Tips and tricks

[poet1971]

I thought I would see if this thread takes off. This is a thread for people to share tips, tricks, and shorts cuts. Here's and example:

I don't have a wash down pump. Until now, what I have done to get blood and slime off the decks is sluice it down with water, wipe it down with a sponge, and sluice it down again. Instead of nesting in a wash down pump and install, I picked up a "water blaster". One of those giant syringes the kids play with that can shoot water 40 feet. It gives me the water and pressure to clean off my deck. I just draw up water from overboard and hose down the deck. It works great as a low cost alternative to a wash down pump. It's also great for a fun "pirate attack" when I get close to a buddy when fishing on a hot summer day.

Ok guys, what else have you got? There MUST be generations of tricks built up out there.

 

[renier]

Tip
I like to use pool swimming noodles cut into 18 or so inches and roll my spoons/hootchies/bait heads etc on it, use tooth pricks to secure the swivels and stuck all in a bucket.
Keeps everything neat and tangle free and very easy to rinse down at the end of the day.
Very quick to find your special lure and the nylon is also straight when needed to be used

 

[fshnfnatic]

I use a 6" wide deep vee type boat trailer roller mounted on my gunnel for dropping and pulling my halibut anchor system.
Makes coiling into the container much easier,and saves gouging out the gunnel and rub rail with the chain as its being
put down or brought back up.

 

[poet1971]

Great tip renier. Do you have a picture. I think I know what you mean, and I think it would work great for me.

 

[poet1971]

Fshnfnatic: do you have it mounted permanently, or on a rig that you can drop into a rod holder? Picture?

 

[Da Bay Bye]

For my hoochies, I use about a 3/8 tubing cut into 1 inch length. I then wrap the leader around 2 fingers then twist it slightly and push the line inside. the hoochie can then be stored neatly in the tackle box out of the way.

 

[finaddict]

For quick change operations I have foam on my hard top supports and leader boards attached to the sides of the cabin. My leaders, all strung up with lures and bead chain are instantly at my disposal



this photo shows the leader board at the side of the cabin




This photo shows the foam board on the hard top support



Hoochies



Hooks

 

[tubber]

-Synthetic wine cork for the big igloo cooler when you lose the real one and don't want to pay $14.00 for a new one on line.
-I made assist hooks for all my ling/rockfish jigs with short pieces of doubled old 200 lb downrigger braid and #5 stainless Siwash hooks that I got in bulk cheap. No need for Kevlar twine, $4.00 heavy Owner hooks, solid rings or shrink tube. Learn the knot, choke it to the side of the top eye, and go fish. Way less snags.
-I'm really enjoying having my release clip permanently attached to the 5' tag end of the knot I used to double the gangen at the end of my downrigger braid.
- I saw a $4.00 heavy stainlees meat hook at princess auto today that I think has a long enough point to make a good gaff if I grind the other end a bit shorter and lash it to a homemade handle. Only one way to find out.

 

[poet1971]

- I saw a $4.00 heavy stainlees meat hook at princess auto today that I think has a long enough point to make a good gaff if I grind the other end a bit shorter and lash it to a homemade handle. Only one way to find out.

Hey tubber,

Actually, that $4.00 meat hook is exactly what I made my gaff with. Because it's "S" shaped, one end fit into a hole I drilled into the handle. That way I never have to worry about the hook slipping out from under the bindings. I used a wire twister and fencing wire (corrosion resistant), to bind the hook to a spare ax handle I had. I cleaned up the wire binding with some electrical tape, and dipped the other end in rubber coat to give it a grip. Best gaff ever! Built with a $4.00 meat hook and spare stuff that was in my shop.

 

[stones93]

A 2 foot PVC pipe to use as an "extender" while peeing overboard. Not to be shared with others.

>>>>not that I need an extender but it's nice when it's wavy out so you don't have to lean over and risk falling in!

 

[Big Green Machine]

A 2 foot PVC pipe to use as an "extender" while peeing overboard. Not to be shared with others.

>>>>not that I need an extender but it's nice when it's wavy out so you don't have to lean over and risk falling in!

It's girth, not length you have to worry about!

 

[GDW]

Lol stones... I just pee in a jug then dump it out. **** jug doubles as a bail bucket and triples as a bucket to scoop and dump water on the fish to keep em cold...

EEWWWWW!

 

[Fish Assassin]

It's the multi purpores pail. Pee, Poop and Puke

 

[stones93]

It's girth, not length you have to worry about!

You must have peeked

 

[Seafever]

I'm looking for a good tip on standby net storage.

We have the net extended (6ft length) so it;s ready to go when fish on.

My boat is 16ft...and no matter where you put the g*damn thing it's in the way.

At the back in a holder it's in the way when playing fish
At the front the bag flails in the wind and messes up the wife's hair as it catches her in the head
If it's anywhere upright from midships to stern ...it's in the way...
if it's too far forward you can't get at it in the heat of battle....the wife has to jump from steering wheel to net to me

If I had a dollar for every time I've just about hurled it as far into the chuck as it will go.......

I thought about making a couple of quick clips and mounting them to the gunnel so the net handle shaft is parallel to the boat
on the outside of the boat with the bag hanging on the outside....can be put back in the boat latere when finished...

I don't have a radar arch or anything like that to make an overhead holder.......

 

[tubber]

Mount a tube or rod holder as far forward as reasonable for access, but tilt it forward on an angle. Use a release clip to hold the bag taught and out of your wife's hair. The release clip is also handy to keep the bag out of the way until the fish is inside the net.

 

[Revenge]

I love seeing nets flying in the air like they're trying to catch dreams and butter flys LOL

 

[KCW]

A lenght of pipe insulation clued to the lip of my Hardtop. It has worked wonders on the amount of headaches .

 

[GDW]

Seafeaver this season I switched to a gaffe in my 17ft boat and haven't looked back.

With a gaffe in one motion you club the fish and swing it in the boat. One or two bonks, pull the hook get your gear back down. If you made a good shot fish is already bleeding out if you missed cut a gill.

With the net you scoop, fish thrashes gets all tangled. Fight to get the hooks out - great now their tangled in the net too. Bonk fish, get it out if the net, bleed fish, untangle hooks from net. Now you gotta wash the net and put it away all nice.

GAH too many steps with the net once your adept with the gaffe it's just so much simpler and a lot more fun.

I will bring a net for derbies but that's about it. Read the gaffe thread then give er a try. I've gaffed em up to 21 pounds so far even the bigger ones come easy in fact maybe easier because they are a bigger target.

 

[Finished Business]

I posted this long ago, but adding a scotty lake release clip (the small size) in a spot that you can fix your mainline to it infront of the reel to stop reel creep. You can leave the drag set in the position you like and get straight to fish fightin! Takes some getting used to but a little time on the water and it is a pleasure.

Another downrigger tip....after breaking a few expensive rods blowing them up out of the rigger, I've started to release the break on my downrigger, while holding the reel. The wieght of the ball dropping realeses your mainline from the clip, in one motion a quick hook set and begin the fight. If it hasn't popped the pin, I see no sense in rushing to bust the rod out of the clip and this method works great. Don't need to use it on big fish cuz they do the poppin' for me! Easier on the rod and user I find. And you don't have to do the triple jerk cuz the clip just wont let go.