big game kite fishing

[bob lico]

need a little explanation. i was taking a shark fishing crew out on there newly purchase 42 post. i notice a sportfisherman kite fishing with the kite off the long rigger is this normal?? the rod was in rocket launcher mounted in back of chair. on vhf radio said fishing for tuna. two kites both off of riggers ----whats the story!

[In Memory Walter K]

Was the boat moving/trolling or drifting?

[JP Dalik]

Pretty simple stuff.


Yumee flying fish, fished off of a kite. The riggers are used to add spread and ease the deployment of the kites. The kites could have weights to help with the spread. Normally see it done with one kite and 2 baits trolled.


NC stuff.

[Marlin]

We fish for sailfish,kingfish and occasionally dolphin with 2kites spread apart as JP described, 2lines per kite, mate is keeping 4live goggle eye or blue runners constantly near the top of the water, tie a piece of surveyors tape about 10ft up the leader, we use 25's in the rocket launcher and they are constantly being adjusted ,sometimes a bait will be 30 ft in the air when a wind gust hits, all this slack line works to our advantage ,same as drop back ,when u first get teased by sail, once wrapped a kite 5 times around the tower while we were working a sailfish, it's neat to watch a kingfish come 15' out of the water chasing dangled live bait, I have also unsuccessfully tried for smallmouth using this method, goal was to catch a smallmouth and then have it eaten by a musky!

[In Memory Walter K]

Now THAT's creative fishing!

[jspiezio]

Bob- In FLA I have kite fished just as Marlin describes many times with great success. Once had a sailfish comeo out of the water the way Marlin describes kingfish (albeit only 2 feet, not 15).

Up here I have tried it for tuna, mako, and dolphin with mixed (read poor) results, mainly , I think, because of my inexperience, not the fishing method. In Florida I was always with someone much more experienced than myself who directed the fishing.

[bob lico]

from a distance it seemed rather difficult to bounce a school size bluefish on top of water with a wind speed/kite factor as well as weight of fish. i guess there is a bit of trial@ error going on there.brewster mention trying this method in the fall when those bluefin get lockjaw as they get within a mile of land.

[Brewster Minton]

Bob, you come out one day and I will get you up to speed with using the kites.

[bob lico]

thanks brother----as usual you are the man!