We'll steer you right

By Terry Tomalin
Published April 6, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Terry Tomalin] Amberjack can be picky at times, so head out with a variety of baits, such as blue runners, porgies and bluefish.

It doesn't matter if you are fishing for snook on the grass flats or dolphin along the weedlines 100 miles offshore, the same variables will determine your success. Still, offshore fishing is an art unto itself, so to help get you started, we've asked a few of our local experts to share some advice.

The right boat

There are many things to consider. The first questions a serious angler will ask will concern the live well. Is it round? Will it hold enough bait? Here's rule of thumb: Each large baitfish requires one gallon of water.

Little things, such as rod holders, also make a big difference to hard-core anglers. Common questions asked: Are the rod holders in the right places? And can more be added?

Storage areas for the day's catch are also important. Are the fish boxes large enough and will they hold ice?

Today's anglers are running longer distances to catch fish, so naturally, another question will be about fuel capacity. Today's offshore boats, powered by modern motors, will get about 1.2 to 1.4 miles per gallon at 40 mph.

The bottom of the boat is also critical in the decision-making process. Look for a deep-vee entry. "Steps" provide extra lift and reduce drag.

And lastly, before you buy a new boat, do a little research. When you settle on a model, check the used boat ads for resale value. If you buy the boat now, what will it sell for in two or three years?

Robyn Dawson, an avid tournament fisherman, sells Fountain Powerboats at SportsUSA Marine Group in Tierra Verde. Contact him at www.sportsusamarine.com or call (727) 865-0614.

The right tackle

Just as no self-respecting golfer would hit the course with just one club, no serious angler would head offshore with just one fishing rod.

Anglers need several rod and reel combinations to cover the variety of species found in deep water.

For starters, you'll need a big spinning outfit. Look for a medium-action rod, 7 to 71/2 feet long, and a reel that will hold 200 to 250 yards of 20-pound monofilament line. You'll use this for catching surface fish such as cobia, tarpon and dolphin. Complement the rod with Shimano Spheros 8000 to 1400 size or a Penn 650 to 950.

Then add a bottom outfit that holds 250 to 300 yards of 50-pound test line. Look for a rod with a soft tip and a lot of backbone, and complement it with a Daiwa Sea Line 400H or Shimano Tekota 800. This outfit will work for grouper, snapper and amberjack.

Fill out your arsenal with a kingfish rod. Rig it with 300 yards of 20- to 30-pound test line on a high-speed reel, Shimano TLD Star 20/40 reel.

It is better to buy one "quality" outfit at a time, instead of buying several less expensive outfits that won't hold up to the stresses of offshore fishing.

Dave Bayes manages the Dogfish Tackle Company on Park Boulevard in Seminole. Call (727) 393-2102 or go to www.dogfishtacklecompany.com.

The right spots

Finding new fishing and diving spots can be easy, but first you must decide if you are looking for spots for diving, fishing or both. Some good fishing spots aren't necessarily good spearfishing spots and vice versa.

For example, some good grouper fishing areas can have little structure above the bottom. They may only have potholes and "swiss cheese" characteristics, which make them much easier to fish than to spearfish. These areas simply lack enough structure to hunt effectively with a speargun.

Some wrecks have many pieces of broken and criss-crossed structure that constantly snag fishing line, but that does not create as much of a problem for divers.

There are numerous books and computer programs that can start you in the right direction. The most economical tools are the plastic-coated "Top Spot" maps that contain a good sampling of popular fishing and diving spots easily found with any Global Positioning Satellite (GPS).

The most thorough tools, however, are computer-based programs, the two most popular being "Andren Software" and "Offshore Hunter".

Bill Hardman operates Aquatic Obsessions on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Call (727) 344-3483 or at www.aquaticobsessions.net.

The right fish: grouper

When buying real estate the key term one hears is location, location, location. The same could be said for grouper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. If the gulf were drained you would see miles and miles of sand reminiscent of a desert. In a desert there would be oases, where water holes would exist, starting the food chain from one-celled organisms to apex predators.

In the gulf the oases are limestone outcroppings, artificial reefs and shipwrecks, all of which start the food chain by giving algae something to cling onto. That chain eventually culminates in grouper and snapper.

Gag grouper prefer structure such as ledges, rock piles and anything that protrudes upward from the surrounding sandy bottom. Red grouper are more prone to be found on Swiss-cheese bottom that consists of hard limestone areas that are full of holes and crevices.

Oftentimes the fish will not be evident on a fish finder because they tend to lie directly on the bottom or in the holes, venturing out only to feed. Successful grouper fishing requires finding and anchoring directly over structure when targeting gag grouper and anchoring over the edges of flat hard bottom when seeking red grouper.

Dave Zalewski runs the Lucky Too out of Treasure Island. Call (727) 460-9893.

Amberjack

Amberjack are often referred to as "backbreakers," a term that many anglers can attest to firsthand.

Winter and spring months seem to be the best times to target these structure-orientated fish. They tend to congregate in large schools far offshore, the deeper the water the better. As spring approaches, you will be able to find some stragglers at some of the wrecks and large breaks closer to shore. But for the most part, they like depths of 100 feet and deeper.

A variety of fishing methods can be successful with "AJs," as the brutes are called around the docks. Start with the friskiest of large live baits. The best are blue runners, porgies, bluefish and squirrel fish. These baits can be easily caught on the way to your amberjack haunt, at many of the artificial reefs. Either anchoring or drifting over the location works great. Monitoring the sonar machine reveals where the amberjacks are, allowing you to adjust depth of the descending baits.

Artificial jigs work quite well at times too. Working the jig in an erratic motion will get best results. All colors and styles can be tried at different times. Amberjack can change their interest in a matter of minutes, so mixing it up is the best bet for some awesome action.

Dave Mistretta charters the Jaws Two out of Indian Rocks Beach. Call (727) 439-2628.

Snapper

There are quite a few different species of snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, but offshore in deep water, the red snapper is king. These fish are so aggressive that in most cases when a school moves in on a spot most of the other fish leave the area.

Red snapper typically stage high in the water column and will usually hit an angler's bait long before it gets close to the bottom. Red snapper can be found on many different types of structure, such as wrecks, ledges, potholes and even on a plain patch of hard bottom.

Mangrove snapper are known for their bait-stealing skills. These fish will attack baits with amazing speed and ferocity, again, usually well above the bottom. Usually targeted at night under a full moon, it is not uncommon for these snappers to rise off the bottom so far that they can be seen in the lights of the boat, even in depths of 150 feet or more. Wrecks and other high relief structures are great areas for targeting these fish.

Steve Papen runs Fintastic Charters out of Treasure Island. Call (727) 642-3411 or go to www.fintasticinc.com.

Kingfish

Each year at this time and then again in the fall, kingfish migrate through our area. And for the next month and a half or so, live baiters and those trolling hardware can get in on the action.

Through the efforts of conservation-minded local legend Gene Turner and a few others, legislation was passed to limit quotas on commercial and recreational harvest of king mackerel.

The net ban was implemented, limiting purse seiners from wiping out the baitfish supply, and now the fishery that was nearly depleted in the 70s is returning to the glory days I remember as a kid.

During two trips this week we caught approximately 100 kingfish, and while many that we released were not much over the 24-inch minimum, it further proved the condition of future stock. All of our fish were caught while drifting in a huge school of kingfish near the Betty Rose, a wreck in 43 feet. Whitebait and greenbacks lined on light tackle did the trick. Others around us appeared to be doing equally as well trolling spoons on planers.

While catching "schoolies" is a blast, soon it will be tournament time, and it will likely take a 40-pounder to win one of the majors and a 30-pounder to even make the leaderboard. Monster baits is what they like, and ladyfish, mullet, mackerel, shad, and large blue runners will head that list.

Jay Mastry charters the Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.

Cooking your catch

Some fish, such as sea bass for example, can handle thoughtless overcooking, yet still taste wonderful. But our local favorites - grouper, snapper and hogfish - will end up dry and "missing something" if overcooked.

The first trick is to experiment with different cooking methods. Each method - broil, pan or deep fry, saut, grille, bake, wrap or poach - requires a different amount of time. Estimate the time to a minute you think it will take to cook the fish. Write it down in a notebook. Cook your fish, and then make another note on how long it actually took to cook the fish. Learn to tell doneness by finger pressure or by a gentle thin knife prying into the thickest part of the fish. Eventually, you will get the timing down.

Here are a few tips from the kitchen: saut in half olive oil and half clarified butter. If you must salt you fish, make sure it is Kosher salt. With black pepper, grind it fresh. If you use lemon juice, squeeze it fresh, right from the fruit.

Tom Pritchard is the executive chef for the Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores. For reservations call, (727) 528-0407.

[Last modified April 5, 2007, 10:19:00]