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Tag Team a Tunny Today!
...the advantages of the double fishing ski
By Robert Scott and Keith Clover - Tourette Fishing
If not in reality, then in our angling obsessed minds, multiple hook ups are often responsible for extreme adrenalin spikes, shouts of elation and, fairly often, utter mayhem! Two bent rods, ratchets screaming in tandem, a pair of pelagic steam trains heading for the horizon. Suddenly, nothing, ecstasy becomes despair as both lines become tangled and slack. Double hook ups get the heart racing, but on a single fishing ski, often end in entwined and burnt off lines, one or both fish being lost. Looking back on these gut wrenching encounters, one often longs for an extra set of hands - enter the double ski.
Running overland fishing safaris, incorporating fishing ski outings in many of our trips, we are often asked how an inexperienced client's safety and enjoyment is ensured. Apart from using qualified and experienced guides, choosing suitable launch areas, comprehensive safety briefings and strict protocols... the double fishing ski is definitely a trump card. As Moses used his staff to part the Red Sea for the seemingly helpless Israelites - The double fishing ski has had a similar effect for those anglers previously unwilling to venture into the open ocean atop a fibreglass kayak. It has opened the door for sport fishing enthusiasts who, in normal circumstances, would never have entertained the thought of targeting game fish off a ski.
Doubles provide the platform for fishing ski anglers to work as a team. A major advantage, when fishing off a double, is that a team can paddle faster for longer periods. Speed and power makes launching in any surf conditions significantly easier than when paddling a single, and if you swim, well at least you have a swimming buddy. Looking into your fishing box of tricks, speed can be a very useful tool, especially when targeting specific species; in particular the lustrous sailfish and tuna. When sailfishing, double skis supply the greatly needed hustle, to pull artificial lures. Small konas rigged with halfbeaks have proven deadly for sailies, and in conjunction with the double ski, have revolutionized billfishing from a ski. The dynamics of teamwork dictate that every experience, all the highs and lows, be shared. Elation when one's partner boats the crocodile couta, or disappointment when the hook pulls, on a gas bottle tunny.
With the aid of double skis, pin-point fishing off a ski has progressed in leaps and bounds. The driver (front paddler with rudder pedals at his/her feet) of the ski can focus on the fish finder and GPS, while the second 'motor' provides the power to get and stay on top of a wreck or pinnacle. This is great in windy or strong current conditions when fishing for live bait or game fish present only in a concentrated area. One paddler keeps the ski above a drop off, or good looking hole, while the other angler tends to the rods or probes the area with a flick stick and spoon. Dorado are awesome off a double ski. When a dorado is brought to the boat, the second paddler can cast a spoon to the shoal of fish that will often follow the hooked dorrie up.
Double ski's make for a highly sociable fishing outing, with many benefits when compared to their single seated cousins. One of the most obvious of these is the involvement of friends and family who are too young, too old or lack the experience to venture out on their own. Fathers are taking out their young sons; sons are taking out their old dads. If girlfriends, sisters and wives play their cards right, even they'll crack the nod! On a particular morning, fishing off a double with my girlfriend, she had the pleasure of hooking and landing a 12 kilo bull dorado, the screaming continued well after the ratchet had been flicked off. Fighting and landing this beautifully coloured fish was definitely her angling highlight thus far. The adventure of paddling close to dolphins and taking a different view of our exquisite coastline will definitely leave a lasting impression on all involved.
The sport of fishing from a ski has exploded in the last few years. Yet, among the growing fraternity of passionate ski fishermen, there are a mounting number of hesitant enthusiasts. The uncertainty in the minds of these 'would-be-fanatical' followers of the sport, keeps them shore bound and oblivious to the pleasures beyond the breakers. Teaming up on a double, this ignorance is quickly converted to familiarity, and with this new found knowledge and poise, the fishing ski world is their oyster.
If you are a ski fisherman of the old school or just getting into this fantastic sport, phone a friend and get out on a double.
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