The Passage from Good to Great

[The_Gaffer]

I'd like to start a discussion here on what attributes does or should a great fisherman have as compared to a good ordinary fisherman.  What does a great fisherman do more (or less) that  good or ordinary fisherman don't do.
There are a number of great fishermen here on this forum, and I would expect them to contribute and discuss.  This discussion is not about techniques or secret hot spots, its about the 'extra mile' great fisherman do in order to always be on top.  This thread is not limited to Big Game, or boat fishing, but is a general discussion where we all share our experiences, whether boat fishing, shore fishing, or indeed spear fishing.  Discussion is open in both Maltese and the English language.
The aim of this thread is to help out a good number of newbies here who have recently joined the forum, by providing some hints and tips. Let us be reasonable, we all got a hint or tip or two along the way.  is it that drastic to share a few here?

[Moonwalker]

The first thing is to go fishing as often as you can.
I'm not a great fisherman though ..... yet

[The_Gaffer]

One useful tip is to go over the 6knt trolling speed when trolling for alongi in near flat sea conditions....troll in the region of 6.8 to 7 knts.  When there are small wavelets, you can troll at 6 to 6.5knts

[bmamo]

Release undersized fish with minimal damage. you might catch them again when they get older!

[fisheye]

Some people tend to keep a sort of log book with sea conditions, surface temperatures, line used, lures, bait ecc ecc and than compare catches. I never kept such log books but maybe that's why my catches are always low But if one has the patience to keep such information and knows how to use it it should give good results.   

[skip]

I'm a tackle addict (or freak perhaps!!) so I'm going to have to go with tackle preparation and rigging. I'm not talking about rod/reel as lots of information is available online and alot of it boils down to budget and preference but instead:

- What you spool your reel with and how. If mono what type, do you go the same line class as your reel, bigger, smaller and how do you do it?

I like a good mono that has a realsitic diamater to strength ratio and that is known to have a much higher actual breaking strength than rated, so I like Momoi Diamond in Brilliant Blue. If I have a large reel like a 30W (typically can hold 900 yards) then I will spool with 50lbs line, if it's not a wide and typically 600 yard capacity, then I like to go with the same line class as the reel or maybe +10lbs if the diameter increase is marginal.

I bought myself a home line spooler which was around $90 and found that very useful for holding and putting tension on the spool and I use a reel crankie attached to a drill to spool up my reels in the garage. I do like to put a piece of duct tape on my spool spindle first so that line can bite/grip well, prob not really needed for mono but essential if spooling braid. I like to spool my reel very tight (so lots of drag and line spool pressure).

I'm useless at knots, so I crimp as much as possible. Buy good quality crimps (again I use Momoi because they make small crimps good down to 40lbs line diameter) and invest in a good crimping tool (don't be cheap here because you will cry if you lose a nice fish due to poor terminal tackle). I am a firm believer in using a lighter on the fly end of the line to create a mushroom head before I crimp....this adds an extra safeguard should you line start to slip or the crimp not be 100%

[The_Gaffer]

Ever since I discovered crimps, I seldom use knots now.  I also like to sheath the line inside a plastic piping when connecting the line to swivels, hooks ect.  This prevents the line from rubbing directly against the eye of the swivel or hook.  To date, I have never suffered line failure at either swivel or hook.  
Anything close to a flame I keep away from the line.  So I don't mushroom the line terminal.  I just make sure I squeeze the crimpers properly.
I also check my line frequently, especially the leader, for any kinks, chaffs or even slight twists.  The latter can be a sign of line fatigue, and a sure way to lose the catch of a lifetime.  Do check the leader following a hookup, especially at the hook end, and about a half meter up.  At hookend, this is where the line normally rubs against the fish's mouth, and half way up, against the dorsal fin.  
Hooks should be as sharp as possible.  I keep a small file on board and regularly sharpen the hook points.  Remember, especially for alongi and pastardella, there upper jaw and mouths are very strong and hard, so you need a good sharp point to penetrate and stay in.  I've heard stories of pastardella shaking of the hook during a fight.
Again, fighting fish technique is essentail.  Ensure you apply the right pump and retrieve, as the constant jerking of the rod may contribute to the hook slipping out of the fish's mouth.  Don't tighten the drag too much, as the fish will make a break for it as soon as it gets sight of the boat.  Set your drag at strike zone to about 8kgs, and play the fish accordingly.  If you're using tougher line, then yes, by all means, go all the way.  But if you're using 40lbs line, and have a 20-30kg fish at the other end, you want to tire out that fish, and not fight it at full drag.

[bmamo]

Wow, beautiful tips and suggestions. More more more!

[dgal0021]

I personally think that the passage from a good fisherman to a great one is in respecting fellow fishermen. Many times during my fishing I encounter other fishermen which share my passion and love for fishing and the sea, but lack the sense of respect or courtesy. As if, looking at someone who caught a fish means 'stealing' his/her next catches. Therefore, a great fisherman should also congratulate those who achieve better catches (as hard as it might seem) and maybe even ask for tips to achieve success. Therefore, I highly respect the forum members above who are the true great fishermen by sharing their experiences and lessons with people like me who are not that experienced.

[The_Gaffer]

We should also respect the fish we seek. 

[benri]

One thing I found extremely useful is using a double hook setup (rigged at 180 degrees) on soft lures. I changed to the setup after getting some strikes without hookups. I cannot be so sure that this is what helped but since I used this setup on a particular lure, I had a hook up to every strike.... and even caught the same fish with both hooks! To give you an idea, here is a link to this setup but, in my case they're home made, tried, and tested
http://www.meltontackle.com/products/owner-jobu-big-game-double-hook-rigs.html

[ganni]

spend more money in fuel to fish than on tackle to admire 

[AJAX]

spend more money in fuel to fish than on tackle to admire 

Or I guess otherwise translated as....Get out there more often and worry less about your tackle!! It is true that seeing pictures like of Freedive, one gets envious but looks like he goes out alot as well.

[VOPA78]

I only do shore fishing.  But I always wear neutral coloured T-Shirts when fishing for awrat, kahli and other fish in the wash (rima bajda) from the rocks.  My grandfather used t osay that the fish can see you, so I took his advise and also always sat down while fishing, with minimum movement

[ganni]

...worry less about your tackle i don't agree, everything has to be perfect, this however does not mean to spend loads of money...sometimes a 100 euro trolling rod may perform as good as a 400 euro one, with reels and jigging rods its another story.

I try to go out fishing at least once a week, for alongi we've only managed to go out 5 times, i'm sure there are others that fish much more than we do