InTheBite

Tying Up Your Rig

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Sure, tying up the boat might seem like an afterthought. To the experienced captain with 30-years’ experience, that is exactly what it is – especially when you’re coming and going out of your home slip and have your lines marked and set, just the way you like them. There are however many nuances to tying up the boat and much to learn for a new mate or boat guest. When travelling to a new, unfamiliar marina there are an added set of variables. The following provides some real-life perspective from professionals on tying up your ride in various scenarios.

Theory and Practice

While the variables involved in getting safely into the slip vary widely, there are a few universals. Captain Harry Schafer runs the 66-foot enclosed bridge Viking, Sea Wolf, based in Jupiter, Florida. He has been working on boats since 1974. “Every time you dock, especially in a different area, you have to deal with wind, current, other boats and obstructions – you have to consider that,” Schafer says. “Exactly how you’ll dock is slip-dependent. It is different for pilings, floating or stationary docks. When you’re approaching the dock, ask the dock master what side you’ll approach so you can prepare and put out the fenders, if you’re using them.”

In the days before bow thrusters were as common on sportfishers as salon sofas, lines were central to controlling the bow when coming into or leaving the dock. “Coming up as a mate, spring lines were always beat into my head,” says Capt. Jon Brooks. Brooks runs the Palm Beach-based Ditch Digger, a 72-foot Viking. Early in his career Brooks worked for Capt. Timmy Hyde on the Good Grief. “The Good Grief was 53’ long. We had a 70’ spring line. Without bow thrusters, we used the spring lines to pivot coming into and going out of the marina. Our slip was right against the bulkhead. We could spring to the starboard bow pole, run it to the box cleat – moving it to the spring cleat as we pivoted.”

On commercial docks, where ships are measured in hundreds of tons, the dock line is still king. “The first vessel I worked on was a 130’ salvage boat with a single engine called the Hickory. It was built in Bath, Maine in 1932,” says Capt. Harry Schafer. “When coming in, we would approach the dock with lines attached. We would run lines out of the hawsers with monkey fists tied to the end of them. We’d throw the ropes to guys on the dock and ratchet the boat into place. There were winches fore and aft that would lock the boat into place. Big ships still do this.”

Finer Points from a Carolina Charterman

Captain Brynner Parks runs the Smoker, a 58-foot Custom Carolina out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. “I am 59 now. I’ve been fishing since I was 13,” says Parks. Parks provided his list of basic do’s and don’ts. “When you have teak in the cockpit or on the covering boards, you want to keep the ropes off of the teak. You can tie the ropes high enough to pylon to keep the ropes from burning the teak or rubbing the oil out of it.”

“When you get your spring lines on, you want them both to be pulling evenly. You want the lines to come tight at the same time so that they halve the load,” says Parks. “When it comes to hurricanes, it is a matter of personal preference. Some loop on the pylon, some loop on the cleat. I like to loop on the cleat – my cleats are on the covering board, not through the hawser hole. Whichever way you choose, you try to make everything even and in unison. You want to either deal with the boat or the dock, not one rope tied to the boat and one tied to the dock.”

Parks also outlines a couple things to avoid. The first applies to the angle of the rope to the cleat. You want to keep a 30 or 45-degree angle to the cleat. Don’t tie off to the pylon so high that you get a 90-degree angle,” Brynner advises. “You also want to match the size of the rope to the size of the boat. You don’t want a ½” or 3/8” rope for a 60’ boat.”

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

Hurricane Prep

Hurricanes put as much strain on those responsible for keeping a boat safely tied as anything in the world. The Outer Banks of North Carolina, with marinas situated on sounds, add their own special set of hurricane-related variables. Captain Joey Belton runs the 61-foot Billy Holton, Haphazard, out of Pirates Cove.

“When it comes to tying up the boat, you need to determine the direction of the wind and favor that side. That’s the problem with hurricanes, the wind comes up from one direction and switches to the other. When the winds change with the hurricane, it shifts the water. Coming from one direction the wind pushes water up the Sound, when the wind shifts it can draw the water out of the sound,” Belton explains.

As the water level rises or falls, a vessel’s position relative to the dock can change. “On the one hand, you worry about boats getting higher than the flairs on the bow pylons. If that happens, when the water level drops the boat can fall the pylon, sending it through the flair. At yards like Spencer’s, their pylons are so high that this could never happen,” Joey says. “On the other hand, you also worry about the stern getting stuck under the dock when the water level drops. If the water drops and the boat shifts under the dock, it can get stuck when the water rises again.”

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

To avoid either of these scenarios, Belton offers the following, “You want to keep the boat as centered in the slip as possible. Sometimes we’ll babysit the boat through a storm.” As the conditions shift within the course of the storm, you will need to make adjustments to the lines. “You want to wrap the line around the cleat before you make a hitch. Otherwise, the lines will cinch down so tight that you can’t remove them.”

Safety Concerns

If you’ve ever spent time around guys that run cows or make a living in the rodeo, you may have wondered why some of them are missing fingers. The reason: ropes can be dangerous. Like a rope thrown around livestock, a dock line snapped tight by a lurching wave or current can eat a finger in a hurry.

The pilings at the Spencer boat yard in Manteo, North Carolina are taller on the bow side for a very specific reason.

“We have a lot of guests on the boat, I tell them all to step away from the cleat. I’ve seen more injuries trying to help with docking than anywhere else,” says Captain Jon Brooks. “One injury example is trying to put the line on the cleat. When your docking, just loop the line over the cleat – run it through later (once the boat is stationary and situated). People put the loop through the cleat and get their hand caught in the bight.”

When asked for his most important considerations when docking, Brooks’ concern for safety is clear. He advises mates to be aware of their situations and to be sure to coordinate their efforts with what the captain is doing. “Make sure that I know what you are doing before you start moving lines out the cleat,” he says. A lack of coordination between mates and captain can result in injury. If the captain moves the boat in one direction to loosen one line as it is untied from the dock, another may snap taught. A mate, or guest, who gets a hand caught between a loop and cleat by a sudden movement is a surefire trip to the ER.

Captain Harry Schafer adds, “Mates have to learn to be careful running up the side of the boat.” Whether its being caught between the side of the boat and the dock or getting a hand caught between the transom and the dock, there are plenty of ways to get hurt while docking.

“Be prepared. Have your spring line ready, your bow and stern lines ready. Generally, you’ll put your aft spring on first, then your forward spring. Then the bow or the stern, depending on your situation,” Schafer continues. “Be alert to the situation – there may be wind and current. Ask the captain what he wants to put on first, this can change according to the situation. Generally speaking spring lines are important to keep you from moving forward or aft. You’ll put your stern lines first if the wind is from the back.”

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

Brooks offers a couple of additional points of reference that are useful. “When untying the boat, untie the slack lines first – the windward side last. This will save time in the morning… When you are pulling out, make sure the line makes it onto the dock or the marina. The captain can get wrapped up in the marina if lines stay in the water.”

 Lines at the Marina

 Most of the captains who contributed to this article carry two sets of lines. Their travel lines are stowed on the boat and used in transient slips and on trips. A boat’s dock lines will stay in their home slip.

“Basically, you have the bow, stern and spring lines. Lines set at the marina remain constant. You can use the bight end on the cleat or vice versa,” Schafer says. Marking lines is a common practice that makes life easier on everyone involved. Captain Brynner Parks describes his approach when working with a new mate. “Get the boat tied up where you want it. Put electric tape to mark the rope where it fits correctly, this gives you a good guideline of where to start.”

Capt. Jon Brooks describes his approach to docking at a fixed pier. “I like to mark our lines. We spend a lot of time in Isla (Mujeres). There is a terrible surge there and you have to put the tag end on the boat. We take two or three colors of electrical tape – one for each level: normal, slack or surge. The marks allow one guy to make adjustments by himself. This is great, especially when it’s 3 am and you are rubbing on the dock.”

“At a floating dock with surge, we are tied hard to one side of the pier. As it moves, the tide moves the boat, pier and everything. All the ropes are on the starboard side – nothing on the port. In this case we use Mega-Fend yacht style fenders with covers. They are mega light and make all the difference.”

Confusion at the Dock? Knot Ever Again

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

In terms of common sense, not-so-exciting topics in boating, tying the boat up might rank up there with bilge pumps and drawer pulls. With any luck, and a bit of coordination, may all of your docking experiences be run of the mill. Because while it’s low on the excitement meter, tying up the boat ranks pretty high on the list of things that are better off not screwed up.

The Fine Art of Live Baiting

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by Elliott Stark

Live baiting is founded on a very simple biological concept. Since the very first time two fish swam in the ocean, the big ones have been trying to eat the little ones. In spite of the simplicity of the precept, live bait fishermen represent one of fishing’s most secret of societies. Fine tuning their presentations, crafting marlin bites that are as intimate as they are spectacular, the captains who have perfected the fine art of live baiting have long been viewed as secretive and mysterious.

Their craft—catching big marlin using live bait—has been passed along from person to person in much the same way that Aristotle or Socrates advanced their philosophies. Originating from such exotic ports as Hawaii and Panama, taught from captain to mate in the cockpit of some suspiciously slow-trolling vessel, live baiting has taken the marlin tournament scene by storm. The introduction of live baiting to the Gulf of Mexico has turned the 800-pound blue marlin from a fish of a lifetime to something you need to hang in order to be in the conversation for winning a tournament on any given weekend in the summer.

Given its incredible popularity—increasingly tournament teams need to be proficient live baiters in order to have a chance in kill tournaments, a discussion of when, where and how to live bait effectively may be in order. Far from being a one size fits all proposition, live bait aficionados from different regions illustrate the many nuances to its practice. From Panama to Hawaii to the Gulf Coast, when properly deployed, live baiting is an incredibly effective and efficient way to target large marlin.

The Theory of Live Baiting

While there may be captains who are exclusively “lure guys,” there are few who avow to only live bait fish. The reason for this is simple: live bait fishing is best applied to situations of opportunity. When imagining when and where to empty the tuna tubes, you must think like a fish. Live baiting works best in places that are most likely to hold fish. Regions of the world associated with a tradition of live baiting all have one thing in common—structure.

It is the structure that holds bait and attracts marlin that make live baiting successful. From Panama—the Zane Grey Reef, Hannibal Bank and the shelf, to Hawaii and its ledges, to the Gulf Coast’s oil rigs, natural or manmade focal points in the ocean provide the live baiter’s bread and butter. Even when fishing structure, live baiting is generally reserved for times when the conditions are right.

When gorilla fishing, it sometimes comes down to a simple choice: sashimi or live bait?

Captain McGrew Rice, a veteran Kona charter captain, is recognized as one of Hawaii’s authorities on the fine art. “We have a lot of natural ledges here. Certain currents push lots of bait onto the ledges. When this happens, we go inside to catch bait and bring it outside to work the ledges. We then wait for the fish to show up,” Rice describes. Captain of the Ihu Nui, a 45-foot Monterrey, Rice has been fishing these waters since his father bought his first charter boat in 1968. Since 1986 he has averaged between 200-250 days fishing per year.

McGrew’s largest live bait-caught blue weighed in at 1,019. His experience and perspective is intensely valuable in how he determines when to deploy the bridle rigs. “We can live bait year round. When we do it really depends on the current and when the bait shows up. You want bait at 60-100 fathoms to know that the current is working right, you know. You don’t want it at 200-300 fathoms,” Rice explains.

Live baiting is about precision and thoroughness. The art can be conceptualized as methodically working an area that you are certain holds fish. Thinking about fishing in terms of three speeds is helpful. If the water is not what you are looking for, you pick up and cruise away at 30 knots. If the water is promising, but you haven’t located a focal point, lure fishing at 8 knots or so allows you to cover ground while trying to raise fish.

When you come upon the location that has everything you are looking for—bait, clarity, water temperature and maybe even some structure (a floating tree in Panama, for instance)- it’s time to toss the small tuna. Depending on region and approach, live baits are fished somewhere between “in and out of gear” to around three or four knots on the trolling valves. In this approach you are not trying to drive over sticknose, you’ve found the dining room and are waiting for him to take a seat at the dinner table.

Captain Jeff Fay, another authority on Hawaiian live baiting, illustrates the nuance of the theory. Fay, who runs his 37-foot Rybovich Humdinger, has been running charters since 1966. “I’m not really sure who started live baiting in Hawaii. I learned it from a commercial fisherman, Olney Roy. He’d been doing it for years, and that was in the 60s,” Fay describes his introduction to the art. “I live bait on structure—usually at the grounds around the 100 fathom mark. I fish bottom structure on the deep side of the 100-200 fathom mark. I fish the up current side of the structure. On the other side, you’ll get more sharks and less marlin.”

Fay’s best live bait-caught marlin are a 967-pound blue and a black of 953. As for bait preference, Fay prefers an aku—or oceanic bonito. While there are extravagantly appointed modern sportfishers that use swimming pool pumps to circulate a dozen tuna tubes, Fay’s approach is straight forward. “We run a big Ruhl pump. When we need more bait we catch it, because we generally only live bait when bait is available.” Rather than catching bait and running, he generally catches it and deploys it in the same spot. Situation is key.

Rigging

While most tournament-winning captains guard the secrets of their hook sets and leader dimensions as closely as the KFC original recipe, generally speaking there are some parameters for what to use and how. While Captain Wade Richardson may be too humble to tell you of his incredible skill in the live bait department, his pile of top black marlin release captain awards from TBF and a 2011 payday at Poco Bueno betray his secret. Wade recently concluded a 15-year stint running The Hooker in Panama, splitting time between Piñas Bay, the Pearl Islands and Coiba.

Captain Wade Richardson’s long time mate Herbie deploys this bite sized treat. Perfect for a black, a blue, sailfish, dorado, roosterfish or cubera.

“Unless I’m tournament fishing, I prefer light leader—300-pound fluoro. We snell our hooks, instead of crimping them, because they’ll run straight on the bait. Crimps can roll over and hook the side of the bait. We also use a section of chafe tubing (where the leader meets the hook) if we’re going to kill a fish. You can control them better that way,” Wade explains.

Richardson also described how light leaders without chafe tubing make for an easy way to release fish. In addition to the wear on the leader from the bill, under pressure a weak spot is created in the line where it meets the eye of the hook. Light leaders without chafe tubing permit mates to pop fish off at the hook when exerting pressure on the leader, without worrying about the line breaking prematurely from the drag. For this reason, Richardson doesn’t exert full strength when locking in the snell before fishing.

Richardson carries an abundance of premade leaders in two or three sizes. The leader size is matched to the hook size. The largest is reserved for the biggest baits, with smaller bonito bridled on intermediate leaders and hooks. Matching the hooks to the size of the bait keeps them alive (and not helicoptering) longer.

When it comes to bridling the bait, Richardson prefers a snug fit without space between the bait’s forehead and the shaft of the hook. “You can control the baits better that way,” he says. To keep unruly baits in line, there are a couple of tricks. “If your rigger baits keep crossing, try poking the inside eyes out. They will then keep to the outside. For larger baits that pull out of the clip, you can cut their tail a bit.” This can also make it easier for the marlin to catch the bait, rather than it jumping out of the water or popping out of the clip before the bite.

The Spread

Few captains have benefitted more in the past few years from the ability to live bait than Captain Jimmy Crochet. Crochet, who runs the 61-foot Viking the Conundrum, won The Billfish Foundation’s first ever Top Captain Award for the Gulf of Mexico in 2014. Based in Orange Beach, Alabama the Conundrum is a staple on leader boards of the Gulf’s biggest tournaments. Crochet credits his induction into the fine art to Captain John Holley of Destin, whom he fished with as an up and coming mate.

“We live bait a good bit while tournament fishing. Generally, we start at about 4 am, jigging to fill up the tubes. At daylight we bridle two baits straight from the jigs so that we start fishing with a full supply of bait. Our normal spread is four baits,” Crochet explains. “We run one close behind the boat (they generally hold this rod or rubber band the line to the reel handle). We put two baits in the riggers and put one out of the center rigger. We put our biggest bait closest to the boat. Sometimes we’ll pull a teaser with a live bait on the end of it too.”

Captain Jimmy Crochet has built an incredible reputation in the Gulf by catching big blues on big live baits.

Crochet’s favorite bait for marlin is a blackfin tuna in the 15-pound range, with a firm bridle. As the Conundrum fishes larger baits, they also tend to feed the marlin longer. Crochet estimates that they will average between 25-50 seconds before putting the reel into gear. “Every fish is different. It really depends on what the fish is doing and how big the bait is, but generally the longer you can feed the fish the better,” he says.

Captain McGrew Rice’s Kona spread generally includes two baits. “We fish one on the surface, about 40 fathoms behind the boat. We fish the other on a down rigger at 150 feet, about 100 feet deep after the angle,” Rice says. For the downrigger, he prefers a rubber band attaching the line to the clip. “Our premium baits are two to five-pound skip jacks,” McGrew describes. “Yellowfin are good, but they have scales. Lots of times a fish will slip on the scales and get tangled up in the leader.” Once bit, Rice generally gives the fish 10-15 seconds, but says “they generally have it down pretty quick.” Rice also favors a snug bridle.

Big mouths and powerful strikes, black marlin are ideal targets for live bait.

The Fine Art Demystified

Once considered practitioners of a secret, potent form of fishing magic, the wizardry that is well-executed live bait fishing is taking the marlin world by storm. Witnessing a captain and crew that are experts in the fine art is a sight to behold. Sure, big fish have been trying to eat little fish since there were fish in the ocean. Live baiting, however, is more than just exploiting a biological imperative. When executed correctly, it is a fine art.

An Expert Education In Leadering Big Fish

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The End Game – An Expert Breakdown

By Jarad “Dingo” Boshammer

photo by Kelly Dalling Fallon

This article first appeared in our October/November 2017 Volume 16 Edition 7 of InTheBite The Professionals’ Sportfishing Magazine.

Whether it be tournaments, record fishing or straight up fishing for fun, sportfishing is a team sport. When all goes according to plan and the time comes for the end game, the wireman’s job begins. The approach and techniques best applied to the leader depend on the species, tackle, and line class. The approach also depends on the goal of the encounter—whether a release, tag or gaff shot is the end game.

Photos courtesy: Kelly Dalling Fallon

A Wireman’s Supplies
Sunglasses are a must before engaging in any sort of leadering! I don’t care how much saltwater is on my glasses, they never come off when I’m on the leader. A couple guys I know have had a glass lens shatter, leaving shards of glass in their eyes. For this reason, I prefer polycarbonate. Footwear is also important. While you might get by without it for sailfish on light leaders (it is still a good idea), when it comes to gaffing fish on heavy leaders it is 100% necessary.

Another necessity is a tool belt. At the bare minimum you’ll need a release knife. You should never cut one off with an open blade – one head shake or wave and the result can be messy (slashed arms or thighs have happened). I always have an open bladed knife on my belt – it could turn into a backup release knife in an emergency only. Having two mates is always ideal and coaching each other is important. Regardless of skill level, I will always ask the other mate to carry the release knife in the center of their back. It is crucial that a release tool may be reached with either hand when you are on the leader.

The boat’s impact on leadering technique
My style of leadering will change depending on the boat. Most Aussie boats are in the 40-50-foot range. Australian boats have a minimum gunnel height that is required for surveyed vessels. The height minimum is relatively high. My knees generally fit below the covering board and touch the sides of the hull easily. Thighs should be placed against and below the gunnels for added security and leverage. This is the ideal situation for doing serious work.

When boats get bigger – with wider covering boards – I can’t find the hull side effectively. Without a hard surface for my knees, I am much more reliant on footwork for leverage. The sleek design of most modern boats causes the covering boards to hit right on, or slightly above, the ball of the knee. This allows for a solid contact but leaves nothing for you to tuck under and press your thighs against.

In the event of a bad wrap, swallow your pride and let everyone know. Once that’s done, tuck in deep. Even 550-pound leader will usually break before anything serious happens if you get deep, below the gunnels and lock on. For this reason, it’s important to know your boat and cockpit well.

It’s also important to know your tackle. Know the limits of every crimp, knot and connection. Crimpers should be dialed in and every connection broken on a line testing machine. When gear is being pushed to the limits, it pays to have confidence and know your gear inside out.

Boat Handling
In the event that a fish goes under, a drastic decision needs to be made. In some cases, it is better to hang on rather than to dump. If your leader is much heavier than the main line, it could be better to have the stronger of the two make contact with the boat. If the fish makes a sprint, goes under the boat and you dump, the captain needs to use the outside engine in reverse and throw the wheel to the fish. Trying to drive forward out of this situation will run the main line over almost every time. It is crucial to reverse and spin away from the main line and leader putting the fish of your bow.

Fish Behavior: The effect of the fight on your approach
Paying attention to the fish during a fight is very important. The behavior can give an idea of hook placement – or lack thereof. Taking photos of jumping fish can also help. When zooming in and seeing good hook placement, my confidence and the drag both go up.

What signs in a fight tell you to be careful? A couple indicators are radical head shakes or abnormal behavior. These could be signs of a hootered fish or where the hook point has hit a sensitive bony position at the base of the bill. In this case your best option is light drag, staying behind the fish and using gentle hands on the leader. Try to stay low; don’t encourage the fish to jump.

A fish that has done nothing at all is another concern, especially on bait. This often means the hook has not found a home and it is only a matter of time before the fish will gag out the bait. In this case, stay behind the fish, use light drag, be gentle on the leader and pray the fish does all the wrong things.

Heavy leader, big fish
Pulling hard on leader is a blast – making fish jump and do crazy stuff is what I love. This, however, is not always the right practice. When getting close enough for a photo release, tag or kill shot during a tournament, the ability to take the leader smoothly and take wraps without the fish noticing is a great skill to have.

On heavy leader with big fish, the back wrap is a must-have in your arsenal. When taking a back wrap, you would start by pulling the leader down with one hand and wrapping with the other. The hand taking a back wrap will be thumb down, with the leader hitting the outside of your hand (nearest your pinky finger).

When the leader breaks over the outside of your hand, take it with all four fingers and rotate your hand until your thumb is on top. With the other hand bring the leader between your thumb and forefinger. This completes the first wrap and then the standard technique is required for the second wrap. This technique allows you to make your first wrap (instead of taking it against the pressure of the fish). The back wrap technique known very well by any heavy tackle expert especially when large marlin or giant bluefin tuna are involved.

Standard wraps are taken after you pull the leader down with one hand – with the other palm up and thumb out. The leader should hit between thumb and forefinger first. Start taking your hand up and then rotate outwards, bringing it down in a circular motion. Try not to take large windmill-like wraps, focusing rather on tight wraps with equal pressure. Take a second wrap on the same hand as soon as possible. If the fish is digging, use your spare hand over the one with wraps and pull with two hands. Then use the spare hand to do the same thing.

Taking wraps, however, is not always the first move. If the fish is up high and you’re backing down fast, the best thing to do is hand-over-hand, anticipating when the weight will come. Take your first set of wraps when the time is right. Often that time is when the boat is slowed down or when you are already close enough to the fish.

When preparing for wraps, keep your arms bent with your hands low and close to your body. This will provide a shock absorber, buffering against leaders breaking, hooks pulling or getting straightened. If the fish jumps on the leader, you’ll have a little give and might not need to dump the line. There is nothing worse than dumping a fish and the double line not even leaving the rod tip. That being said, hanging onto smaller fish too long and flipping them over is very dangerous.

The Angler
Anglers should back off the drag on heavy tackle as soon as you have wraps. If you have to dump the leader and the drag is up high, the pressure on the reel will go from nothing to a lot in a split second. This can reef anglers out of the chair or turn them into frogs – with knees behind their ears. With wind-on leaders, the most common mistake is cranking a mate’s hand up and trapping wraps on the glove. The lighter drag, in this case, will enable the wireman to pull his hand down to a comfortable and safe height. Be careful, however, not to backlash the reel when doing so.

The Kill Shot
Securing a trophy fish with gaff is one of the most challenging in most events in sportfishing. When preparing to harvest a fish, safety comes first— no matter what. No matter how big the fish may be or how much money is on the line, it isn’t worth losing an eye ball or joining the underwater wireman’s club. Accidents can happen to anyone and we all must have respect for the fish and the ocean. When it comes to getting hurt (or worse), the first saying I was taught was, “There are those who have and there are those who have not, yet.”
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