Winter Fishing

In my neck of the woods, the winter has been a mild one. Winter fishing has been off the charts. When the wind normally howls before and after a cold front, fishing success drops like a rock. So we try to fish ahead of the front as the pressure drops. But this winter – at least so far – the fronts have been few and far between along the southern Atlantic coast. Consequently, we have been able to fish in light winds and moderate temperatures, something the fish really like! We went this past week into the marsh and estuaries of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) on the Georgia coast. While the Georgia coast is only about 100 miles long as the crow flies, it has well over 500 miles of fishable shoreline in and around all the creeks, rivers and barrier islands. Georgia is home to over one-third of the total salt marsh estuary on the Atlantic coast. And the best part of all of that is – there are lots of fish and comparatively not many fishermen! During 2011 there were 61,000 resident and non-resident saltwater licenses sold in Georgia. To put this number in perspective, Florida has more resident and non-resident saltwater licenses sold than ALL coastal states combined, both Atlantic and Pacific. I heard, “Get to the fishing!!” OK, here is what we did. We had a high, outgoing tide in the morning leading up to dead low around noon time. For me, this is an ideal situation. I like to fish the last of the outgoing down to low and then the first of the incoming tide. In Georgia, this is particularly important. The tides can run as much as 8 or 9 feet difference between high and low tide. The fish that are in the creeks and up on the marsh flats at high tide are more concentrated and easier to locate in low water. When you have tides like these, it is easy to get caught up in a creek when the water is dropping. Some creeks will literally have no water in them at low tide. You can be in 8 feet of water at high tide and think you are fine, only to realize that half way through the tide you can’t get out of that creek!

I avoid that mistake by lots of exploring. Oh yes, I have been caught – several times in fact – but over time I have investigated all the areas I usually fish. I go at low tide and find the creeks that I can enter at dead low tide. If I can get into them, then I can get out of them were I fishing there on an outgoing tide!

We always look for bait. It’s not the bait we buy at the tackle shop, it’s the bait we see in the area we plan to fish.

As we idled up to our chosen creek I stopped the boat and shut the engine down. All eyes were on the water at the mouth of the creek. We looked for activity, for movement, for any sign of something alive in the water. A school of small baitfish at the mouth of the creek means we have activity. And, activity usually means fish.

So many times in the past when we fished a creek where we did not see bait, we did not find fish. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to see that the creeks with no bait also have no fish!

A small school of glass minnows “showered” as what appeared to be a flounder struck at them. That was the key we were looking for, so I dropped the trolling motor and began to move into the creek.

Entering a small creek with an engine running, even at idle speed, will do a couple of things. That engine stirs the mud bottom as it churns. But, more importantly, it scares the fish. Some would argue that the fish are used to engines. But, in a shallow, narrow creek, the fish have nowhere to hide, and you will see them darting and running ahead of the boat.

I always use the trolling motor to get back into a small creek. Don’t have a trolling motor? Use a pole and pole your way back into the creek. Noise in the boat – dropping something, slamming a lid, running an engine – is the worst enemy of a fisherman. Total silence is the key. I even find myself whispering or at least talking very quietly when I am back in a creek like this.

After reach the hole or bend I plan to fish, I ease a pole into the mud or pitch a small anchor up into the marsh to hold the boat against the tide. I avoid dropping an anchor where I plan to fish. In larger creeks I may just use the trolling motor, but here in this small creek, I need to be stationary.

With the boat sitting still (and quiet!) we wait. The tendency is to immediately get a bait in the water. But, you need to let everything settle down and get the fish used to this huge object floating over them and next to them. So, I grab a cup of coffee and sit for about fifteen minutes. My party does not understand, but a few fish tales and stories pass the time.

Every noise makes a difference when fishing shallow water in a tight space. Even the splash of your bait hitting the water can spook fish. So, when we cast, we cast softly and try to get as quiet a water entry as we possibly can. Often we use just a hook and a ">live shrimp because it makes so little noise when it hits the water. But, lighter jig heads can also enter the water quietly.

I cast a ¼ ounce jig head with a live shrimp up ahead of the bend we fished. I let it sink into the bend and then worked it up and down one time. The bite was simply a feeling of pressure on my line – a little “tick” followed by a feeling of being hung on the bottom. I set the hook, and a nice two pound seatrout came to the surface shaking its head. I handed to rod off and grabbed another rod to cast. Another cast, another trout. This went on until the tide stopped running.

I told my anglers the fish would quit until the tide started coming back in, and true to form, they did. As much as one teenager fished, he caught nothing during the slack tide.

But as the tide began to come in and the current picked up, the fished turned on and we began catching them again. Only on this incoming tide, we began catching redfish – spot-tail bass. An occasional trout came in but mostly it was reds.

We quit fishing after about 2 hours of incoming tide. It was a toss up as to why we quit – we were running out of bait at the same time we were getting fewer hits. The water had risen enough to let the fish get back onto the shallow flats at the same time we ran low on shrimp. So, we pulled the small anchor out of the grass, dropped the trolling motor, and headed out of the creek – once again without running the engine.

I fish this creek about once every two weeks – no more. I always troll or pole into it and out of it, and I never run my engine there. It has been good to me over the years, so I really protect it as much as I can. I know of no one else that even thinks about fishing in this creek – it’s small and out of the way. And the people I take there to fish are never from the local area – usually not even from Georgia!

Take care of your fish and they will take care of you!

Night Fishing Tips

Tony's dad dropped us off at the docks. It was about 6:30 PM and the charter boat sailed for a night fishing trip at 7PM. The boat was docked at the old Pier 5 charter boat basin in Miami, and to both Tony's and my surprise we had received parental permission to be on this big boat without adult supervision! I found out years later that his dad and mine had called ahead to the charter captain to make sure he watched out for us. I think they even slipped the captain some extra money when they picked us up after the trip. At any rate, this was my first experience at night fishing, and it would be followed by many more over the next few years.

Night fishing can be very easy and a lot of fun, or it can be a perfectly miserable experience. The difference comes in how you prepare for the trip. I have fished more times at night than I can count, and I learned quite a few tricks to make it easy and successful.

First of all, pick a night when the weather forecast is good. It is tough enough moving and finding things in the dark - bad weather just makes it worse, and a whole lot more dangerous.

Second, make sure your boat and engine are in good working order. Breaking down in the daylight is bad enough; you don't want this to happen at night. Trust this voice of experience on this!

Next, go through your boat inch by inch, making sure everything is in its place and secure. Go through each tackle box you plan to take and locate every item you think you may need. This may sound silly, but you need to study the inside of your boat and your tackle boxes. You need to have a visual knowledge of where everything is located. You will be tested on this during the fishing trip, so study ahead in order to pass! There are not many things as frustrating as trying to locate that pair of pliers, or those 8/0 hooks in the dark.

Speaking of in the dark, make sure you have several light sources. My current boat has indirect lighting all the way around underneath the gunnels. Have additional flashlights and a good high candle power beam stored dry and safe. Bring extra batteries, too.

Pre-tie enough leaders and terminal rigs to last you the entire trip. They don't go bad, so tying a few too many just means a few more for the next trip.

Probably most important, if you plan to anchor and bottom fish, is to get out before the sun goes down and get set up. Few things are more difficult than anchoring a boat properly over a ledge or reef in the dark.

As far as fishing methods go, I have two that work very well.

Night fishing becomes a matter of either smell or movement. That means fish must sense either wounded prey moving or they must sense the smell of food. So my two methods involve setting out a good chum line, fishing cut or strip bait in the chum, and fishing a live bait either freelined just outside the chum slick or on the bottom.

Fish frenzy brings on fish frenzy, so if you anchored in a known good area, the better the chum slick gets, the more the fish are attracted. Many fish are predominantly night feeders, like some of the snapper family. Others feed because of the frenzy. Whatever their reason for feeding, they are far more cooperative at night. You will find that the larger of the species will more readily bite at night. They become less wary, and can't see line or leader.

In the areas I have fished, yellowtail snapper, grouper, mangrove (or gray) snapper, mutton snapper, and an occasional king mackerel will be the predominant catch. Of course sharks are always looking for a free meal, and at night you are likely to encounter the larger versions of the that species as well.

Take along a first aid kit. I know we all have one on the boat, but double check yours before you go. Sometimes it's hard to tell the seriousness of a cut or puncture at night. Be prepared for anything.

Night fishing is wonderful if you approach it right. It is just a matter of being prepared.

Oh, about that first trip that Tony and I went on. We caught a few nice snapper. The old timers on the stern caught a boatload! Remember, it was a party boat. The stern was already taken by grown-ups, and the current would not let us get our baits into the chum slick directly behind the boat.

I learn something every time I fish. I wonder if that captain would have put us on the stern if he knew ahead of time that he would be in for a good tip......

Gulf Grouper Fishing

Fall means a change of weather with cooling temperatures, and cooling water temperatures mean fish. While lots of anglers opt for football, the savvy Gulf of Mexico rouper fishing anglers are sharpening their hooks and getting ready to jerk some grouper off the bottom.

From Florida to Texas, anglers from Naples around to Brownsville sharpen the treble hooks on their Mann +30 magnum diving lures, and set GPS numbers in their new GPS units when the cooler weather begins to arrive. They know how to catch grouper, and they are ready for the fun to begin.

Trips from places like Steinhatchee, Florida, can be made with relative ease in a comparatively small boat. This time of year it is not uncommon to find good quantities of gags in water less than thirty feet deep. That means you are less than ten miles out and still in sight of the shore.

As water temperatures moderate, gag and red grouper venture in from deep water to the relatively shallow areas from five to thirty miles offshore. Ledges, wrecks and artificial reefs will all become havens for these bucket mouths. Some anglers like to bottom fish with live bait, and pinfish are preferred over most other baits. Grunts will work, and cigar minnows or Spanish sardines will also work. But pinfish just seem to have that “big grouper” look to them. Grouper fishing on the bottom is pretty standard fare. Live bait on an 8/0 hook sent to the bottom. Anchoring is key in that you don’t want to end up directly over a rock pile. Fish to one side or the other. Be prepared to crank the drag down as tight as it will go to keep the fish from taking you into the rocks. Trolling with deep diving lures becomes an exercise in following a ledge or rock pile. A very good GPS with mapping capability will allow you to traverse the same territory over and over. Some ledges are a few feet long. Others, apparently like a fault line, can run for a half-mile or more. Natural rock outcroppings dot the seabed along the Nature Coast, and the grouper love them. Red and white along with chartreuse fire tiger are good colors for these diving lures.

Gulf grouper can, at twenty inches, legally be two inches shorter than Atlantic grouper. I think that may be because the population is more stable in the Gulf. Whatever the reason, a limit of grouper on every trip is not only possible; it is the norm this time of year.

Fifty-pound tackle, heavy monofilament leaders and a strong back can be the ticket to some good eating. Try marinas and guides in places like Galveston, New Orleans, Biloxi, and Orange Beach. In Florida try the Steinhatchee, Horseshoe Beach, Suwanee or Cedar Key areas for some great grouper fishing. These areas are smaller and the shore waters receive less fishing pressure. You success rate is more likely to be higher from these locations.

Make sure you release undersized fish. A nineteen-inch grouper looks awfully big and, yes, it will feed about four people. But maintaining the resource for future generations is key to all of us being able to fish a lifetime.

Write me when you get back and I’ll give you some grouper recipes that will knock your socks off!

Black Drum Fishing

Every spring – actually late winter and early spring, the black drum make their way into the inlets up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This is the time of year that the big breeder fish come in to spawn.

Black drum fishing enthusiasts make plans months ahead of time, tuning up their tackle, and their boats. Although the average “big” drum catch is around 40 pounds, these fish can reach weights over 100 pounds, and annually many fish that size are caught.

This is really a relatively simple fishing experience. You don’t really need any special tackle other than a heavy rod and reel with 50 pound test line. Simply put a bait on the bottom and wait.

Each inlet has specific spots that anglers have found over the years that seem to produce more fish. The easiest way to find one of these spots is to get out there on a weekend and look for the gaggle of anchored boats. With channelized inlets, they will generally be anchored along the edge of a channel that is often the deepest water in the inlet. Sometimes they will be just inside the inlet, around an eddy that slows the current a bit.

In non-channelized inlets, they can be found fishing the deep holes on the inside of the sandbars. The breakers are crashing the bar in front of them, and they have baits down in the deeper holes.

Speaking of bait, there are two primary baits that the “experts” use. While anglers usually prefer one or the other, both baits will work equally well. These baits are clams and crabs.

A whole or half blue crab on an 8/0 hook is about as good a bait as you can get. If the crab is small, use the whole crab. If it’s a big crab, cut it in half or even quarter it. Some anglers say that the cut crab works better because it can be found easier with the scent in the water. Some of them will crunch a whole crab to release those scents.

Clams have to be cut out of their shell and tied to the hook. Bread tie twists work here. If the clam is big, you only need one, but smaller clams mean using the meat from several of them.

While these are the primary baits, these fish can be caught on other baits. Sometimes whiting fisherman , fishing with small shrimp will hook into a big drum. I think about the only bait I have not seen work well is cut bait. That said, I will now get a ton of people telling me that cut bait works just fine. Maybe so, but not in my experience.

The technique is simple. Anchor over the fishing spot and put a line or two on the bottom. Set the clicker on the reel, and then sit back, drink a cup of coffee and wait for the bite. It is really a relaxing fishing experience – until that reel goes off!

Fighting a big drum is something akin to fighting a big rock. You have to pump and grind and get them off the bottom. They fight hard, but they also fight slow. You won’t have any long fast runs. You will have a slug fest to get him to the surface.

The fishing is fun, but the fish itself is, in my opinion, not so much fun. There are anglers out there that swear by the meat from these big fish. Many of them ‘pickle” the meat and can it for later meals. In my experience, the meat is extremely fatty and coarse. I had a hard time getting past the smell after I cleaned one – and all it took was one for me.

I do eat smaller drum – those under ten pounds. They are actually quite good. But, the big boys are not even on my radar. I will take someone drum fishing for the experience, but I do everything in my power to convince them to take a picture of it and let it go. Some of those who kept one anyway ended up calling me and telling me I was right.

But – as the saying goes – to each his own. To all you folks out there that love them, I say more power to you! I hope you catch a record fish! To those who don’t want to eat them, I say take care of them and release them to fight again another day!

Making Custom Fishing Rods

Everyone has seen them. Those hand wrapped beauties in the rod holders just begging to be handled. A snakeskin butt wrap glistens in the sun. Custom made rods: who wouldn't give just about anything to have one.

In my early fishing days, a loose thread on a guide wrap getting caught in my line frustrated me so badly I tried to rewrap the guide. After several attempts I actually got pretty good at it. That gave me the urge some years back to build a rod of my own. It was before all of the components were available to make building a rod easy. I literally hand wrapped the first one, with a spool of thread coming through the pages of a heavy book for tension and a rod blank in my lap. I knew nothing about backbones or splines. Had no idea where the guides should be placed or why a wrap should be clockwise in once instance and counterclockwise in another. But wrap one I did, and you know, I actually caught fish on it.

Over the next couple of years I purchased several rod building instruction books and learned the theories and rules behind good rod construction. I built a number of rods for myself back then. Components were reasonably priced and the rod was not that much more expensive than comparable commercially built rods. The difference was the pride factor.

I even began to get some requests to build rods for friends. One Christmas all of the guys chipped in and paid me to build a matched pair of heavy spin rods for the boss. It was time consuming, but fun building them. I figured I might be able to make some money at this!

Let me tell you about work versus fun. Sometimes what you like to do can become a real burden when you suddenly have to do it. Rod building had became a real burden. Everything was manual ( the great wrapping blocks we now use were nonexistent). I was spending five hours building one rod, and selling it for $20 more than the parts. That's $4 an hour folks! It didn't take much of that for me to revert back to "fun" building.

I still mess with building rods every now and then. Its good stress therapy. I even came up with my own snake skin pattern for my butt wraps. But mostly now I simply put my own butt wraps on store bought rods. Even at wholesale discount prices for parts, I can't approach the price for these store rods, and most are really well built.

There are a lot of places to get quality parts for building your own rod. Lots of them are here on the Internet, and I've linked to a number of them for you on the Custom Rod Building Page. Try building one for yourself. Start by rewrapping the guides on an "old but good" rod. Perfect your wrapping skill there and take on a whole rod. Even if you don't want to get that involved, it's really nice to have people look at the butt wrap on your rods and drool!!

Ever made a rod? Still making them? Got a question about rod building? Tell me about it. Email me your experiences and questions.

http://the-saltwater-fishing.blogspot.com/">saltwater fishing

Tarpon Fishing With Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow Suspending

Tarpon are very finicky and may eat a certain bait one day, and then indulge on another bait the next day. I really can’t help you in your lure selection, but I would highly recomend having some pre-rigged baits ready in case you aren’t getting hits on your “go-to” tarpon lure.When casting artificials for Tarpon, the floating, Yo-Zuri crystal minnows are my first choice. I’ve had big poons hammer the small 2 3/8 inch model and I’ve had 30-40 pounders hit the magnum series. It’s mostly preference. The magnum’s cast very far, and seem to be very appealing. When distance isn’t a problem, use a smaller minnow around the four inch range.Color. Without a doubt, I would use use the most natural color. Unlike the snook guys love the red head, white bodied lures, Tarpon are much more likely to hit a lure with “realistic” color rather than a colorful color. Many anglers know that lures are designed for the fisherman, not the fish……Crystal Minnow suspending lure follow in the footsteps of its floating and skinking namesakes with unmached looks, action and attraction. The difference is that these suspending lures swim frantically to a depht of 24-36 inches and stay there – even if you stop your retreive and let the lure sit. The suspending Crystal minnow features a streamlined body and brillant holographic finish that lights up in the water… even in low light. In every way, it’s perfect clone of frghtened baitfish.Very good lures for tarpon on night when fishing from bridge ou for snapper fishing. Better use it during cloudy time.

THE SALTWATER FISHING

Banjo Minnow Fishing Lure

Banjo minnow lures are supposed to copy the responses of a minnow fish dying in water. It is used as lure for enticing fish and taking home a big catch. It is by the mimicking action that it is able to attract the larger fish and for a fisherman, this is an added plus. The fisherman is supposed to control the movement pace, struggle as well as the movement of swimming by the bait in order to lure in the fish. Fish get easily spooked by quick motions, disturbance or lures that seem fake. The Banjo minnow lures are made in a manner that eliminates all these possibilities and increases the chances of getting a large catch.Among the major factors that make the Banjo minnow work is the fact that fish are dominating by nature. As such, when they spot a smaller minnow struggling in the water, the first instinct is to attack and since these are designed in a manner that makes it easy for the bigger fish to attack, it becomes considerably easy to lure the catch.When the Banjo minnow was first introduced in the market, most of the sales were made through TV commercials. While this still remains to the popular method used for selling the lures, there are also several websites that stock the same. Some of the online sites are known to compare different lures plus the costs and afterwards, direct buyers to sites where they can buy high quality Banjo minnow.There are several things that need to be considered before making a buy and while this might be the case; the fact that the Banjo minnow has gained popularity over the last couple of years is considered a positive attribute. The Banjo minnow also comes in different sizes and again, this is viewed by buyers as an additional feature that makes them an appealing addition to buyers.

THE SALTWATER FISHING

Daiwa Leobritz 500MT Electric Fishing Reel

 

If you want to use an electric reel,  Daiwa Fishing Reel Electric Leobritz 500MT can be your choice. This reel has a rewind speed: 200 meters per minute with 15 Kg max drag. and gear ratio: 3:7:1. below are the full specifications of Daiwa Fishing Reel Electric Leobritz 500MT

Here are the full specs :

Unique Power Lever for instant control of winding speed and powerDigital readout measures line out and distance retrieved from the bottomProgrammable auto stop feature stops winding when lure or bait reaches the surfaceManual winding option1kg load speed :155 m/minThe manual in EnglishMenu language in JapanesePower cord and reel bag included.Made in Japan.Programmable jigging functionMEGATWIN Power SystemSpeed technical leverMemory backup function18+1 ball bearingsCRBBBrass and aluminium gearingCompact designWashable design with sealed electronicsConvenient 12-16.8 Volts DC operationMaximum winding power 20 kg. continuous/momentary 43 kg.200m/min per minute winding speed in “Hi speed” mode1kg load speed :155 m/minThe manual in EnglishMenu language in JapanesePower cord and reel bag included.Made in Japan.

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Skipjack Tuna Fishing Technique And Tips

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Skipjack Tuna Fishing Technique And Tips – Skipjack Tuna are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. Skipjack is gift in big group feeding at the surface at dawn and dusk. within the coursework of different times they will come back to deeper waters. Skipjack Tuna eat lots of sorts of fish, as well as herrings, menhaden, hake, mackerels, anchovies, still as shrimp and squid.
Trolling little live baits or little lures, feathers, plastic squid or minnows at 5 to six knots is effective for Skipjack Tuna. Trolling strip baits at the surface at seven to 10 knots also will manufacture well for Skipjack. conjointly casting shiny metal lures. Alternatively you’ll fly fish for Skipjack Tuna together with chum. Most Skipjack Tuna caught by sport fishermen are within the 5 to fifteen pounds vary.of the foremost fascinating ways in which of fishing for Skipjack Tuna is to find a faculty of Skipjack feeding at the surface. Then with light-weight tackle casting into the frenzied college with alittle lure. explore for diving birds as a key to a probable bait ball still as a beautiful likelihood of finding feeding Skipjack.

To do this kind of fishing you’ll want a lightweight to medium action spinning reel with a matched rod that’s seven to eight feet long. The spinning reel should have a large line capability and be spooled with a minimum of 250 yards of 10 to twelve pound check. Skipjack Tuna will have long high speed runs therefore a swish drag could be a should. At the end of your mainline tie alittle barrel swivel. To the opposite end of the barrel swivel attach a fifteen to twenty in. piece of 10 pound fluorocarbon leader. Use little lures just like the crippled herring, Lead-head jigs, flies and even soft plastics.

Move your boat in to position a casting length removed from the varsity. create a forged in front of the moving college. When the lure hits the water let it sink for a second or and create a gradual speedy retrieval whereas holding the tip of the rod close to the surface of the water.

 

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Roosterfish Fishing Tips and Technique

Roosterfish Fishing Tips and Technique – Roosterfish inhabit the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California to Peru. Roosterfish frequently travel in big school, chasing baitfish. When hooked or in pursuit of prey it’ll raise its dorsal fin sort of a flag and leap repeatedly. Most Roosterfish catch by sport fishermen are principally within the ten to thirty pound vary however Roosterfish up to one hundred pounds are caught by anglers. Fishing strategies are trolling or casting baits and lures, or live bait fishing from a ship or shore.Slow trolling Rapalas or faster trolled dorado, tuna and wahoo kind lures can take Roosterfish further as belly baits on skirts. Roosterfish may also be caught with slowly trolled mullet, sardines simply outside the surf line. Roosters will be taken all year spherical however they’re a lot of commonly caught from November through March.A very productive and well-liked technique of fishing for Roosterfish is surfcasting. this can be typically done with a graphite composite medium to medium-heavy action rod that’s ten to thirteen feet long, with a high capability spinning reel that incorporates a quick retrieve ratio. The spinning reel ought to be spooled with three hundred yds of braided line that is fifty to sixty five lb take a look at with a sixty to eighty lb mono leader. Attach the four to six feet of leader to the mainline with a one hundred lb barrel swivel.

When the surf gets massive and therefore the Roosterfish will solely be reached by casting out seventy to one hundred yds use serious surface lures like Rangers within the four to five oz. Size. the foremost affective thanks to fish Roosterfish in massive surf is to solid out as so much as you’ll and then reel in as quickly as potential. it’s not possible to reel too quick for these fish. When the fish will be seen operating bait terribly near shore and therefore the surf isn’t giant, use smaller casting lures like Crocodiles and Hopkins, the most effective size being two to three oz. and within the numerous chrome color patterns.

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May Fishing Ft Lauderdale aboard Hooked Up

Ok so April is behind us and here we go right into one of the best Shark fishing months of the year.
We started out May fishing with Phil, Brain, Piere, Charles and May all from Oklahoma.

What a great way to start out the new month!
We started out trolling the reef catching kingfish and bonitos one after another.
Ok so now that everyone had caught a fish or two we brought in the trolling gear and set out our kites with live baits suspended from them along with a couple shark
baits set down deep.

Ok the trap is set and it seemed like only min till this BIG sailfish was chasseing one of the live baits all over the place and just like that we were Hooked Up.
Phil jumped in the chair and the fight was on. 20 min later Phil had his 89 inch sailfish to the boat.
Than all of a sudden one of our deep rods bent over and line started peeling off. Holly Cow we got another big fish on just like that. This time Brain jumped in the chair and the fight was on. After a good 15 min Brain was worn out so Piere jumped in the chair to give him a hand. 10 min later at last this big hammerhead shark was at the side of the boat. J.J. managed to get 2 out of the 3 hooks out of the hammerhead and we watched him swim away in great shape.

What a great trip and as we pulled back to the dock we had our afternoon trip eager to give their luck a shot aboard the Hooked Up off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.

We had Jordon, Elson, Chirag all from Dallas Texas and Tim out of Miami Florida.
Once again we started out trolling the reef catching everyone a bonitos or 2 and than we set the kites right back out there and sure enough another sailfish popped up and this time Elson jumped in the chair.
15 min later he had his first sailfish catch. J.J. cut the leader as close as possible to the sail’s mouth and he also swim away in great shape.
What can I say but this was the perfect way to start out May!!
Thanks again to all of our lucky anglers today and thanks again for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @(877) SEA-4344

May 3rd
Today we started out fishing with Charles, Brent, Mark, Emma and Andrea from Ottawa Canada.
We went right out to 150 feet of water and set out 2 kites with 3 live baits and one dead shark bait suspended from them.
The bite started out a bit slow only catching a few king fish and a few bonitos than all @ once line started screaming off the one of the reels and we had a big fish on.
After a 15 min back and forth tug a war up came this nice 18-pound black fin tuna.
Guy’s thanks again for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up and we are looking forward to fishing with you guys again next year.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @ (877) SEA-4344

May 4
Today we fished with Jake and Brent from Lexington Kentucky.
We started out trolling the reef with 2-planner boards running about 45 feet deep along with 3 baits skipping across the waves. The planner boards seemed to be getting all the bites with us boating a half dozen kingfish along with a few bonitos.

Ok now that the skunk was out of the box we brought in the trolling gear and set out 2 kites with 2 live baits suspended from 1 kite and a live bait and a big dead shark bait suspended from the other kite. We also set a shark bait on the bottom and one last shark bait half way down.
Ok so the trap was set and now all we needed was for some big SEA MONSTER to come along and take a bite.
That’s just what happen and Jake jumped in the chair and the fight was on.
It was a back and forth fight till at last Jake got his hammerhead shark to the boat.

We slid him into the tuna door got all 3 hooks out of him a quick measurement to have a replica trophy made of Jake’s catch and watched him swim away in good shape to fight again another day.

Jake and Brent thanks again for a fun day of fishing you guys are first class and we look forward to fishing again.

Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @ (877) SEA-4344

May 5
Today was kind of a special day of fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale for me because I got to fish for the first time with the newest edition to the Hooked Up Local Knowledge Fishing team Brendan. I’m not trying to write this fishing story about one of the crew members but this truly ins a big part of the story today.

Brendan was a customer on the Local Knowledge quite a few months ago and Captain Mike has been using him to book trips and has slowly been training him to be a mate.

Well today both my main crewmembers J.J. and Greg needed the day off and I just wanted to see what Brendan had. By the way I did have one of our fill in Captains Chris ride along just incase things did not work out but as you’ll read things worked out very good.
Ok back to the trip we had Dennis from Sevierville Tenn. and Valery who now lives in Fort Lauderdale aboard.

Dennis told me he had been on 4 ob 5 fishing trips in the past without catching anything! I assured him that I would not let this happen on my watch!

So off we went on our 4-hour fishing trip. We started out trolling the reef with 2 planner board running about 45 feet down, one wire line set way back and two baits skipping across the surface.
We started trolling to the south catching a kingfish here and a kingfish there and while Brendan was wiring in the fish I would yell down to him that I wanted him to gaff the fish in the eye!! I must say this kid can gaff! He gaffed every fish just where I told him to and I think he was starting to feel a little good about himself but I was not going to let him get too at ease yet.
Ok so the kid was doing a pretty good job and at this point Dennis had let me know that he was having a ball and wanted to extend his trip for the whole day.

Good eating fish was what Dennis was looking for so we brought in the trolling gear and started doing deep drops for snappers. While we did manage to catch one good-sized snapper they just were not biting so I decided to switch up and dropped a live bait on a ship wreck.
A few min after our live bait hit the bottom the rod bent over and we were Hooked Up with a big fish that was taking a lot of line off the reel.
Dennis jumped in the chair and the fight was on. After a good 10 min fight up popped this 35 to 40 pound greater amber jack. We got quick photos of Dennis’s Jack and watched him swim back to the bottom to fight again another day.
O by the way I forgot to mention that while Brendan was bring this nice fish aboard he dropped him back in the water but by the grass of god the hook stayed tight and we were finally able to get a photo. (LOL)

Ok things were going good and now that Brendan was a little humbled we decided to go off shore looking for some dolphin fish.
Long story short we never did find any dolphin fish.
Ok no dolphin but I still had one more trick up my sleeve.

We caught a couple of live baits and we did a drop on one of my secret wrecks and as soon as the bait hit the bottom the rod bent over and we were Hooked Up again.
I called out to Valery (who to be honest had not felt very good for the last few hours but never once complained) to jump in the chair and reel up this grouper.
Much to everyone surprise (Me included) up popped this 15 pound black grouper.

Well Dennis you wanted good eating fish and this one is as good as it gets.
Dennis, Valery and yea Brendan it was a real pleasure fishing with you guys and two more things #1 Dennis I am looking forward to fishing with you again soon and Brendan you are not supposed to be happier than the costumers went we put a nice fish in the boat! (LOL) But all the same you did a great job and we’re glad to have you aboard.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @ (877) SEA-4344

THE SALTWATER FISHING

What Kind of Fishing Leader

Leaders. Some people swear by them; others swear at them. Freshwater anglers rarely use them. Kingfish, bluefish and mackerel demand their use because of the sharp teeth. But, are they really necessary on other types of fish? We were just off of Elliot Key in South Florida trolling, actually wire lining for black and red grouper. Each year in late winter and early spring they come up on the patch reefs to spawn, and some rather large ones can be caught with trolling feathers close to the bottom.

The bottom around the patches runs from twenty to forty feet down, and rises to within three feet of the surface on top of many of these reefs. Trolling is sometimes a tricky proposition, maneuvering around and between the patches.

Grouper will run out from a hole in the reef, grab the trolled feather, and dig back to their hole if they can. The trick to catching the hooked fish is to keep them out of that hole. Once they “hole up”, the only way to get them out is to dive down with a gaff and pull them out. Following the line down, we grab the leader, gaff the fish and attempt to drag it out of the reef – no easy task on a forty-pound black grouper.We are successful most of the time on these dives, and almost always successful if we can get hold of the leader.

We fish for sheepshead – my favorite cold weather fish – in the cold weather months. On my last sheepshead trip I noticed something about our terminal tackle. I had a ten-inch, twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader on my eight-pound test line. Bob had no leader on his twelve-pound test line. Brett had a twelve-inch, plastic coated, braided steel leader with a large snap on the end. His #1 hook was almost as large as the snap. We will argue the merits and catch rates of these terminal tackle rigs at a later time; for this discussion, I want to talk about leaders in general. Let’s look at the several possible scenarios given the types of leaders each of us used. On my rod, the leader is there to prevent a fish from chewing or cutting the line with their mouth. I use a surgeon’s knot to join the leader to the line. If I hang up, I loose my hook, or in this case jig head. It takes literally about two minutes to tie on another leader and jig head. What I lost was only a jig head.
On Bob’s rod, he used no leader at all. The loss to him if his line breaks is the same as mine – one jig head - and the re-rigging time is faster. But the probability of his line being cut by a fish or a rock is much higher. Hence, I caught more fish than he did.
Brett is the one that stands to loose the most in this scenario. If he hangs up, his store bought pre-made leader is lost along with a hook or jig head. Fishing in and around rocks with this type of leader gets expensive for Brett.So what’s the right leader in the above examples? I would say mine, and a check with Bob says I’m right. He was simply in too much of a hurry to re-tie his initial leader and consequently lost numerous fish to a broken line. Lots of anglers use a very heavy leader for larger fish. Our grouper in the reef would have been lost if we had used a lighter leader. The heavy leader helps prevent cutoffs from fish and structure. It also helps in landing or bringing a hooked fish aboard. Some anglers use very heavy fishing line and a leader that is heavy enough for the fish, yet substantially lighter than their line. If they hang on the bottom, the leader should break before the line, thus saving their sinker. Re-tying again becomes relatively easy. Wire leaders present another challenge. They are difficult and time consuming to build, even with some of the magic wire wrapping tools. They kink easily and must be replaced when those kinks appear. Multiple fish can be caught on one leader, but not very often. That one kink puts a weak spot in the leader that will surely break on the next fish.

With king mackerel, bluefish, and other sharp-toothed fish, a wire leader is almost a necessity. Not many toothy fish are caught on a monofilament leader.

Given the difficulty tying them, it makes sense to tie up a supply of them prior to heading out. I use those days when the weather is bad to my advantage and tie up a number of wire leaders. I keep them in small plastic zipper lock bags, and they last indefinitely if they are kept dry. A good leader, one appropriate for the fish being sought, can mean the difference between a full ice chest and an empty one. Common sense defines the word appropriate here. Don’t use an 80-pound test leader on eight-pound test line! The rule of thumb I go by is to use a leader roughly two and a half times your line strength. If you are using light tackle with eight-pound test line, a leader in the 20 to 25 pound test range will work well. A larger leader becomes bulky and tends to spook the fish. I go with this – small fish, small leader; large fish – large or small leader, depending on your preference. Light tackle anglers with light leaders have successfully caught some very large fish. In all cases, I leave the store-bought pre-made leaders where I think they belong – in the store! What you catch has a direct correlation with what’s in your leader. Believe it!

Saltwater Fishing

Bass Fishing : Fishing Equipment to Use for Freshwater

 

Saltwater Fishing

In freshwater fishing, the equipment is often smaller, the spools are smaller, the rods are lighter and the materials are often different. Discover which equipment is often the same between freshwater and saltwater fishing with help from a professional bass fisherman in this free video on freshwater fishing equipment. Expert: Ron Colby Contact: baits.com/ Bio: Ron Colby is a professional bass fisherman, has qualified for the Bass Master Classic and has won two BASS Western Divisionals. Filmmaker: Mike Phillips

Tuna Fishing Tags: Bass, equipment, fishing, Freshwater

Saltwater Fishing

Saltwater Fishing Reels – what you should know before buying…

Bluefin Tuna Fishing

Article by Kevin Baker

Saltwater Fishing Reels, What’s the Difference?

You must choose a saltwater fishing reel which is a good match to your saltwater fishing rod, holds enough of the type of line you need to use and winds in smoothly as you turn the handle. If you do not match rod and reel then you are going to cook yourself a whole pan full of trouble. I am talking about choosing from quality stock with the help of a knowledgeable assistant in a reputable fishing store. Most of those rod and reel combination sets you can buy cheaply are reasonably well balanced and tend to work well for catching bait fish but the odds are against you catching anything bigger, or indeed landing it if you hook it. Sure there will be some one out there who has caught good fish with one of these cheap sets but for every one who has there will be thousands who haven’t.

The vast range of sizes for saltwater fishing reels reflects the many different methods of fishing and the different fish you can choose to hunt. Only you can identify what you choose to fish for and therefore what size reel you will need. All you really need to consider at the moment is what type of reel will work best with your rod. Then match your fishing to that combination. Should you wish to change your targets at a later date then match both rod and reel to that chosen target.

Saltwater fishing reels come in three basic types, the closed face spinning reel, the open faced spinning reel and the bait casting reel. In saltwater fishing baitcaster reels are usually used for trolling fishing from a boat and are excellent for this purpose.should you attempt casting with a baitcasting reel you need to know exactly what you are doing – or be prepared for the proverbial bird’s nest! The closed face spinning reel is the easiest fishing reel to learn how to cast. They work well with bait or sea fishing lures but you should concentrate on working the estuaries, the beaches and around the rocks. The third type of saltwater fishing reel is the open faced spinning reel, beloved of my youth and still my personal favourite. They are excellent multi purpose reels which can provide good casting distance and quick retrieval if required.

In general a medium sized open faced spinning reel with several hundred feet of 12 or 15 pound breaking strain line makes a good saltwater fishing reel. If we add a nice whippy saltwater fishing rod of about 6 feet length we have a good multi-purpose saltwater fishing rig. I like a two piece rod so I can easily pack the rod and other gear away for traveling but that is just personal preference.

Get more fishing related information and fishing gift ideas at the fishing section of GetItHere.info

About the Author

Kevin Baker is a fishing enthusiast and regular contributor to GetItHere.info. Check out GetItHere.info for further information and unusual fishing gifts for the fisherman in your life.

Tuna Fishing Tags: before, Buying, fishing, Know, reels, saltwater, Should

Saltwater Fishing

New York Saltwater Fishing License Takes A Hit

December 16, seven Long Island towns went to court to fight the New York saltwater fishing license that was put into effect by the DEC in October of 2009 which required anglers over the age of 16 to purchase a fishing license to fish coastal waters. The towns of East Hampton, Southampton, Shelter Island, Brookhaven, Southold, Huntington and Oyster Bay fought the law claiming that it conflicted with the towns right to regulate it’s own waters.

The License was put in place so that the federal government can keep records of anglers within the state. New Jersey is working to create a free angler registry that anglers will give their information to so that they will not need to purchase a fishing license.

“ This license was only put to gain publicity of a lost cause. The strict fluke regulations have been overcome by the local avid anglers. I have not personally seen anyone enforcing these new licenses, but that doesnt mean they wont be cracking down next year. But when will that be taken as a serious restriction to the future of our fishery?” Says local south shore fisherman Giacomo Albanese.

I contacted the DEC for a statement regarding the lawsuit, but they would not go into any detail since they are currently preparing an appeal.

Professional angler Paul Michele had this to say “Registration is fine but simple fact is the government will continue pushing for a license as long as it is a possible revenue source. I would agree that there should be a law attached stating where that money is going back to the resource, as in many states it is not. RFA, a great organization, does not have all anglers involved so the data of how many anglers exist doesn’t trickle down to what we bring to the economy. Give government their money and also have a solid data source for future regulation battle is a win in my book. So either go with saltwater license or spend the $50 and join RFA.”

Something that makes the license an issue for me is that a license will shy people away from fishing, now they see it as one more fun and enjoyable thing to do that you have to pay for. What do I do if I call a few friends and tell them to come fishing, now they need to find their nearest tackle shop to go get a one day license? It becomes such an inconvenience to try and introduce new people to the sport.

Kyle Ondrey
Senior Writer/Director of Marketing - Northeast Angling

Video - Shore Fishing for Brown Trout

January 20th, 2011 Ivo Posted in Freshwater Fishing, Shore Fishing, T-Turn Swivel, Videos |
We were fishing down on the shore for those brown trout.


If the video does not load, you can view it here: Shore Fishing for Brown Trout
Our set up consisted of roe bags and a T-Turn swivel to let us fish tangle free!
We started fishing for brown trout at the crack of dawn and caught trout after trout!
Watch as we show you how to catch brown trout from shore of your own.
As always, good fishin’!
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