Sea Fishing

Meet the challenge of sea fishing

While all kinds of fishing present their own special challenges and considerations, sea fishing has many that are all its own. For one thing, the size and strength of the rod and reel needed has to be increased substantially. Further the amount and strength of the line also needs to be greatly augmented. Typically, in river and lake fishing the size and strength of your equipment is far less. The reason being, the catch is most often smaller fish. Similarly, in surf fishing, while the line and tackle needed are bigger than many freshwater situations, the fish caught are of medium to small size in comparison with the fish regularly caught during sea fishing excursions. As an example, on a typical surf rig from 200 to 300 yards of line will be needed to let the fish play and run. However, on a sea fishing rod between 800 and 1,200 yards of fishing line are needed. This extra line is needed to cope with the a lotdeeper water and much larger fish. When offshore fishing, depending on the kind of fish caught, a hooked fish may fight for hours. For this reason, extra stamina, special equipment, and possibly a tag team partner, will be needed to successful land a big fish.

In saltwater fishing, there are several popular species that fishermen pursue: marlin, sail fish, swordfish, tuna, halibut, and many others. Marlin, depending on the species, can weigh close to 2,000 pounds and reach nearly 20 feet in length. They are one of the largest game fish. Sail fish are a related species but substantially smaller. Usually they do not get much longer than 10 feet and often do not weigh much more than 200 pounds. Both marlin and sailfish, are considered some of the fastest fish in the ocean. They have been clocked at close to 70 miles an hour. Both fish are also admired for their beautiful design. For these reasons, many fishermen specifically seek the thrill of fighting these race cars of the ocean. Sword fish are a related class of fish. They range in size from 300 pounds up to a little over 1,000 pounds. Another species of big game fish is the tuna. The largest tuna is the Northern Atlantic Bluefin; it can weigh well over a thousand pounds. This fish is a prize catch for any fisherman. Another big game fish is the halibut. This largest of flat fish can be longer than 8 feet and weigh well over 700 pounds. While most halibut averages between 20 to and 30 pounds, it is not uncommon to catch them well over 100 pounds.

Whether fishing for the truly big game fish or some smaller species, a fisherman will do well to make sure that he is fully prepared for the challenges that ocean fishing will present.