A tuna of this size will make the long run to bluewater worth the effort. Photo by Ken Neill Perhaps you really want to catch a big tuna, wahoo, white or blue marlin, or a dolphin, but with your boating experience restricted to the Chesapeake Bay, running 50 to 60 miles out in the ocean may be beyond your comfort zone. If you have a seaworthy boat with enough fuel capacity to run at least 150 miles and a GPS to get you out and back, the task will not be that hard. First let’s talk about your boat. My personal preference is a heavy, deep vee model that can cut through head seas and will run true in a following sea. Modified vee bottoms will do the job using less fuel, but running slower in anything more than flat calm. Flat calm does occur in the ocean, but rarely. Outriggers are needed since most offshore fishing requires trolling. Those with eight-foot beam trailer boats need only troll five lines, while larger boats with a wider beam can troll up to eight. Before trying to cram more than five lines on an eight-foot beam boat, remember you may only have three or four people onboard, and clearing those extra lines when a fish hits can get a bit confusing, resulting not only in a mess in the cockpit, but the loss of the fish. Always remember the KISS method: keep it simple, stupid. Novice offshore fishermen might want to consider buying their baits already rigged. This is more expensive than rigging them yourself, but may result in more hooked fish. If tuna are the main target, you can get by with cedar plugs, smoker lures, and similar artificials. I have had good luck with Mold Craft Soft Heads, and these, too, can be purchased already rigged. Basic offshore tackle should be no lighter than 30-pound class with 50-pound, pretty much the top needed for any fish you are likely to hook. True, you will have your hands full if a 300-pound bigeye or blue marlin comes to call, but what the heck, you can handle this. If your boat already has a fighting chair, use it. If not, it is cheaper to buy a couple of stand-up harnesses, and they should be good enough for most occasions. While stand-up rods would be nice, don’t go out and buy five of them if you already have outfits that are suitable for offshore fishing. The billfish action off Virginia Beach has been outstanding this past month. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Ken Neill and Healthy Grin sportfishing.) A lot of offshore anglers rig their 30-pound outfits with 50-pound line, and their 50-pound outfits with 80-pound line. This gives them a bit more confidence and allows the drag to be set a bit tighter. Do be careful when setting the drag. It should be set at 1/3 the pound test of the line. Set it too tight, and the hook may pull or rip out. Set it too loose, and the fish will run all over the ocean never coming to the boat. The best way to set the drag is to use a fish-weighing scale. Secure the scale to something solid then attach the line from the reel through the rod. Pull on the line and adjust the drag until it reaches the desired setting. Set the lever action drag to this level as the strike drag. On star drag reels, you pretty much have to remember where the strike drag is by marking the star drag and the reel body if you plan to loosen the setting. Under all but the most extreme situations, the strike drag must never be increased. Another piece of equipment you will need when fishing offshore is a gaff. I would recommend a two-handed model since it is easier to control. Always gaff the fish by pulling the gaff toward the boat. A head shot is best, but if you stick the fish and get it in the boat, you have done a good job. The crew aboard Healthy Grin prepare to release an estimate 400-pound blue marlin. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Ken Neill) You will need to set your spread to imitate a bait fish in trouble, falling back from the school. The school he is falling back from is the boat wake and the prop wash. A fish is attracted to the turbulence created by the boat, and arrives looking for an easy meal. Your lure or bait should appear to be that meal. Set your flat lines directly off the stern just a few feet behind the prop wash. A set of stern clips will hold the lines down keeping the lure or bait in the water. Run the outrigger lines back to the third to fifth wave of the wake. Set them behind the wave to prevent them from constantly falling forward and tumbling around. If you have a way back, set it where the last remnants of the propwash fade away. I normally run something big on this line. A rigged Spanish mackerel or a green machine behind a bird. Trolling speed will vary with sea conditions and the direction of the current. Something between five and seven knots will do the job. The important thing is to watch the lures or baits. If they don’t look natural change your speed. When the baits are spending more time out of the water than in it, you are going too fast. If the baits look tired and don’t leave a trail of bubbles, you are going too slowly. When fishing a weed line you must watch the lures and baits and bring them to the boat if they become fouled with grass. The first thing to do when a fish is hooked is to clear the other lines. Some will tell you to leave the lines in to hook more fish. These people have never fished on a trailer boat with only one or two other people. Once the lines are clear the captain needs to help the angler by going after the fish. Trailer boats can chase the fish by going forward while larger boats will have to back down. Once the fish is at the boat, the wireman should lead it to the guy with the gaff. The angler should back off the drag in case the fish takes off again. When the fish is in the boat, consider yourself a seasoned offshore angler. by Eric Burnley