic bucket between the two of us and us taking turns at it.

Oddly enough, kayaking is fine. Boating on a motored diesel boat tho is a dirty word in our family.

 

[Spnole]

Agree with Mikes... it keeps tension on the line so there's no slack and reduces the chance of the fish throwing the hook. Also most gamefish travel in schools and increases the likelihood of another hookup. Finally, it reduces the mess that can occur if you are running 6 lines which all go slack at once and result in a tumbleweed mess of lures, hooks, and line.

 

[Tony S]

So basically the biggest difference here is running a bunch of lines at once. ... In contrast to my youthful experience of two guys in a 14' open skiff with - usually - just one rod active.

 

[Noodler]

So basically the biggest difference here is running a bunch of lines at once. ... In contrast to my youthful experience of two guys in a 14' open skiff with - usually - just one rod active.

I think a lot depends on whether you're on a party boat or private. On private boats, the techniques already stated still apply, but we would pull extra lines in while someone was battling a fish to avoid getting tangled. On a party boat, that's obviously not going to happen.

I grew up ocean fishing off of New York and New Jersey. My grandfather had a boat and so did my older cousin. We fished off Montauk and the Great South Bay (off East Islip NY). Also had some harrowing adventures in and out of Barnegat inlet in NJ. Fun times and I really miss it.