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To an inshore fisherman, bottom fishing seems to consist of traveling 5 to 50 miles into the gulf, anchoring, putting a hunk of bait on a hook, lowering it to the bottom and reeling up a grouper, snapper or other benthic species.
It looks that easy. In reality, there are several things that make the difference between coming back with fish or not.
No matter how good your tackle is, how fresh your bait is or how sophisticated your electronics are, if there are no fish under the boat you won't catch anything.
It has been estimated 85 percent of the gulf's bottom from the shoreline to 100 miles out, where the continental shelf drops off, consists of dead sand, much like a desert. There are scattered oases, areas where limestone rises from the sand with ledges sticking up or flat areas of limestone with cracks, crevices, holes and caves. Artificial reefs and wrecks are another form of structure.
Just as a desert oasis provides food and shelter for birds, insects and large animals, the underwater oases do the same. Algae adheres to the structures, attracting a food chain of crustaceans, small fish, then grouper and snapper.
Most areas with structure are no longer secrets, as they were before the widespread use of Loran and the global position system. But fish and dive charts can provide locations as a starting point for building a database of secret spots. Some of these published locations can be disappointing because of heavy pressure, but it is amazing how often some of these locations produce well.
A good depth finder is a must for successful bottom fishing. Whether it is an LCD or CRT is not critical; what counts is the machine must show fish, which are indicated by echo returns above the bottom, and indicate with certainty the density of the bottom. Hard bottom such as limestone, a metal wreck or the concrete of an artificial reef is indicated by a strong return echo off the bottom.
Sand and mud absorb some of the signal and return a weaker image. Most machines work well in the automatic mode but can be tuned in manual mode so the user selects the gain, which is the strength of the signal, and the range, which is the portion of the water column to be observed.
Bottom fishermen don't need to look at the entire water column. About 10 feet above the bottom is all that matters. Many bottom machines are dual-frequency 50 and 200 kHz: The 50 kHz frequency is for deep water and has no real use in waters we fish.
Grouper rods used to be 7 to 81/2 feet, mainly because many anglers used tarpon tackle for bottom fishing. They needed long rods to make long casts to tarpon without spooking them, but there is no need to cast while bottom fishing and the trend is shorter rods, which provide greater leverage and better control.
Standup tuna fishermen employ 5- to 6-foot rods with a fast tip and strong backbone. This style of rod coupled to a 3/0 or 4/0 high-speed reel makes an ideal bottom combination.
Circle hooks are becoming more popular. The key to properly using this type of hook is to avoid setting the hook, simply reeling when the fish bites. This creates a solid hookup in the corner of the fish's mouth almost every time.
Attention must be paid to the leader for knots and abrasions. The 2 inches of line above the hook may look fine but can be rubbed to less than half its starting diameter by a few fish. Grouper may also strike the sinker, so the line around it must be examined.
Frozen Spanish sardines, squid and live pinfish should all be on board. It is important to keep the sardines frozen until just before using them, as they stay on the hook better, retain oil and smell better. Don't thaw them in a bucket of salt water, as this makes them soft and washes the scent from them.
If the water is dirty because of storms or thermoclines, squid coupled with a frozen sardine or pinfish is effective. Pigfish or grunts may produce more fish in dirty water because of the grunts they make when injured.
- Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach and can be reached at 727 397-8815 or by e-mail at Luckytoo2@aol.com