Ocean Fishing for Sailors

Remember, it's called fishing, not catching - you won't always be successful, so don't rely on fresh fish for every meal! If you do get lucky, then a good ocean fish can provide a lot of food, so think of ways to use or store the meat to reduce waste.

A general rule is that the bigger the hook and line, the bigger the fish you'll catch. Can you cope with a 1m live fish in the cockpit? Be realistic!

Safety First

• Always wear lifejackets and clip on when retrieving a fish
• Always wear gloves (cut-proof, ideally) when handling the line as well as when dispatching and filleting fish!
• Make sure your gaff is long enough to reach the water safely from deck level
• Get a big bucket to put fish in when you get them onboard
• Use cheap vodka or gin to humanely (and cleanly) dispatch fish by pouring a shot into gills
• Use a very sharp fish knife to process (sharp knives are safer than blunt)
• If you hook a shark or big bill fish, try to cut the line as close to the hook as is safe

On a yacht, you can fish with a rod and line, or use a hand line. A Cuban YoYo is a hand reel that keeps the line tidy. These are cheaply and easily obtained from fishing and marine stores.

Hand Fishing with a YoYo

What you'll need:

• Cuban YoYo (hand fishing) reel loaded with:
• 150-200ft (45-60m) of 150lb to 250lb monofilament line – never braided on a YoYo as it can cut you
• At the end of this add an equally rated swivel
• The swivel then goes onto 7-9ft(2-3m) 65kg to 80kg braided wire leader. (Use wire as fish will cut through monofilament)
• On the braided wire add 5 lures, the first four from the swivel are decoy muppet lures (3inches) without hooks. They can be slid down the wire and held in place using crimps or whipping twine.
• The final lure on the line is a 6inch squid lure with a number 7 hook which can be hidden in the ‘skirt’ of the squid, also add a 50-75g lead weight on the line, which is again under the skirt of the squid.

By having multiple lures, the rig looks more attractive to the fish. Fish are more likely to hunt from behind, so they will go for the lure on the end of the line first (thinking they will then go for the rest of the lures). Once they have struck the lure, they will turn and run, at which point they will nicely hook themselves in the jaw.

Note: Multiple hooks on the line increase the risk of injury as you are hauling the fish in… so only use one on the end lure!

A single hook can be hidden in the ‘skirt’ of the squid. This also helps avoid the worst of the sargassum seaweed (you can use double or treble hooks, but you are more likely to catch weed!)

What colour squid lure?

Good choices are pink, green or blue - mahi mahi seem to love the green lures.

Rally sailors have had success fishing with fingers cut from a rubber glove, so experiment and see what works for you.

Processing Your Catch

• Slug of spirit to the gills – quickest and most humane way to dispatch fish
• Bleed overboard (tuna and wahoo need bleeding – mahi mahi doesn’t) Bleeding is particularly important if you want to freeze the catch otherwise it tastes metallic
• Gut, fillet and/or steak your catch
• You’ll need a very sharp fish knife
• Wear cut proof gloves
• Storage (current UK food standards)
• Raw: two days in the fridge
• Cooked: four days in the fridge
• Freezer: two months 

Remember that adding large amounts of fresh fish to your fridge or freezer will make it work harder as the internal temperature is increased. You may need to generate extra power to help it chill down quickly.

Top Tips

When you bring the braided wire in at the end of the day, spray it off with fresh water, it help to prevent it rusting for longer

Hooks that rust are kinder on the fish, if you lose a fish, the hook will work out in about 6 weeks, rather than stainless steel, which takes much longer.

Use the yoyo to bring in the fish, pull the yoyo, grab the line and then wrap it round the yoyo. Don't just pile the line up round your feet.

Ciguatera Poisoning - one of the most common food-borne illnesses related to fish consumption. It’s commonly found in reef fish (rarely in pelagic fish) so best to avoid eating reef fish (and those fish that eat reef fish, such as barracuda) in areas where ciguatera cases are reported. If in doubt, ask a local fisherman.

Fish Worm - most are found in the intestines, so make sure you properly gut and clean the fish. Some will also have small white worms in their flesh – these are not dangerous if you freeze or cook – but avoid eating raw.