??? for Biscoto,Slip, and Jacques

[slip slidin]

Very informative answers from some very good fishermen. Not much more I can add to this but I will say that there is no substitute for time on the water.

[Jesse Lockowitz]

Very informative answers from some very good fishermen. Not much more I can add to this but I will say that there is no substitute for time on the water.

mhm

[di hrd]

I had heard it was good up to ~125.....but 80 would work fine for fall grouper fishing when they move in shallower.

I suppose I need to upgrade the electronics to really get down and find spots on the move, but I just don't want to put a whole lot of money into the boat right now.

The biggest problem i have is finding the small ledges, 1'-2' because i can't tell what is just the rocking of the boat and what is actual bottom contour. I have found several big dropoffs while fishing king tournaments, but the smaller ones area lo tougher.

Course all this is pretty moot if i keep having to work so dang much and not get to go fishing.

I can't stress enough that a machine that will hit on plane is one of the most important things for success in bottom fishing. The best case setup would be to have a stand alone GPS to view nav info and a dedicated bottom machine with split screen capability. Split with standard view and a bottom lock to view 15-25' of the bottom water column. A machine with the capability to freeze the sonar page and go back and mark spots is killer too. If you haven't seen it... it rocks.

Sat we did what we do often... Exploratory trip. We went to an area I didn't have any spots and fished every 2'er. We had a record setting day.

[Jared D]

Just to keep this thread alive, I will add my 2 cents. Granted, my area of fishing is centered around NE florida and Georgia.

As others said, good bottom is key. Marking anything that is out of the norm is a good way to start. Small ledges, hard bottom, and out of the way spots are going to pay more than well used local hotspots where anyone can get the numbers by paying the coin.

When we are running, we make it a point to check out any turtle we see basking, as well as to check out any bait pods (many times they are near some bottom... usually with in a couple hundred yards.)

As others said, for grouper, the key is to get your bait down there for more than a few minutes. Little fish get the grouper fired up. Usually it will take 10-15 minutes for the gag bite to open up. I usually go for a big grunt head or butterflyed bait to have something that withstands the nibblers. Its really good to have one or two guys reeling in the smaller fish as the struggling and regurgitating these fish do help chum the waters.

When we fish, we usually drift, and use the motors to keep us on the spot. This is great for some fish, but with grouper, you really want to anchor in most situations (unless there is little to no current). Grouper are generally not aggressive enough to be caught in large quantities drifting. It can happen, but usually you will do better to anchor properly. That said, its more work on the captain and anchor man, so learning how to anchor is well worth the time.

Last key point is to use enough gear to get the job done, but not over doing it. I have fished with some people who used 200 pound test w 16/0 circles. Others who use 16 oz of lead to hold in 60 feet w no current. I try to use just enough of everything to get the job done. I loose some nice fish, but I get way more "at bats" then most. Also, bounce your bait back in the current. This can really help you get fish that are hanging behind the boat.

[gottaflylee]

Adding a little more here...USE ENOUGH ANCHOR!

On my boat, I stepped up 1 anchor in size for my boat and it is a "High Tensile" anchor. On top of that I also have 25' of chain. When I stop on a rock, I want the boat to stop with as little of scope on the rope as I can use. In 60' of water, I can fish with a 100 to 120' of scope out. This will help me fish spots the size of a small bedroom.

A lot have been said about a scope that will mark when you run and this is true, but when I troll, this is the time when I find the small live bottoms that get over looked.

As Slip said and no truer words have been said in this thread..."there is no substitute for time on the water". Learning this fishery will not happen over night, it will take time and trips that are no so productive...

[Capt. Lyndon]

Jay, to answer you're question on water depth, the last 3 weeks or so I have been catching a good number of gags in 65 ft. of water, and scamps in 90 ft. I haven't been east of the shoals to catch any reds, but they should be in 100 ft. or better east of the tower. Feel free to give me a call anytime, and I'll hook you up with a few numbers to get you started. 910-880-9947