trolling question?

[Escape]

I will be helping to deliver a sailboat from ft pierce to virginia, leaving in a week or two. I would like to troll a bit while we are coming up. Sometimes we will be in the ICW, sometimes probably a couple of miles offshore. What can we catch motoring at 6 knots or so, and what would you drag? I'll only be able to drag probably 1 line in the ICW or two off the coast.

Spanish Mackeral, snook, tarpon??? Any chance? Are wahoo or mahi available within a couple of miles of the coast?

[maestro]

Trolling in the ocean will probably get you King Mackeral. I would troll a large diving plug like a Stretch 25 or Yozuri Mag. And then there's the possiblility of a Large Bluefin Tuna that will spool you unless you're using a Penn International 50 type reel. They hang surprisingly close to shore at times during the cooler months. Not sure how far offshore you'll be, but the Mahi and Wahoo will be closer to the warm waters of the gulf stream. That could be 20 to 60 miles depending on where you're at. Coming around Cape Hatteras should be the best bet for those along with yellowfin tuna. Tuna and Wahoo love a diving plug at 6 knots, try to follow the 50 fathom contour (300 feet) around Hatteras. Never heard of Snook or Tarpon on the troll. It's probably too cold for them now anyway. They start heading north of the keys around April.

[Escape]

OK. I'll bring a couple of stretches. Maybe there will be some decent size bluefish off georgia or S.C. I have a couple of int. 30's, but wasn't planning on bringing them. It looks like water temp will be in the low 60's till charleston or so. Seems too cold for wahoo, mahi, or cobia. It seems like the kings may be a good chance for the first part of the trip, but maybe a bit early above cape canaveral?

I think I'll bring a couple of spoons for trolling too. Also, may try casting from anchorage, but we'll probably be too tired to really try hard (put dinghy in water and seek fish out).

Thanks,
Andy

[northernguy]

HI:
O/side in the ocean , If you take the gulf stream up or part of it at least, you'll have a great chance ot Mahi , Yft , Wahoo. I would pull a BIRD in front of a 6-8 inch feather in GYO or lemon lime as my 1st choices. For Wahoo, It would be a feather (heavy like a heavy TUNA CLONE) in red/black or all red or Black/purple.
6 knots is usally the best trolling speed,, so u can't o to far wrong.
HINT...HINT...HINT... Use a bungy chord like the truckers use and use it as a break away snubber on the troll. If a big WAHOO , Mahi or Tuna hits, that snubber will hook the fish and NOT break your line. U can then fight the fish sans snubber. How to? Riga o/shore relesae clip to one end of the bungy chord and the other end to the hull.
Wackm 'N Stackm
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner
Custom saltwater fishing tackle & tips for sportfishing, trolling and bottom fishing.