Offshore Pursuit: A Complete Guide to Blue-water Sport Fishing

by John Unkart

Overview

In the Atlantic Ocean, powerful tails propel half-ton blue marlin at nearly 50 mph as their bills slash at baitfish and the razor-sharp teeth of wahoo cut unsuspecting prey in half. These predators become the hunted when anglers venture forth in Offshore Pursuit. Experience what ultimate sport fishing has to offer: surface eruptions on trolled baits, rods bent in half, drags screaming, and adrenaline pumping. Whether you’re a blue water veteran or a novice, don’t leave success to chance. John Unkart’s expanded second edition has bonus chapters on rigging techniques and deep dropping, information you need to catch big game fish in offshore waters. His methods, practiced and proven over a lifetime of experience, include species’ bait preferences, trolling methods, spread types, chunking for tuna, and when and how to use a kite, and all are covered in detail. From rigging techniques to tips on how to fight trophy fish, it’s all in this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764343087
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	03/28/2013
Edition description:	Revised & Expanded
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

John Unkart's childhood memories are mostly of fishing. To say, "he fished before he walked" would be fairly accurate. John has been blessed with a lifetime of fishing and welcomes this opportunity to share what he's learned over the years.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Beginning the Adventure 10

How much boat is enough 11

Prepare for the worst 12

Outriggers 16

Flatlines 18

Gaffs and tail ropes 18

Reels and rods 21

Setting the drag 23

Type of line 24

I.G.F.A. records 25

Equipment care 27

Chapter 2 Terminal Tackle 30

Snap swivels 30

Barrel swivels 31

Crimps and sleeves 31

Hooks 32

Pliers 32

Chapter 3 Rig it Right 34

Leader material 34

Double lines and knots 37

Wind-on leaders 50

Chapter 4 Artificial Lures 52

Color choice 52

Cedar plugs 55

Spreader bars 56

Green Machine 59

Dancing squid 62

Daisy chains 63

Tuna clones and feathers 65

Spoons 65

Chuggers 66

Rubber ballyhoo 67

llander 69

Mann G50+ 71

Chapter 5 Natural Bait 72

Freezing your own bait 72

Purchasing frozen bait 73

Sea witches 74

Ballyhoo 75

Pinless ballyhoo rig 79

Pin ballyhoo rig 83

Split bill rig 86

Circle hook ballyhoo rigs 88

Mullet 92

Split tail mullet 92

Whole rigged mullet 96

Squid 96

Rigging live bait 99

Chapter 6 Trolling 102

Spreads 102

Teasers 103

Dredges 105

Trolling speed 108

Birds 108

Temperature breaks 109

Weedlines 110

Understanding the thermocline 110

Chapter 7 Non-Traditional Trolling Techniques 112

Planers 112

Go fly a kite 115

Trolling a kite 117

Use a kite for live bait 118

Chapter 8 Chunking for tuna 120

The set up 122

Hand feeding 122

Chunking tricks 123

Chapter 9 Basics of Battling Trophy Fish 126

Just a little more pressure 126

Multi-fish 127

Under the boat 128

Tangled lines 128

Noon rule 128

Slack line 128

Steady pressure 129

Don't count your chickens 129

Coaching 130

Fighting chair vs. stand-up 131

Using the boat 133

Safety harness 133

Chapter 10 Targeted Species 134

Atlantic Bonito 134

Dolphin (Mahi-mahi) 135

False Albacore 141

King Mackerel 142

Billfishing for Marlin 146

Marlin, Blue 151

Marlin, White 157

Pro Tips 162

Sailfish 166

Shark 169

Skipjack 175

Swordfish 176

Tilefish 181

Tuna, Albacore (Longfin) 182

Tuna, Bigeye 185

Tuna, Blackfin 187

Tuna, Bluefin 188

Tuna, Yellowfin 192

Wahoo 195

Chapter 11 Forecasting Weather 198

Weather sayings 199

How weather affects the bite 200

Barometric pressure 200

Chapter 12 New Rigging Techniques, Wind-Ons & Pro-Rigged Ballyhoo 202

Why Wind-Ons 202

Swivel Wind-Ons 202

Conventional Wind-Ons 203

Pro-Rigged Ballyhoo 205

The "X" Rig 206

Boosting Your Circle Hook Hook-Up Percentages 208

Chapter 13 Offshore Alternatives 210

Deep Dropping 210

Jigging 217

Chapter 14 End of the Line 226

About the Author 228