On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 14:23:29 -0500, DSK wrote:

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
What I want to know is can you troll for pelagic species off the stern
of that thing? You know, really big marlin? :)

I actually did that once - Army transport to Panama for a joint
training exercise. Ever the fisherman, I had a big Mitchell spinning
reel and some heavy dacron line. One of the Army Quartermasters found
a piece of wood on the ship that looked like an old railing - rigged
up some guides out of nails and went fishing.

Didn't catch anything, but the Army types thought it was pretty funny.
Even the Captain came down to take a turn on the reel. :)

I think I have a picture of that around here in the old timey files -
I'll see if I can't find it.


Yep. Can't do it in transit because those things MOVE... generally 20+
knots. But when the ship is on station and just hanging around, it would
be possible to troll off the fantail. Not sure the carriers ever hang
around going slow, they are too valuable & vulnerable a target... makes
the Navy nervous. However if they did, you could. It would a problem
standing so high above the water... you'd probably be at least 50' up!

The tin can I was on spent a lot of time making slow circles waiting for
something to happen. Fishing off the fantail was quite popular. I don't
recall any marlins being dragged aboard, but did see a few dolphin and a
lot of sharks. Delicious.

My Dad commanded a DE during WWII and used to fish off the stern all
the time - I saw some pictures his Exec took of them cod fishing
before picking up a convoy.

When he was transferred to the Pacific on a Tin Can, he told me he
never really had time.

Later,

Tom