Eat More Fish

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By the time most cruisers move aboard their boat and start cruising they've pictured themselves landing a large dolphin or wahoo capable of feeding the whole crew for the next several days of their passage. This can easily happen but the reality of cruising is that most time on board is not spent on passage but at anchor. If you would like to enjoy fresh seafood on a regular basis you can by fishing from your anchored boat or from your dinghy.

Every cruiser should carry some light spinning tackle. This consists of a stiff 6.5 to 7 foot rod and a spinning reel capable of holding around 200-250 yards of 10 lb test line. Don't be too cheap when buying a reel. You'll be using it in a salt-water environment that can turn your gear into a lump of corrosion in one season. Your tackle box should contain a spool of 30-50 lb test monofilament for leaders, some 1/4 ounce jig heads and a supply of white grub tails, some 2/0 hooks, a few sabiki or bait rigs, and a stringer for keeping fish alive while fishing from the dinghy. This basic gear will keep you eating fresh seafood anywhere you go and provide lots of recreational angling opportunities.

The easiest way to add fresh fish to your diet is to fish from your cockpit in the evening. The key to this is bait. Something from the sea is best but you'll be surprised what you can catch with a piece of chicken skin or fat trimmed off some meat. In the Bahamas conch is the ultimate bait. Save the trimmings from your cleaned conch for bait.

Each time I catch fish I save a few pieces for bait for the next meal. If you don't have any bait stored in the refrigerator or don't have refrigeration you'll have to catch bait first. This is where the sabiki rigs come in. They are a string of small lures with a sinker at the bottom. You attach it to your rod, lower it to the bottom and jig it to attract small fish for bait. Anything you catch will work for bait. If it's too large then make cut bait out of it, otherwise use it whole. The fishing is the easy part. Tie 2-3 feet of leader to your line (try a surgeons knot) and add a 2/0 hook. Don't use any weight. Put a large chunk of bait on and cast the bait out behind the boat. Put the rod in a holder and be sure there is a safety line attached. Go about your normal activities and ignore the rod until it is bending over and the drag is singing. Now it's time to fish. Ignoring the rod is the best way to hook large fish. My friend Captain Butch, fishing guide out of Naples, Florida, always said that his rod holders hooked more fish than his customers. In general fishing, is best after 1700 local time with busy anchorages not producing fish until after dark. In the more isolated anchorages of the Bahamas you might catch fish any time of the day. Your catch may range from desirable to undesirable; you'll be surprised what roams your anchorage at night. Since you are using a monofilament leader most of the toothy species will hopefully chew through it and release themselves but if they don't, carefully reach down and cut the leader as close to the fishes mouth as you can. Carry plenty of hooks so you don't have to worry about losing some. The most common edible catch will be grunts, porgies or snapper. The Mutton Snapper is the prize of the group with fish in the 5 to 12 lb range being common in Bahaman and Caribbean anchorages. Yellowtail Snapper and Lane Snapper are also common.

Your dinghy makes a great fishing platform also. Whenever I go snorkeling or dinghy exploring I always carry my rod along. If I'm going snorkeling I usually wait to fish until I'm done diving since I don't like to have a stringer of fish hanging on the dinghy while I dive. The easiest way to fish from the dinghy is to troll a small jig. This will catch snapper, jacks and barracuda easily in the Bahamas. If you have bait you can fish reef patches anytime of the day with good results. Don't use any weight and don't place your bait on the rock patch but rather beside it. This will help prevent snags. Drifting and casting jigs or diving plugs can also produce good results over rock patches or along mangrove shorelines. Your dinghy can also be used to catch what are usually considered offshore fish. You need to be in an anchorage that has deep water close in to shore such as those commonly found in the Caribbean and far southern Bahamas and you need to watch for feeding birds. If you see feeding birds grab your rod and take your dinghy out to the birds and troll or cast lures. You are likely to get Mackerel, Tuna or even Dolphin.

The important thing to remember about catching fish is that you can't do it without a line in the water. I want to encourage anyone who is looking forward to enjoying fresh fish while cruising to get some light tackle and fish often. The first tropical stop for most North American cruisers from the east coast is the Bahamas. This is a great place to develop your light tackle fishing skills and what you learn will help you catch fish wherever you cruise in warm water. If you haven't had any experience with tropical, saltwater fish it would be good to carry a fish identification book which gives information on the edibility of the fish as well as identification. One good identification book is "Sport Fish of Florida" by Vic Dunaway. It does a good job of covering the sport fish commonly encountered in the Caribbean basin. A good overall reference book on fishing is "The Cruisers Handbook of Fishing" by Scott and Wendy Bannerot. The Bannerots are cruising sailors with extensive academic and practical background in fishing. This is not meant to be a "how to" article but rather an inspirational one. If you're interested in fishing give it a try. If you see other cruisers fishing, go over and ask them about it. You'll find that many of them have been fishing that area for years and will be glad to tell you what they're catching and how.