Sport Fishing USA — January 2018

70 JANUARY 2018

slow trolling to draw kites away from the boat.

“Use a smaller, lighter bait and no lead in

windless conditions. You’re only fishing two

baits per kite, so you might even forgo the cork.

Anything to lighten the load and maximize what

little wind you have,” Wilson says. “You can even

take kite clips off and use a 6-inch piece of tele-

phone wire. Twist it tight to the floss [or swivel]

so it doesn’t move around.”

THE BITE

Whether seas are smooth or rough, DeSilva

connects his outrigger tag lines to Dacron loops

on his trolling lines with a loop of 12-pound

monofilament. “That means, in rough seas, you

know the line didn’t just pop out of a rigger clip,”

he says. “That was a fish that snuck up on you.”

Says Fields: “When it’s rough, you can’t see

the bite, so you need to feel it.” He directs anglers

to hold long-rigger rods, or at least keep a finger

on the line, because they can feel that increased

tension before the outrigger clip pops.

HOOKED UP

“The pointy end goes into the sea a lot better,”

Carter says, referring to his boat’s bow. “Turn

bow first, and run up in front of the hooked fish.

When you get close, you might have to turn and

back into one or two waves to get the leader,

but you’re not doing it for 200 yards. Everyone

is happier when they’re not soaking wet, and it

makes you look good.”

Once hooked up, DeSilva turns immediately

down-sea until lines are clear, and then he

prefers to chase fish in reverse. Spectra backing

on his reels adds line capacity and decreases

drag in the water. “Pay attention to the waves

as much as the fish,” he warns, gaining line only

during smaller sets between larger waves.

In Leonard’s 31-foot center console,

he wedges the angler into the corner of the

stern, where the  boat doesn’t bounce as much

compared with  the bow, and then runs into the

waves at an angle to chase the fish.

The bottom line, Wilson says: “Whether

the wind is really blowing or really calm, and

whether you’re kite-fishing, drifting or trolling,

you have to work hard to keep your presentation

correct for when a fish pops up.” Particularly in

heavy seas, this comes down to experience.

Don’t make yourself go out when it’s rough

just to teach yourself about rough-water fishing,

says Carter. “But if it blows up while you’re out,

don’t go back home. You’re already there; stay in

it and learn.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Capt. Vincent Daniello grew up fishing and

diving off South Florida and has run boats from

Canada through the Caribbean. Now, based in

Massachusetts, he writes and shoots photos regu-

larly for Sport Fishing as a contributing editor. CAPT. VINCENT DANIELLO (LEFT), JASON STEMPLE (RIGHT)

Above: When helium
balloons keep kites aloft,
Capt. Brett Wilson’s
crew aboard Miss Britt
lightens the load with
50-pound-braid kite
lines and just one or two
kite clips, and he keeps
baits away from the boat
by bump-trolling. Top
right: For kite-fishing in
heavy wind, switch to
100-pound-mono
kite lines for smaller
heavy-wind kites.