Looks like I’ve been neglecting Seafishing while posting on soft plastics for Haruan! Bro Alvin, a forummer looking for help with SP’s in the salt, hit me with “your soft plastics posts are only for Haruan”. I want to address this.
Also lots of Blue Water stuff to share after 10,000 hours running a game boat.
Trolling Strategy
Where, When and How to catch more Big Game Fish
Many fishermen troll for Big Game fish as if they were sightseeing. They put out their lures and troll from place to place in a rather haphazard manner.
If these fishermen have set their lures out properly, if their tackle is in good order and well maintained, if their crew is alert and well prepared and if they are “lucky”, they may catch a few fish this way.
The problem is, with fish so few and far between, it’s difficult to stay alert and well prepared. A haphazard approach to time on the water is usually indicative of poor tackle preparation too. The odds are stacked against success.
A systematic approach
Whilst Ujung Kulon does offer some spectacular scenery and I too enjoy being out on the water, I want to catch fish. To maximise the chances of this happening, I need a more systematic approach, rather than just “sightseeing”.
When I go out fishing, I am prepared. I have a plan and I expect to catch fish. This post isn’t about tackle preparation or the merits of certain lures over other lures. The best gear in the world can’t catch fish if they’re not there! This post is about strategy. It’s about putting myself at a place and time where fish are present, maximising the opportunity to catch them.
The importance of structure
The average sports fisherman knows that the majority of Game Fish are caught at, or near, some kind of bottom structure or underwater feature. “Hard” features like dropoffs, canyons, banks, rocks, headlands and reefs are always found in the same location and many spots become very well known. Not so well known, and not so well utilised by fishermen, are the “soft” features like tide rips, current lines and temperature breaks which form under certain conditions of wind and tide and are constantly changing and moving.
It’s a big ocean out there and all of us have experienced those long, hot, gruelling days of trolling with little or no action. Since we all know Game Fish are concentrated by underwater features, and there is lots of empty water between, it only makes sense to concentrate your trolling efforts and your precious time where the fish are concentrated. You’ll spend more time with your lures in productive water and will catch more fish.
Banks, rocks and reefs are important because they provide food and shelter for small fish. Small fish, in turn, attract larger predators. Deeper canyons and dropoffs are often associated with upwellings which bring cooler nutrient rich water into the warmer sunlit depths where plankton can bloom and start the food chain. Structures which deflect tides and currents provide feeding opportunity for minimal energy expenditure.
The same is true of tide lines, current rips and temperature breaks where two different water bodies meet. These features form a barrier, especially to smaller fish, which is as solid to them as rocks and reefs. Fish, large and small, will orient themselves to these features because of food, oxygen and temperature conditions which are to their liking.
Preparing a game plan
Armed with this knowledge of fish behaviour, we can narrow down our search and develop a strategy before we leave the dock. A map of the area to be fished is a good starting point for planning. Dropoffs, canyons, reefs and headlands with areas of deep or shallow water will all be marked.
The prevailing winds, tides and ocean currents will determine which features to concentrate on. A steep dropoff which is hit squarely by the prevailing current, causing upwelling, will fish well. A dropoff which is facing away from the current might not fish at all. A rock or reef sitting squarely in the path of currents deflected by a headland will fish much better than a reef tucked around the corner out of the main flow.
On board electronic equipment which I consider essential include a good fishfinder, preferably a colour unit, coupled to a GPS unit with a track plotter and a temperature sensor. These enable you to locate underwater structure. You will also be able to record your boats track, where you got most of your strikes and detect any water temperature changes.
Extra research prior to fishing always helps. The internet is a fantastic source of weather and ocean temperature information. Sea Surface Temperature charts are very helpful in locating rapid temperature changes which can lead to excellent fishing. Sometimes you can even get up to date catch reports.
Stay alert
Once you get to the spot you have decided to fish, you need to “tune in”. A very important tool for locating fish is your eyes. Use them for locating tide rips, colour changes, birds, floating objects and dolphins. All of these might lead you to fish. Often, you will see fish themselves, either jumping or finning. You stand a very good chance of getting a strike from a fish you have seen feeding or finning if you present your baits in the right way. Finally, while you are out on the water, other boats may guide you to fish. Listen to your radio for reports of catches.
Thinking in 3D
Knowing where structure is located is a great help, but to be successful, think in three dimensions. Interpret the structure’s layout from the sounder as the boat makes multiple passes. Try to determine what the structures effects on the currents will be, as this will determine where the fish are likely to be. Note the various high points, ledges and irregularities. Note where the fish are and their depth.
Most fish will be uptide of the structure as it is here that the current brings food. Use your sounder to locate schools of bait. Watch carefully the shape of the bait. Bait schools which suddenly ball up tightly are being attacked by predators. When this happens, you’re in the right place at the right time and you should see some action.
Time, Tide and Wind
Conditions at your chosen spot will change during the day. You need to take this into account and possibly modify your tactics at intervals.
The turn of the tide (either high or low) will be a peak feeding time, even offshore. At slack tide, fish holding over structure will rise higher in the water column, drawing with them the bigger predators. This is especially true if slack water occurs during those peak feeding times of early morning and late evening.
Rips and current lines form during periods of maximum flow. Wind blowing against the tide can enhance these features. Where both tide and wind are deflected, such as around headlands, or the tide is strong over reefs, banks and dropoffs, rough water conditions may develop. These, as we know, are some of the best places to fish.
The wind effects fish behaviour. Sometimes Marlin will be seen moving downwind, riding the swells. Tuna push the bait against the wind to help ball up their food. Make your approach to these fish to suite the varying circumstances.
Trolling
To maximise the number of fish that intercept trolled lures, I troll across the swells at an angle to the wind. Try to troll in the same direction as the current is moving so that ground speed is increased. You’ll cover more ground, your lures will look better, you’ll be more comfortable and you’ll catch more fish.
I spend lots of time trolling over bottom structure. Ujung Kulon is well endowed with many types. When fishing over structure, the interplay of wind and current will produce “sweet spots” where you’ll get all your strikes. It might surprise you how small “sweet spots” might be over bigger structures. Boats might miss by just a few yards and fail to catch. Sometimes strikes will occur while trolling in only one particular direction and at a particular speed, so it pays to experiment a bit if you know the other factors are right.
Stick to the plan
Once I have found fish, you will find me very reluctant to leave a spot. This may sound obvious, but many boats will catch a fish in one spot and then go right on sightseeing! The reason I’m at that spot in the first place is because I’ve done my homework and I think that’s where the fish of my target species will be. If I’m right, why would I want to move?
I always have alternate localities, of course, in case what I find at one spot doesn’t meet the criterion I’m looking for, but once I find the right conditions, generally I’ll only move to target another species. Sometimes, even changing target species doesn’t require a move, just a change of tactics.
The difficult part
The difficult part in all of this, is in the application. Most angler’s know what they’re supposed to do, but fail to do it. Have faith in yourself and your game plan. You won’t always get it right, but good planning will usually yield better results.
It’s said that 90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen. Get yourself in the right place at the right time and you’ll have a better chance of being on the productive side of that statistic.
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