Kiribati Fisheries

1 Pages 1-10

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Ministry of Natural Resource Development
TROLLING MANUAL
KIR/FAO 4 TYPE CANOE
YARD m ...c-
4.0
Maximum H.P.= 15
Speed
Troll
= 12 Knots
= 3 to 8 Knots
LOAD = 3 Men + 200 Kg Ice + Fresh fish
LEACH5.6m__.,_
LUFF5.2M___.
AREA 9.0 Sq m
30 % REEF
TIES5 mm
__ HALYARD TIED HERE
IN REEFED POSITION
- HALYARD 10 mm
LENGTH 7 m
/ SPRIT SNOTTER 8 mm
SINGLE BLOCK 13 mm
MAIN SHEET 10 mm
LENGTH 12m
.--- FOOT3.6m
/ SINGLE BLOCK 13 mm
)' WITH BECKET
LENGTH 3.0 m
KNOT AT END
DOWNHALL ROPE
Must be very tight
-------------------------------------
OWE
Sailing rudder tilted up.rubber strap loosened & rudder with tiler
removed when not sailing'.
FISHERIES DIVISION
January 1988

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M_I__N_I_S_T__R_Y__O_F___N_A_T_U__R_A_L__R__E_S_O_U__R_C_E__D__E_V_E_L_O__P_M_E_N_T_
F__I_S_H_E_R__I_E_S__D__I_V_I_S_I__O_N_
P. O Box 276,Bikenibeu,
Tarawa,
_R_E_P_U_B__L_I_C__O__F__K_I_R__I_B_A_T__I
FISHERIES DIVISION TROLLING MANUAL
KIR �
WRITTEN BY C. M. DAY,MASTERFISHERMAN.
I-KIRIBATI TRANSLATION BY R. BENIAMENA,FISHERIES OFFICER
JANUARY 1988

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1.
Fisheries Division Trolling M_a_ nu_al
This manual is designed for use with a Fisheries KIR 4 type
outrigger canoe. Constructed of marine grade plywood and
powered by a 9. 9 or 15 hp Yamaha outboard. Having the
auxillary Gunter sail rig,as shown in fig.l. Trolling booms
can be fitted to the other model KIR canoes,and skiffs. For
the rigging detail for those craft,please obtain the
Fisheries manual which covers these craft(to be published in
June 1988). It is hoped that this manual will be used as a
reference book by those who already own KIR type canoes and
will show those who don't why they should. The operations
discribed have all been carried out by the author and Rimeta
Beniamina ,it is hoped their experience will help fishermen
adopting this method of fishing.

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Fisheries Trolling Manual page 2
KIR/FAO 4 TYPE CANOE
.,._.-YAAD4.0m
LEACH5.6m-
Maximum H.P. = 15
Speed
= 12 Knots
LUFF5.2M-
Troll
= 3 to 8 Knots
AREA 9.0Sqm
LOAD = 3 Men + 200 Kg Ice + Fresh fish
---30 % REEF
-.- ... -
TIES 5 mm
HALYARD TIED HERE
IN REEFED POSITION
- HALYARD 10 mm
ENGTH7 m
/ SPAfT SNOTTER 8 mm
LENGTH 3.0 m
3.Sm
KNOT AT ENO
LENGTH 12 m
WITH BECKET
DOWNHAll ROPE
Must be very tight
Saning rudder tilted up.rubber strap loosened & rudder with tiller
remcwed wtie" not salli/IQ.
-------- ---------
L__-1------.~ -
??� \\ Stowage of mast and
sail when
_i� _u_s_e_
_
- -- - - -
: �E
Clamcleat with
1
falrlead 10 mm
Buoyancy block
under deck
----------~ -
Buoyancy block under engine well
(Can be excluded but useful
for hauling out)
Righting rope 8 mm length 4.0 m
Coiled up on forward and aft beam
0
FIGURE 1
Mast length 4 m
Diameter 100 mm
tapering
OWL

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3.
Introduction
The use of trolling booms on the KIR 4 canoe was developed
by Fisheries in 1986 and field tested on Kiritimati. It
allows a small craft to sucessfully operate with 7-9 lines
trolling for tuna and other pelagic species,with low
operating costs.
Gear
The booms consist of a 4 m lenght of Dakua timber,rounded
and shaped at each end.They are mounted in cheeks lashed
just forward of the mast(see fig. 2,detail B)
This rig operates best on the KIR 4 model which has only the
auxillary Gunter rig sail,with the mast mounted on the
centre line,this allows the booms to remain in the raised
position when sailing. The booms can be fitted to the other
models with the mods disscussed in later Fisheries manuals.
The booms are raised by means of two blocks suspended from
the top of the mast to the position shown in fig 3 .There
are two forestays fitted,one of 6mm polyprop rope and one of
stainless steel wire, 4 mm,they both run to the bow as in
fig.4. There are downstays to keep the booms rigid,again of
6mm p/p rope. There are no backstays as the trolling lines
provide pull in that direction.
Maintenance
The booms should be kept painted to avoid moisture
problems,but after initial coating should only need touching
up on yearly basis. It is recommended that all the ropes are
replaced on a yearly basis.The stainless steel stays should
be inspected regularly and at the first sign of rust
associated splintering,be replaced.Cheek lashings should be
checked and tightened .
Fishing gear
The lines run off the boom as shown in fig 4 .As can be seen
three lines run off each boom,with a seventh line running
from the top of the mast.Two further short lines can be run
,one from the point on the aft beam just out on the platform
and one from the driver's position at the stern,however it
is not recommended to run these two until experience has
been gained running 7 lines first.

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Fisheries Trolling Manual Page 4
Two pulleys tied to halyard on mast
I\\
FIGURE 2
Boom 60 mm Round
tapered to 35 mm round
on end length 4 m
Crossbeam lashed to rails of boat
Construction of Trolling Booms
DETAIL A
Low stretch rope 6 mm pip
Stainless steel wire rope forestay
screwed to cross beam
DETAIL B
Crossbeam 35 mm X 90 mm __,,-
12 mm 1/2' brass bolts
0
0
0
0
0
0
Hole for Brass Bolt
with copper or P.V.C.
TUBE inserted to act
as bush to prevent
wear on timber boom
Edges rounded

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Fisheries Trolling Manual Page 5
TROLLING BOOM RIG:KIR 4
Boom Halyard
Mast Blocks
Boom Halyard
LINES
Forestay
Forestay
6 mm pp
Stainless steel
forestay
--- MAST
Forestay
LINES
NOT TO
SCALE
Down
Rope
6 mm pp
--V Ud---- T ----------
,
FIGURE 3

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Fisheries Trolling Manual Page 6
TROLLING BOOM RIG:KIR 4
restay
rigging wire
�, m
6mm
p/p rope
3.5 mm Nylon brand
Backstay
6mm pip
rope
3way
Trollfng swivel
NOTES:Chain should be 6or 8 mm ,no heavier.
Tagline
3.5 mm Nylon
50 M
From Top of Mast
26 - 36 M
36- 45 M
Mainline 260 KG B/S Monoline
Links chain
12 - 22 M
7 x 6x 6
p/p = Poly propylene rope or similar.NOT nylon.
Nylon MUST be used where stated.
FIGURE 4 .

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7.
Connecting the trolling line to the boom is done using 3. 5
mm braided nylon,which due to its stretch acts as a shock
cord to help set the hook on strike.The nylon is of
different lenghts to allow the swivels on the tag lines to
lie in the same plane. Before being connected to the
swivel,each line has short lenght of 6mm chain crimped on. As
shown in fig 5 ,and the table below;
BOW
Linel Line2 Line3 Line7 Line6 Lines Line4
9
3
6 none
6
3
9
links of chain.
The tag lines consist of 3. Smm braided nylon of the lenghts
necessary to achieve the line spread shown in figure 4,the
outside one should be around 2. Sm,the middle 2.0m,the inner
1. 5,and the line from the mast about 2. Sm. They can be longer
as they are adjusted regularly to keep the required spread
as shown,they moust not be shorter. The swivels used are
Yo-zuri Heavy Hook type of brass construction,size
7x6x6.Figure 5 shows the connection detail of mainline,shock
line and tag line.
The
mainline
consists of 260kg breaking strain
monofilament,of the lenghts shown in fig 4 . At the end of
each line a trolling snap swivel is crimped on,Yo-Zuri no#8
Note;The main lines must be of the lenght range shown for
the reasons explained in the next section.
The lures are mounted on stainless steel trace wire of at
least 75kg b/s for the large jet head type,and 30kg for the
smaller jets/jigs.Trace lenght should be no less than lm and
no more than 2m.

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Fisheries Trolling Manual page 8
KIR/FAO 4 TYPE CANOE
--~
----------------+----'
FIG u RE
l'----Boom
/
~1.1~ / Tag line
Chain
Trolling Line
Shock line (Stretches when fish str'1kes)
I
6�
THREE WAY HEAVY
HOOK-UP SWIVEL
�Detail of this Join
:J
TIED USING 3.5 mm NYLON
LINKS
CRIMP TROLLING LINE
LINE/CHAIN/TAG LINE CONNECTION
Trolling Line Altitude as viewed from the Main Hull
E
00
m
Water
- - ----------- - - - ------------
Chain
I
Middle Line
Chain
/ Inside Line
Chain
\\
Outside Line
--
····-
Taglines
FIGURE 6

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9.
Fishing Operation
Once underway to the fishing grounds the lines should be run
out using the following proceedure;
l. Steer the canoe in a straight line.
2. Slow down to half throttle(50%).
3. Select a lure and attach it to the outside line ,making
sure the clip is securly fastened.
4. Pay the outside line away until it runs off the boom in
its proper position.
5. Adjust the tag line so it is not hanging too slack.
6.Repeat steps 3-5 with first the middle line and then the
inner one.
7. 0ne crewman handles the port side,one the starboard,both
lots of lines being run out together.
8 . The long mast line should now be run out.
9. If short lines are being used they should be run out at
this point.
You are now ready to start the serious business of catching
fish.Two choices now occur,
l. To head at full speed to your favorite fishing ground.
2. To head at trolling speed to your favorite spot or to the
area where fish were last reported.
This has to be an individual choice but it is recommended
that you proceed at trolling speed until fish are sighted,as
this way you are saving fuel and increasing your chances of
catching stray wahoo or mahi-mahi.
Trolling speed depends on a series of factors;
l.Type of lure,jets for example fish well from 3 to 10
knots,and have even been reported to have caught yellowfin
at a speed of 21 knots!!
2. Type of fish being sought,e.g you can troll faster for
wahoo which have strong mouths,than skipjack which are
smaller fish and thus it is much easier to end up with just
their jaws on your hook!

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10.
3.Weather conditions,in bad weather you must troll slower
for safety reasons.
In addition with this method of fishing the lines must adopt
the attitude shown in fig 6.This is difficult to show on
paper but with discription may become clear.
The outside line on each side should run back along the
surface of the water for its whole lenght,with at least
75-80% of the chain in the water. The middle line on each
side should touch the water surface approximately 4-5 m from
from the lure. The inner line on each side should touch the
water approximately lOm from the lure.
Bearing in mind the above the suggested trolling speed with
this rig is between 3 and 8 knots.
Due to the line lenght and chain weights the craft can come
around quite fast without the lines tangling, however it is
recommended that no more than 45 degrees of helm are used.
Be warned that the crew should watch out for the outside
line's chains when coming around,see fig 7A.
Hooking JJll.
This is were the fun starts!One thing which should be
stressed right away is that one man has to be in overall
command of the craft,he should be the man driving the
canoe.He is responsible for controling the speed of the
canoe, its
direction,and for gaffing the fish.Each
crewman(should be two at least)is responsible for the lines
on one side of the boat,with whoever is free taking the line
running from the mast.
Let's now run through proceedure on hook-up;
1.Driver slows to approximately 25% speed,and makes sure the
canoe is heading straight. It pays to have both the throttle
and steering adjusted so they are stiff. This way when the
driver lets go to gaff the canoe does'nt slow down and go
all over the place.
2.If just one fish is hooked is pulled straight into the
boat as fast as possible,gaffed if needed,stunned,removed
from the hook,put straight in the ice and the line run
straight out again.

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11.
3.With multipule hookup,each man tends to the lines on his
side(the crew should decided before hand into which area of
the canoe each will put the lines from his side i.e port
side lines aft of the aft beam and starbd lines to the fore
side of the aft beam).The fish on the shorter lines must be
pulled,this avoids any tangles caused by crossed lines.The
line is pulled in fish removed and then that line is
returned to the water before the next line is pulled in.
4.0nce all the lines are emptied of fish and the lines
returned to the water,trolling speed is resumed.
From the above these rules should be followed when
retrieving the lines;
1.0N STRIKE SLOW DOWN,DON'T STOP
2.KEEP THE CANOE ON A STRAIGHT COURSE.
3.PULL THE SHORTEST HOOKED LINE FIRST.
4.0NCE THE FISH IS REMOVED RETURN THE LINE TO THE WATER
5.THEN PULL THE NEXT LINE.
6.KEEP THE LINES FROM EACH SIDE SEPARATE.
7.DON'T PANIC!!!!
Fishing hints.
1.School fish.Unlike poling where you want to be right in
the school or at least on the very edge,with the trolling
booms you should aim for the boat t� always be on the
outside of the school with the lines running back through
the school as shown in fig7B.If the fish are fast moving and
hits the lines as you are coming around remember to
straighten up right away. As you already know,fish bite
best just after sunup so it pays to be in the area where
fish are schooling before sunup. '·If the schools are very
lively and keep going up and down don't chase all the ocean
trying to catch them.Slow down and troll around in the area
at normal or a bit slower,sooner or later the school will
come up near you.Remember the top speed of the canoe is only
around 11 knots,so you can't chase skiffs. Use the size of
lure to suit the fish size.With skipjack this is easy,use
small feather jigs,small jet heads etc.With yellowfin
present a range of sizes from yuor biggest jet down to your
smallest jig.Upon first strike change the other lines to
what ever took the the fish.Remember you can present at
least 7 different lures to the fish,use that ability. If
the fish just don't seem to be biting don't dispair,they may
just be full and will start feeding again soon,bait may be
below the surface so slow right down so the lures sink.

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Fisheries Trolling Manual Page 12
A)
NOTE:Jnside line
Ion the OUTside of the
turn)hangs just over
the stern
/
Canoe moving
141
Lines into
school
B) 111
Suggested maximum
School moving
/
helm with lines out
= 45 °
School moving
fl
t Canoe moving
121
Canoe moving
t
Canoe moving
,131
t
School moving
t
,,
,/'// ,
,,
,.
t
FIGURE 7

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13.
2. Fads. What applies to Fads also applies to all sorts of
floating debris ,logs etc. Fads act like marked sets of food
for pelagic fish and are used by them as navigation
reference points,a school may well move away from the Fad
during the course of the day,but return at late afternoon
earlier evening. There are no firm rules but Fads tend to
produce best for the first two hours after sunset and again
just on sunset. During the day tuna schools(especially
skipjack) tend to hang around upcurrent so as the day
progresses you should find yourself moving further away from
the bouy. As well as tunas you will find rainbow runner,
wahoo,mahi-mahi,sailfish ,marlin and sharks around the
Fads,these species you should catch through out the day. If
there is no action anywhere it is worth trying drop
lining,iki-shabi,up and down current from the buoy as the
tuna may well be feeding deep.
3. Reef edge trolling. Too and from the grounds and when all
else fails,you should troll along the reef edge for wahoo,
trevally,dog tooth tuna,etc. A good hint is to stay just on
the edge of the dropoff and then run a zig-zag course into
slightly deeper water and back to the dropoff. The reason for
this is when wahoo are cruising along the reef edge they
prefer water of around 8 0-120m deep. In this situation you
should troll your large jets as they will take most of the
reef species. What every you do don't stop with the lines out
over the reef,because you will hookup to the bottom .
care of your fishing gear.
1. Lines. These should always be coiled properly as kinks led
to weakness of the line. Keep them stored in boxes out of the
sun or at least covered up,as sunlight affects the lines.
Regularly check the crimps,for there is a possibililty that
after large fish strikes the crimp
pull out
slightly. Lines should be replaced every 12-18 months,if
looked after they may last as long as 2 years. Avoid knots at
all costs!!!
2. Boom/tag lines. These should last a long time,the only
thing to watch out for is caffing at the booms and at the
swivels.
3. Swivels. Oil once in awhile,make sure that they do
swivel. Replace when they fail only.
4. Traces. As with the lines they should be kept coiled when
not in use. If any bad kinks appear replace right away. If the
wire breaks a few strands replace immediately.
5. Hooks. Sharpen hooks at least once a week. They will last a
lot longer if on returning from your fishing trips you wash
off your lures with fresh water. Bent hooks should be
straightened or replaced right away. Sharp hooks catch
fish,blunt hooks lose fish!!!

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14.
6.Lures.As already mentioned above,lures should be washed
off in fresh water when you return from fishing.Any skirts
which have been badly chewed should be replaced before the
next fishing trip.Jet heads should be polished with a rag at
least once a week.Replace what you lose.
7. Gaff.It is worth mentioning here to keep your gaff razor
sharp and greased (this gives good penetration on gaffing).
IT PAYS TO SPEND SEVERAL HOURS EACH WEEK CHECKING AND
SERVICING YOUR BOOMS AND FISHING RIG.AT SEA IT CAN BE
TOO LATE!!
GOOD FISHING !!!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS;
Chief Fisheries Officer,Teekabu Tikai for his support.
Fisheries Licensing Officer,Bob Hastings for his
commputer generated drawings.
FAO Consultant,Mike Savins for his construction drawings.
Fisheries Officer,Rimeta Beniamena for the translation.