May 10, 2004
Fishing Adrift - A Trick and a Recipe

Wendy and I quite honestly fell backwards into writing The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing. Previous exposure to sailors over years on the water in Florida, the Bahamas, and the West Indies had given an impression of, shall we say, "problems" in the area of seafood procurement. But it was only when we began living the dream ourselves that we realized the depth of the challenge. By simply going about our business, which included routine catches of big mahi mahi, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and a host of other species, we inadvertently created a stampede of dinghies and a flood of questions. We have half a charter business worth of tackle and equipment on board (including fishing outriggers, which look kind of "different" sprouting off of a sloop) and many years combined experience in professional fishing, so a few adaptations here and there to the sailing mode, and we were on our way.

Like anything else you do for a living, it certainly better be easy with some experience under your belt, or there's something wrong with you. And that's the key--thousands of days of fishing for a living is not the normal preparation for a sailing voyage, and with little or no experience and nothing and no one to guide them, how can "normal" sailors possibly go out there and be good at it right away? We'd always go out of our way to help, giving away lures, teaching knots, rigging stuff up. Repeatedly, we'd run in to people down-island and the transformation was dramatic. "Hey, it works!!" "We caught this, we caught that…" For people bright and resourceful enough to be out voyaging, this is easy with just a little push in the right direction. And it was a small way for us to thank other sailors for the expert sailboat and equipment advice and assistance we'd received from so many of them over the years.

So here's one for you. You're on a long passage, and the sun is getting low. The wind is super-light, and it's been a long day of squeezing a few knots out of a spinnaker that's spent as much time deflated as full. You've noticed nothing on the surface - no seabirds, no fish - but you'd sure like to douse that sail and just take a break, maybe light up the grill. Well, chances are you do indeed have company, attracted to the silhouette of your slow-moving (to them) piece of flotsam.

Break out a 20-pound class spinning rod, rigged with a Bimini twist and a 50-pound test monofilament shock leader, tied directly to a Capt. Hank Brown's Hookup bucktail, 3/8 oz, in the color purple*. Cast out away from the boat, and leave the bail open. Let the lure plummet into the depths, an estimated 100 feet or more. Now close the bail, wind the reel handle as fast as you can, and when the rod tip begins to bend with the weight of the lure, snatch it upward sharply, then repeat, winding rapidly, and snapping the rod tip up, making the bucktail dart erratically and rapidly up to the surface. This is called "deep-jigging". There's an excellent chance that a yellowfin tuna or other highly desirable eating fish will grab your offering with a resounding strike. If you don't get one on the first attempt, try again. Once hooked, work the fish slowly and smoothly to the gaff.

One of our favorite recipes for super-fresh tuna is what we first learned as "Seared Ahe". Fillet the tuna, then slice the boneless meat from the skin, leaving the bloodline attached, then cut from these round cylinders (about 1 inch diameter, and 8 inches or so in length). Roll them in Cajun seasoning, sear in hot oil, 12 to 15 seconds per side. Remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator for one hour or more. Remove and slice thinly, like a loaf of bread or a sausage, and consume with sauce or plain. The thin line of flash-cooked white meat seals the delicious fresh flavor of the pink meat inside, creating a gourmet combination of seasoning and delectable ocean fare you'll never forget.

*(Don't worry about these terms and details, everything from knots to fish cleaning is explained and diagrammed in detail in the book, and specific gear models and where to get them are recommended.)