Fast deep-water trolling is a sport fishing technique where artificial baits are used. It is an extraordinarily exciting fishing method, often associate with offshore navigation and huge fully-equipped fisherman boats. If, however, you know the right spots, those that guarantee great depths even a few miles from the coast, and you have the right boat, a quality equipped one like a Tuccoli fisherman, you can make memorable encounters and catches.
There are several spots suitable for this type of fishing even below the coast. For example, ithe waters of Scylla, along the Tyrrhenian side of Calabria. We are talking about the stretch of coast just north of Reggio and a village that dominates the sea from a promontory at the northern mouth of the Strait of Messina. A beautiful picturesque place whose origins date back to the times of Magna Grecia. The mythological Scylla, whose story is told in the Odyssey – Scylla, in Greek Skylla, derives from the Phoenician “sol” that is danger. It is described by Homer as a six-headed monster, atrocious and frightening, barking and growling horribly. Today, Scylla is, above all, a beautiful holiday resort, clinging to a steep stretch of coast between two rocky spurs and with a fantastic white beach at its feet.
Scylla is a great attraction for diving enthusiasts precisely because of its particular underwater conformation, just a few miles from the shore there is the famous “submerged mountain”, a rocky spire rising from the deep blue, lush with marine flora and fauna, absolutely not to be missed: it is the home of the St. Peter fish . For those who practice recreational fishing, the sea in front of Scilla is a spot that can give moments of pure adrenaline for the variety and peculiarity of the prey, which in these waters can reach considerable sizes. Which species can be caught? In Scylla you can fish anything! The strong current of the Strait, in fact, carries great variety of fish in this area. Also the morphology of the seabed contributes to this abundance: within half a mile from the coast, there are up to 70 meters of sea bottom, which reaches a depth of 600, 700 meters. In short, in Scylla, you can enjoy deep-water trolling even within three miles from the coast, a distance where boats with reduced safety equipment can navigate, therefore really within everyone’s reach.
Swordfish is the unquestionable king of these waters. To increase the chances of catching it, we recommend to undermine it especially at night. This will be strong experience not so much for the darkness, but for the Strait current, which is really strong in this area. We therefore suggest to be accompanied by a local who knows times, intensity and direction if you are not particularly experienced.
During the day, instead, the most coveted and spectacular prey is the imperial garfish: a precious, combative, splendid fish, to which the name of “Mediterranean Marlin” is rightly attributed. The best time to undermine it is during the hottest months of the year, between late spring and summer. Among the different types of baits that can be used for this type of trolling, we recommend the kona or jet, from 12 to 20 centimeters, to be towed in a fairly sustained speed range, between seven and ten knots. For the artificial ones, the best colours are black, purple and pink. In the waters of Scylla, you can also fish tuna and dolphinfish.. A trick? It is very important to mount attractors, better known as teaser birds. Thanks to their particular shape they are able to create a lot of turbulence on the water surface, thus improving the chances to attract predatory fish.
As for the equipment, we recommend to use a stand-up rod between 20 or 30 pounds, a 20-pound reel and, above all, at least 400 meters 20-pound fluorescent yellow nylon line.
