game fishing question
Submitted by Feral on Fri, 2010-05-21 20:30
just a quick question for the game fisherman out there . . when trolling lures (skirts) do you guys set your drags to strike while they are in the rod holder and activly trolling or do you set them at a lower pressure and push the lever to strike after you have the rod in your hand ? this is presuming that the drags are set at 1/3 of the lines breaking strain.
any help would be good thanks guys .. i hooked my first marlin today but dropped it pretty soon after so trying to iron out the kinks in the way i deal with hookups :(
SamC
Posts: 2013
Date Joined: 30/08/06
Each to their own
but yep exactly what you said!
Cheers,
Sam
STEVE231
Posts: 1443
Date Joined: 05/01/10
Game fishing
When trolling, set your drag to the point that line is not coming off your reel, but would come off with any amount of resistance, it all differs with switch baiting etc, but as a rule this works.
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
that didnt help sam :) do
that didnt help sam :)
do you set yours on strike in the rod holder ?
deepwater
Posts: 1921
Date Joined: 09/05/07
you have hit the nail on the
you have hit the nail on the head mate ,got the right way of thinking im still losing heeps of fish i still havent got the kinks out either ,but i have about a 25% hook up rate for me , so i lose HEAPS
jeff
deepwater
Posts: 1921
Date Joined: 09/05/07
yep we do and just a little
yep we do and just a little backed off
jeff
SamC
Posts: 2013
Date Joined: 30/08/06
woops
just re-read the Q, and yeh i set it below for the initial hook up then push up to strike when i grab the rod.
If your hooks are sharp enough it shouldn't make a hell of a difference if its 1/2kg or 1kg below strike whether you set hooks or not
Cheers,
Sam
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
hahaha thanks jeff .. ive
hahaha thanks jeff .. ive only got a few days trolling left im guessing and id really like to catch one .. ive been trolling oscars and a jr oscar to try avoid the little tuna so im hoping this all payss off :)
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
i set mine
half way between the two for bills.If that makes sense.All i can recommend is sharpen your hooks then when you think you have them sharp do them again.
Have you had any strikes yet?
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
ive got the pre riged lures
ive got the pre riged lures sam and ive touched the hooks up to be sharp as they where pretty blunt before hand .. oh well there is always next time
deepwater
Posts: 1921
Date Joined: 09/05/07
how fast are you going ???
how fast are you going ???
jeff
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
between 8 and 10 knots
between 8 and 10 knots depending on the weather with the little boat ... what speed do you suggest ?
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
sounds like you are doing it
well.Where are you trolling?
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
deepwater
Posts: 1921
Date Joined: 09/05/07
last trip out we where on
last trip out we where on about 9ish ,it took about 2hours before we seen a fish dut once we got 1 we worked the area and afue more pocker there heads up ,watch the tide line and the temperature as you pass them .1 of a deg can make a big bifference
jeff
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
nice info guys .. today i
nice info guys .. today i left from bundegi and headed past north west reef to the 70m line then trolled to the islands for a bit of bottom fishing .. im thinking next time i might leave from tanna ramp and head north
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
sharp hooks is the key as tony said
I actually do troll on strike quite often, but when i fished Gamex with an older crew they fished quite light drags then cranked them up and set the hooks hard with the boat going forward all the time. We landed three from four using that technique and really sharp hooks so i guess it is a winner. They literally set the hooks like you do when jigging sambos. I reckon troll speed is a bit dependant on conditions. In rough stuff I reckon 7 is to slow as the lures look lazy, so I tend to sit about 9-10, but on calm days 7-8knots is magic.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15610
Date Joined: 29/11/05
depends
All depends, we have been trolling between 9-12 knots with oscars and grassys lately and been having a pretty good strike rate. We vary the length the lures are behind the boat to get the best action, but generally go as fast as we can without the lures skipping whilst still getting a good action. I set my drags pretty tight (still able to pull of with hand) and just under strike and then move it around depending on what the fish is doing. As for lures, general rule of thumb is about a 50% hookup/drop rate, so it may not be any kinks in your system, just a bit unlucky.
The good thing about dropping a few fish before capturing one is that it makes you appreciate that its not easy and increases the satisfaction that much more when you finally land one successfully. (although bloody frustrating in the meantime) You'll know what I mean when you get your next one and your knees are knocking together and your just hoping and praying that the hooks stays connected.
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Being named strike drag
Being named strike drag you'd think that's what you'd troll at? Though like most things it's mostly personal preference I guess. One disadvantage to fishing light drags happened the other day where we had a marlin take a lure on the 15kg gear and by the time the other 3 lines and teaser it had nearly been spooled (it was biiig). Would have to think that a tighter drag would mean less line out on that case. Also with some fish around structure like trout, more chance of getting them out and also maybe turn their head more? Haven't trolled for trout though.
Though, one tip I've picked up: don't troll strike drag on light outfits if you have plastic rod holders.
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
It is named strike drag
not troll drag.For when you pick up the rod and strike.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
But when does the fish
But when does the fish strike the lure? ;)
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
strike
is for when you are ready to strike the fish.Not when the fish strike the lure
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
Billcollector
Posts: 2006
Date Joined: 16/05/09
We run our drags a fraction
We run our drags a fraction under strike and all drags checked with scales. too loose and the hook won't set. Razor sharp hooks are a must. Once a fish is hooked and line is running off run the drag at strike. Don't be afraid to go past strike later in the fight.
Seaquest
Posts: 1132
Date Joined: 22/10/09
Good luck Clint. We ran soft
Good luck Clint. We ran soft drags and cranked it up to set the hooks when picking the rod up. We hooked 8 fish and only landed 3. Keeping the boat in gear just about right through the fight seemed to help from pulling hooks. It gets a bit frustrating when you drop a good fish but just keep at it, they will come.
Alan James
Posts: 2206
Date Joined: 30/06/09
Trolling Drags
I think it depends on whose school of gamefishing you went to. Peter Pakula recommends set at 1/3 of breaking strain and put the rod in the holder. After hook up and the fish settles go the full (sunset). Bart Miller (Black Bart lures) or Roddy Hayes (Legend Lures) may well advocate something else. Light drags are generally used to allow the fish to turn sideways to the boat with minimum drag, once it's sideways increase drag to strike. Each to there own I guess.
Bluetonic
Posts: 1146
Date Joined: 09/01/08
Hi Clint, I like to run my
Hi Clint, I like to run my drag just under strike and move it up once the fight begins. Most importantly are the sharp hooks as been mentioned and keeping your boat going forward when you get a hookup. This helps set the hooks and if there are other fish around, you could get a double hook up.
I also troll at not less than 10 knots with these pusher style lures working on the theory most pelagic fish can swim at very high speeds and the faster you are going means the fish has no choice but to strike rather than eyeball the lure. At the higher speeds I still get plenty of strikes.
I actually don't mind if the lure jumps out of the water ocassionally as this just adds extra action to it.
Blue Sky, Blue Water, Bluetonic!
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
nice info guys thanks for
nice info guys thanks for the input .. BJ im not sure i want a double hookup in the tinnie :)
now to spend the day retouching up the hooks and hope that big marlin is still out there. yesterdays fish will be big enough im thinking .. id guess it was over the 100kg mark by a fair bit
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
Hey Feral
How did it go today?
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
eddyswain
Posts: 23
Date Joined: 18/01/11
i want to get into game fishing
i want to get into game fishing got the reel for it just need a new rod chasing a wilsons live fibre 15-24 kg 6'6 prefrebly with boat attachment and cap for rod holder
Jakeu420
Posts: 270
Date Joined: 03/11/10
Lol hahaha
Lol hahaha