Techniques
Blood Worm
Bounce Balling
- Bounce balling is a highly effective, yet very simple, fishing method
when fishing over sand or mud bottom for various bottom dwellers.
The technique is essentially a slow trolling technique designed to drag a bait
along the bottom, causing a commotion and thereby provoking a strike.
The rig is made with a three–way swivel tied to the main line.
At the bottom of the three–way swivel, a 25–35 cm. monofilament line
with a 1 to 2 pound cannonball sinker is attached.
Note that the sinker should be attached with a line of slightly lower breaking strength
then the main line, so this line will break off if the sinker becomes snagged.
From the center connection of the swivel, a 1,2 – 1,5 meter
monofilament line with a chrome dodger is attached.
Trailing 25–35 cm. behind this dodger, the lure is attached.
- As you drift or slow troll over an area of sand or mud bottom,
you bounce the sinker on the bottom by lifting and dropping the rod tip.
This way the sinker will create a sound, vibrations and clouds of silt
that attracts bottomfeeding predators. As they get closer,
the reflections of the metal dodger also helps trigger the strike.
As you are fishing with such a heavy sinker, it is very difficult to judge
just how hard to strike, so therefore do not try to set the hook.
Wind in the line until you feel the fish and the hook has set itself.
A heavy rod is required to stay in control of the large sinker,
and braided line is also a huge benifit as the low stretch
and increased sensitivity, makes it easier to feel the sinker
bouncing along the bottom.
- Chum is a substance made of small pieces of fish, blood and fish oil,
often used when fishing for sharks while drifting or at anchor.
The purpose of chumming is to attract fish with the smell and to tempt
them to eat. Chum is also used in combination with small pieces of fish.
Sharks react most to the smell, while Dorado and several species of Tuna
react more on the pieces of fish falling through the water layers.
- Chum can be prepared from home and frozen in blocks.
These blocks are then put in a semi–submerged net or bucket
with holes, where they slowly dissolve and let out a trail in the water.
If the chum mostly consists of blood and oil a bit of sand
can be mixed with it to bind and make it sink slowly.
- Trolling live or dead bait with a drop back is successfully used when targeting billfish.
A rubber band is attached to the mainline in the desired distance from the bait.
This rubber band is then attached to the release clip on the outrigger.
From the release clip the mainline hangs loosely in a desired length to the rod tip.
The reel is set with a drag of 25 – 33% of the line's breaking strength.
When the billfish strikes the bait, the rubber band snaps thereby giving the fish
time to turn and swallow the bait before the line is straightened and the hook is set.
- The following formula is a well–proven method to very accurately
estimate the weight of most game fish.
The measurements are all in inches and the final result in pounds,
but this can then be transformed into kilograms.
The girth of the fish is measured on the greatest part and then squared.
This number is then multiplied by the body length of the fish,
measured as illustrated below.
- This result is then divided by 800 to get the weight in pounds.
Example:
Girth is 3 feet 4 inches = 40 inches
Body length is 8 feet 4 inches = 100 inches
40 x 40 =1600
1600 x 100 = 160000
160000 / 800 = 200 lbs.
To get the result in kilograms, the final number is then divided by 2.2.
Example:
200 / 2.2 = 88 kg.
- The Switch and Bait trolling technique offers the advantage of covering
a larger area while fishing with live bait or fly casting.
The idea is to troll a pattern of hookless teasers at normal lure trolling speed
to attract the targeted fish, which usually is Marlin or Sailfish.
When the target fish appears or strikes a teaser, the angler
should take a pre–rigged live bait from the live bait tank
and feed it back to the fish. At the same time the crew should wind in
the teasers to avoid crossed lines when the fish strikes the bait.
If soft lures or teasers are used in the teaser pattern, the striking fish
tends to stay interested for a longer period, often allowing the angler
to decide the most suitable equipment for the fish.
Several line class world records have been set using this technique with
a wide range of equipment rigged and ready to be fed to the showing fish.
The downside to the technique is that it requires an experienced
and skillful captain and crew, plus a bit of getting used to by the angler.
- A tag line is a line which is attached to the halyard
near the release clip on the outrigger.
Tag lines are usually of the same material as the outrigger halyard
with a short trace of braided line at the free end. The maximum length
should not be more than the distance between the outrigger tip
and the corner of the transom when hanging free.
A rubber band is twisted around the trolling line
and then attached to the free end of the tag line.
- On strike, the rubber band snaps and the trolling line straightens
between the rod tip and the hooked fish.
Because of the greatly changed angle between the boat and the release clip
(now the rubber band), this technique minimizes the drop back, and therefore doesn´t
give the fish much time to spit the hook out before the drag on the reel sets it tight.
- For easy retrieval of the tag line after a strike, many boats now use
a metal ring or short tube on the outrigger halyard.
The weight from the ring makes it slide down the halyard
to the side of the boat, then there is no tension on the tag line.
When the trolling line again is attached with the rubber band to the tag line,
the pull from the lure will lift the ring to the tip of the outrigger and spread the lures.
