Hooking Billfish

[jackreeper]

Was just wondering what the standard procedure is when u get a strike from a Billfish when trolling skirts ??

Is it best to gun the boat for a sec & yank the rod in an attempt to set the hooks or is it better to just stop the boat & start fighting the fish straight up??

Reason i ask is i had my first strike from a black off Tweed on Sunday & second jump the lure just went flying.....devastating !!

Any tips would be appreciated.

THanks,
Guy

PS- We didn't do any of the above. Just stopped the boat, saw it jump & Froze !

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

A forward moving boat will aid in maintaining contact with hook points and a fish's mouth. As skirts are run direct from a rod tip or from outriggers , one is allowing instant strikes to set hooks from solid 'No Slack Systems".
Every strike is different, some stick, sometimes they don't. Fish jump for a reason and that is to try and remove the foreign object from their mouths. Fish are capable of faster head shakes and revolutions once clear from the impeding water that offers more restriction to their movements. Many fish run and jump early in a fight , going balsitic in a spooked state or in attempt to dislodge the item of food, or lure from their grasp. Maintaining, or increasing boat speed will help keep your line tight (mono),or it will stretch it to a point that makes it even more difficult for a fish to shake the hooks free. Pelagic fish often change direction quickly and unexpectedly, and a moving boat will help reduce slack line by moving in a forward direction, thus lessening the chance of hooks falling free whilst 'slack' has been created.
Johnny M
Lake Awoonga

[mackmauler]

I agree with johnny, hows those wounds goin mate lucky you didnt cop a tag at the end of it all ay I think the best bet is to gun the boat a little and the bigger the strike the better, I believe the fish are hooked either by there own jaw force impacting on the hooks or you have to create that force, once the hooks in past the barb they dont come out all that often but to get to that stage is a matter of perfect timing one way or another.

[Franco]

Just as above.

That's exactly what the experienced guys I fish with do ...... gun the boat a little on the strike.

If they get off well hey, that's Billfish on lures for you.

[jeffo]

guys- why gun the boat?? if you drag is set correctly and your using sharp,thin hooks (SL12S and katanas...rob i know you do). if your using 6kg or above the drag will set the hook for you. i have set hooks through the bill using 6kg.

gunning the boat only puts more water between you and the fish which is pointless. keeping the boat going at troll speed for a few seconds after hook up is all that i feel is needed.
if the fish comes charging straight at the boat shaking its head then yes you may want a little more speed just to keep some line in the water, but if the fish is going away from you you have nothing to gain by going forward.

the best thing you can do when the fish is jumping is to keep your rod tip very low (even in the water) to keep the line in the water, as the water pressure will aid in keeping the pressure on the hook.

good luck on your next marlin and dont be put off by fish jumping off, mostly its not your fault. Ask any one who chases marlin regularly, anything over 50% on billfish is pretty good going.

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

I tell ya what. I never jumped when I was hooked. I tried to throw the hooks, but couldn't, even when the boat wasn't in gear. I had all the slack in the world, but I could not rid myself of 6 hook points. No tags were on board, thank the almighty one! But eventually I was released after a very short struggle!

Some fish will be landed that would have never got off, some will be landed with only a thin grip on a fish or with the barbs not even penetrating. Forward motion and tight lines helps in a big way. The gunning of the boat debate is a good one, often talked about. I prefer a steady 'gun' for many pelagic species just during that initial stage where direction and panic sets in. Many fish travel forwards at great rates of knots creating as much slack as they wish. That forward, often jumping panic run, often runs the risk of dislodging hooks. Increased boat speed can minimise the amount of slack and can also minimise the time period that a fish has slack line. Even if it is only milli-seconds!
johnny

[CamH]

I've found in many cases (not always billfish) a quick squirt on the throttle will encourage another strike. Had instances where we've hooked up a wahoo then gunned and had a marlin strike after a few seconds. Makes you wonder how long a fish might follow a lure (without you even knowing) and lose interest if there is no change in action either sped up or slowed down. Might be a bit off course but if you have seen any footage of Rod Harrision trolling for Barra he'll change the speed/action of the lure by moving lifting/lowering or letting out a bit of slack to encourage a bite, maybe can apply the same principle to any type of trolling.

[mackmauler]

hey jeff, that hookup youve had right there is a good example of what id call the fish impacting on the hooks, it defies logic and the best result you can hope for, it doesnt happen often.

[Franco]

Nice hook up that!!

The point CamH makes about variation of lure speed / action triggering a strike seems to be true on many occasions both in the estuary and the Blue.

My most vivid recollection of this was down at the nine mile several years ago. Greeny and I were trolling 2 live tuna for wahoo during a bumper season. The seas were flat with plenty of current, and little tuna everywhere.
It looked like a wahoo version of Sizzler. The whole family should've been there, with our 2 baits looking very tasty on the desert menu.

Well we towed those 2 little bastards of things for 3 solid hours without a Hoo in sight. Only out for a morning session we decided to call it a day, shaking our heads in disbelief. (Always hard to stop towing a well-rigged livey hey?)

So the boat comes to a stop, we let the tuna swim for a few seconds, then start winding em in. Then to our amazement all hell breaks loose ....... we can see it all happen in crystal water as suddenly the whole Hoo family rock into Sizzler and surface right at the transom! They went beserk screaming off in every direction as our tasty desert-size tuna got slammed (one tuna had a simultaneous bite in half by 2 competing wahoo going in opposite directions!!!) Setting the hooks on a 20kg Hoo at the transom as you're winding in is a pretty spectacular experience!!!

We reckon those wahoo had been following the boat and baits for ages without striking. We had been trolling in a tight area continously till the point when we decided to bring em in. For whatever reason, they just weren't interested before.

Stuffing up the troll "rhythm" of those tuna definitely sent those Wahoo into Psycho-Sizzler mode.

Now we do the same with high speed trolling, mixing up the speeds and stopping / taking off as well.

One can only guess what those tuna were thinking during the hours before when the Hoo family were following and looking through the Sizzler window at the menu!!

[gavsgonefishing]

I leave the boat in a forward motion unless the fishing is jumping towards the boat. I also clear the deck before the rod gets picked up. If there is a couple of you, all the easier. Have a game plan of who clears what beforehand so theres no confusion. Its gotta be done fast and efficently. Always keep an eye on the billy when doing this as you may need to hit the throttle or grab the rod. Dont panic it will happen .

My last three trips all zeros. So dont be concerned about jumping one off.

Rob good hookup, I had a sail that only had the leader wrapped around the bill, hook free. We tagged it, leadered it to the boat, and the line just unwrapped.

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

Tonnes of fish follow lures and baits that aren't worked with the hand. Rods in holders often get a strike when u pull it out of the holder! Cam H and Franco are on the money. Its the same in most fishing scenes. Fish can swim mighty fast and often get bored with regularly and constantly moving food items, or lures etc. Vary the movement, and trick the fish into an impulsive and instinctive bite. Mess with their minds!!
Johnny

[sf17fisherman]

I leave the boat in a forward motion unless the fishing is jumping towards the boat. I also clear the deck before the rod gets picked up. If there is a couple of you, all the easier. Have a game plan of who clears what beforehand so theres no confusion. Its gotta be done fast and efficently. Always keep an eye on the billy when doing this as you may need to hit the throttle or grab the rod. Dont panic it will happen .

My last three trips all zeros. So dont be concerned about jumping one off.

Rob good hookup, I had a sail that only had the leader wrapped around the bill, hook free. We tagged it, leadered it to the boat, and the line just unwrapped.

pretty much 100% what i also do
leave at troll speed for a bit then back off once your clearing the lines and then start fighting the fish
the more the better with three a great number
one the skipper one the player and one the deckie/leaderman

[roz]

I would also agree with Johnny.

Must mention that I missed a very large marlin one afternoon, it took a trolled bait but didn't run with it, was simply jumping in the one spot...very spectacular, but the hooks didn't get an oportunity to take hold, it spat the bait and that was it .

Maybe if we had have gunned the boat instead of looking at it with our mouths open.

Good luck with it

Roz

[jackreeper]

Thanks very much to all of you for your advice.

Can't wait for another shot at one once that swell dies back a little.