Fishing Solo

While fishing is a great activity when shared by a bunch of buddies, a good friend or family, sometimes a solo mission is not without its merits. In such situations, safety becomes paramount. Grant Dixon explains…

You have all heard the joke about the angler who goes out by himself ‘fishing with his mates’ – the implication being he hasn’t got any!

While I like nothing better than heading out on the briny with a crew, I sometimes get a great deal of pleasure from going solo. Quite often at Waipu Cove, opportunities arise which only give me a short window of opportunity, leaving me no time to organise a crew, so I am quite comfortable heading out by myself.

It has several advantages. I can call all the shots about when and where to go, how long to stay and how I am going to fish. After a busy week, or faced with a tough decision or two, it also gives me time to think.

The following are some considerations when fishing solo…

Safety first – The biggest consideration when fishing solo – as it is at all other times – is safety. My views around personal responsibility regarding lifejackets are well known – simply put, it should be the angler or the skipper’s decision when it is appropriate to don a jacket, not some legislator. When out solo fishing I wear a PDF all the time, even when fishing (which is generally on the drift). If there is a bit of wind and you fall in the tide, the boat can be out of reach before you know it and with no one else on board to come and pick you up, the results are obvious.

Trip report – Let someone (both someone on shore, and Coastguard) know where you are launching from, where you plan to head and your ETR – Estimated Time of Return. If something goes wrong, your motor breaks down or god forbid, you run out of fuel, people will know where to start looking for you. Coastguard have a great app which allows you to make a trip report, and close it off, online – get it on your phone. Failing that, you can make a trip report giving launching point, number on board, destination and ETR over the VHF on the local Coastguard channel.

Good comms – As always, have two forms of communication on board – a VHF as your primary method and your cell phone as backup. The VHF broadcasts to all receiving sets in range, while a cell phone relies on connecting with the number you are dialling. I also carry a PLB – Personal Locator Beacon – for when all else fails. Reading a recent jetski fishing story in the magazine, the contributor mentioned he attaches it to his PFD – not a bad idea. The same goes for a small hand-held VHF radio if you want to take it one step further.

Carrying two forms of communication is essential, with a VHF the primary option as your call will be heard by everyone within range.

A tidy boat is a happy boat – I am not as nimble on my pins as I used to be. A couple of knee surgeries later and I need to watch my feet, so it’s important the deck is kept as clear as possible of any trip hazards. Ropes should be stowed away and the lines on the likes of your sea anchor should be tidied up and kept off the deck. Tackleboxes should be stowed out of the way and fish bins put where they will be the least intrusive – keeping the runway clear. I do quite a bit of fishing out of our family boat Tackle Tester, a FC535 Centre Console, which is a great little boat for soft-baiting, especially as it is a full walk-around. But this means I do need to remember to keep docking lines stowed away and the decks clear.

Get a grip – What you have on the deck is important. Tackle Tester is ‘decked out’ – apologies for the terrible pun – with SeaDek, a great product that offers excellent grip underfoot and is comfortable to stand on. Because it is fixed to the alloy, it can’t bunch up and there are no edges to create a trip hazard as there can be with carpets and other matting. Any fish blood or slime is easy to clean up with the washdown hose, or a swill with a bucket of water.

Beware of multiple hook-ups – A few months ago, I was out for a solo tackle-testing mission in Bream Bay. To cover my bases, I had two slow-jig rods deployed with a kabura and inchiku jig respectively in 35 metres of water, both fished out of the rod holder, while I worked a soft-bait from the stern. Watching the sounder, I passed a bait ball only to see a mass of kingfish appear on the screen – I knew I was in trouble.First the soft-bait rod loaded up, followed by the two jig rods. Thirty minutes later I had a nice 95cm kingfish on the deck destined for the smoker, had released a second, busted off a third, and learned a valuable lesson – when fishing solo don’t be greedy or over-extend yourself. It had been fun while it lasted, but there had been a few anxious moments in the process!

Be prepared – While on Primetime at the Three Kings with skipper John Gregory a few years back, he gave us a demonstration of catching a marlin solo, a feat he is renowned for – broadbill as well. The key to John’s success was preparation. He had the remotes for the boat attached to the gamechair so he could manoeuvre the boat to chase the fish. When it came to the end game, he had gloves at hand, several tag poles within easy reach, and even gaffs if required. To make clearing the gear less complicated, John ran just three lures. He had all his bases covered from both a fishing and safety perspective. On Tackle Tester the net and gaffs are close at hand, as are a couple of knives should they be required to cut a line in an emergency.

John Gregory showing how it is done during a solo marlin demo at the Three Kings. The boat controller is protected from the elements with a shopping bag.

Have a decent net – Soft-baiting rods are getting longer and longer with 7’ now the norm. When you have to both play and net a fish solo, having a decent-sized net with a long handle, wide opening and deep bag makes the end game much easier. It also makes the occasional kingfish that pops up easier to control.

Fishing solo can be fun, but you just have to think a little more about the safety issues in particular, as there is no-one there to give you a hand should you find yourself in trouble.

It is a good time to try new gear and techniques without the fear of failure and in a non-competitive environment.