Once you have transferred all your stuff into your dory, move off a hundred meters or so and stop so you can get everything ready.

Keep one side of the boat clear for fighting and landing fish. In tiller steer boats, generally the opposite side to where the driver is sitting.

Organize it so that the frequently used items are on the top and have easy access. In a tiller steer boat, I suggest a fore and aft esky system. One under the driver’s seat, and one up the front.

Always have needed items close to hand: Pliers, knife, donger, and gaff etc. What are you going to need when you bring the fish to the boat? You never know when (or if) a fish is going to hit, might as well get ready now. Decide who is on strike and get your gimbal on. A spare in case of double hookups is advised.

Make sure everything is within easy reach, and everyone on board knows where things are. Even put them back there when you finished using them. Anything sharp or pointy should not be left exposed.

Keep your lures in a wrap, so that you can get to them easily and keep the hooks inside. One person will only need one wrap for a session in a dory. Don’t clutter up the boat with stuff you won’t use. But don’t forget to reload back at the mother ship either.

Make sure any lure you take on board is ready to deploy. Any rigging, hook sharpening or leadering should be done before hand. Take a small hook hone to touch up any hooks that need it during the day. But start with everything ready to go.

The next thing to do is point the boat in the direction you want to go and start moving. The driver gets the boat going straight, at a moderate speed while the lures are deployed.

The lure to be further back should be deployed first, then the closer one, lastly drop in any close teasers. There should be a gap of at least five meters between the lures. The closest lure can be right on a teaser’s arse, and should at least be close. Why attract fish into something that has no hooks? Teasers are there to bring fish to your lures.

Now move up to trolling speed, and watch the lures and rods. In a tiller steer boat, it is easiest for the non-driver to watch and make adjustments. Make sure the strike alarm is on for your trolling reels.

Congratulations, you are now fishing.

Increase speed if the lures are not moving vigorously. When the lure is too deep to see, use the rod tip as a guide. It should be nodding up and down and vibrating. Means the lure is working hard under there.

Skipping, bouncing lures may need to be put further back, especially in the case of the deeper lures. Or speed needs to be reduced. Remember that your speed changes as you go up and down waves. Initially watch the lures closely to make sure they are running fine.

You can have the lures as close as you want. But not too close, these fish often launch themselves into the air. Give yourself at least five meters clearance from the back of the boat. In good conditions the closest lure can be kept within around five to ten meters. At most fifteen, a change of lure may be required so that you have something in that area.

Through out the trolling session, maintain a good watch on the lures. Make sure nothing has gone wrong and they continue to run well. You should be getting good bubble trails from your surface lures, and keep the rod tips moving for the deeper lures.

When trolling reef edges, the driver needs to mostly keep the boat going straight and at the required speed. In tiller steer boats, this takes a bit of concentration. When fishing near structure such as bombies, you need to pay some attention to the lures and try not to turn too sharply.

In can be handy to select a spot on the horizon, or a cloud and use it as a reference point. When using a GPS it’s a bit easier, checking it every few minutes to make sure you stay on track. If you are moving off it, pick another point and head towards that.

At some point in the future, hopefully not too far away, the lures will get hit. This is great as it turns a boat ride into a fishing trip.

A few things will help at this point. Firstly the engine should be smoothly moved up to full revs. Maintain full revs for at least five seconds, and try to ram that hook in.

Make sure everyone on board knows this so they are prepared to brace themselves. A quick check to make sure someone is not hanging one over the side before doing this is advisable.

The next thing is to back off, probably just idling forward. The rods without fish on them, and any teasers etc, need to be cleared so you can fight the fish. They should be cleared closest first. Make sure the rods, lures and teasers are put out of the way, and are not underfoot.

The driver needs to keep the boat moving and monitor the rod with the fish on it. Line must be kept peeling off that reel. If the fish is moving away from the boat that is fine, but if it turns quickly and gets slack line, it’s probably gone.

The person on strike then puts the rod into their gimbal. Be ready to get pumping as soon as the line looks like stopping. The boat can be stopped at this point, and do not spend long periods of time idling in gear.

If the driver is on strike, then you swap over after getting the other rods etc cleared. But someone should be ready on the wheel to counter any fishy tactics.

Once you “have colour” (the fish is close enough to see in the water), make sure the boat is in neutral and prepare to land the fish. Once the line is wound in you should grab the leader to control the fish. They may thrash a bit at this point, so be ready.

If you are releasing the fish try to dehook it without bringing it into the boat. For small fish, up to 10kg you should be able to land the fish with the leader. Larger fish should be gaffed.

When bringing in large, dangerous Wahoo, I suggest liberal application of the donger prior to putting the fish in the boat. Try to bring it in the boat with its head down to the transom end

Use the pliers to remove the lure from the fish. Keep a good hold on the leader while the hooks are still in the fish. You do not want the lure flying around. Then bleed the fish, making sure its head is at the boat’s rear.

Clean out the blood and fish slime from the boat. Do not let it dry as it stinks and is much harder to get off. If needed, open the scuppers and motor forward to improve drainage.

Once the fish is bled, clean any excess blood off the fish, and keep it covered under a wet hessian bag, any shade available should be used as well. Remember that dead fish can still bite, so stow the pointy bits carefully.

Get the boat lined up and put the lures back out again. If it’s working, don’t change it. So probably the same lures go back to the same place. Before putting the lure back in the water, check leaders for any damage and hooks for sharpness.

If you are not getting any hits it can be a bit of a worry. You might wonder if you are doing something wrong, or have the wrong lures. In regards to our Coral Sea reefs, you are probably fishing in the wrong spot.

If this does happen, mix it up a bit. Try trolling a bit closer or wider. Go faster or slower. Run the lures a bit closer or farther back. Change lures and try different colours.

I prefer to just run the two lures from the dory, even with more than two on board. A third rod, rigged and ready to go, should be taken as a spare. Useful in the case of bust offs, sharkings and spoolings.

There can be a lot of water between fish, so a fair amount of patience and persistence is required. Don’t panic, it’s a big ocean. Look around and pay attention to the conditions, you should find some fish eventually…