Big Tournaments, Big Money, Small Investment.

[Twotems]

We've had alot of success with home made FAD's here in West Africa. Personally, I've caught YFT, Big Eye, Blue Marlin, Wahoo, Dorado and Sails near or around FAD's and similar structure.

After reading about the payoff of $1m+ in tourneys like the Big Rock etc. Why wouldn't someone invest $5k in a series of elaborate FAD's a few months prior to these tournaments? It would seem worth it to me. Any ideas?

I do understand that it may be against federal or local regulations. But there's nothing stopping anyone from dropping them in international waters.

Here's a picture of what we caught last year from my friends "FAD farm" to give you an example:

[babalaza]

hey mate, whats a FAD?

[Twotems]

hey mate, whats a FAD?

Fish Aggregating Device sometimes given the misnomer of Fish Attracting Device, which I think is a better name actually.

[Glenn W]

Twototems,
Rest assured it has been tried many many tiimes in the past. Here on the East Coast South of Virginia there are Four major reasons that Fads do not work--- rather, do not stick around very long:
(1) Gulf Stream Current--- The Fishing grounds here are in the Gulf Stream which moves (varies) inshore and offshore by several miles in a single day.
(2) Storms--- yea, they are everywhere
(3) Where we fish happens to be right in the Shippping Lanes. The amount of Cargo shipping up and down the East Coast is like a highway.
(4) Individual pelagic fish ( hense the name, I know) do not stick around in one area very long and move up and down the Gulf Stream with the Seasons.
Oh, and one more I just thought about:
You couldn't imagine the cluster F__k of idiots that would swarm on a FAD.

[Capt_John]

Twototems,
Rest assured it has been tried many many tiimes in the past. Here on the East Coast South of Virginia there are Four major reasons that Fads do not work--- rather, do not stick around very long:
(1) Gulf Stream Current--- The Fishing grounds here are in the Gulf Stream which moves (varies) inshore and offshore by several miles in a single day.
(2) Storms--- yea, they are everywhere
(3) Where we fish happens to be right in the Shippping Lanes. The amount of Cargo shipping up and down the East Coast is like a highway.
(4) Individual pelagic fish ( hense the name, I know) do not stick around in one area very long and move up and down the Gulf Stream with the Seasons.
Oh, and one more I just thought about:
You couldn't imagine the cluster F__k of idiots that would swarm on a FAD.

I would fish the FAD Buoys religiously in Hawaii. I wish everything you just said wasn't true. I'd love to see how they would work. They need to put one of those NOAA weather buoys close enough to fish.

[Twotems]

Twototems,
Rest assured it has been tried many many tiimes in the past. Here on the East Coast South of Virginia there are Four major reasons that Fads do not work--- rather, do not stick around very long:
(1) Gulf Stream Current--- The Fishing grounds here are in the Gulf Stream which moves (varies) inshore and offshore by several miles in a single day.
(2) Storms--- yea, they are everywhere
(3) Where we fish happens to be right in the Shippping Lanes. The amount of Cargo shipping up and down the East Coast is like a highway.
(4) Individual pelagic fish ( hense the name, I know) do not stick around in one area very long and move up and down the Gulf Stream with the Seasons.
Oh, and one more I just thought about:
You couldn't imagine the cluster F__k of idiots that would swarm on a FAD.

That all makes sense. But to improve my chances for $1m I would try it every year before these big tournaments you guys have. It only has to pay off once.