Deep Sea Fishing Techniques

Techniques will vary according to length of trip and species being sought and may include trolling, drifting live bait, bottom fishing or a combination of any or all.

• Trolling: Boat is moving all the time, with lines trailing out behind the boat. Targeted species are usually spanish or king mackerel, bonito, bluefish, or any of several small inshore species on short trips. This technique is also used offshore for larger game fish. Baits used may be live, frozen, or artificial. Tackle may be anywhere from 10# upwards, depending on species/size targeted.
• Drifting: Boat is moving with wind or current, not under power, perhaps around a weedline, or some structure under boat. Usually done with live baits, this is a technique that can be much more effective than trolling at times, and it may also be used along a long stretch of bottom. Targeted species can be anything.
• Bottom Fishing: Boat is held over a spot or anchored, depending on conditions, size of spot, and other conditions that vary from trip to trip. A combination of live and frozen bait is used, again depending on types of fish being caught, number of anglers, etc. Types of fish targetted are various species of grouper, snapper, triggerfish, jacks, or some of the smaller seabasses, porgies, etc. (for the smaller anglers to keep busy) Understanding that most everyone wants big fish, keep these smaller fish in mind too if you are looking for table fare. Often while bottom fishing, you'll get some of the other "trolling type" fish, such as king mackerel and dolphin/mahi-mahi.

• Shark Fishing: Boat is anchored, and we stay in one spot entire trip, unless we are on a long (eight-twelve hour) trip and have had no action in the first part. It's not unusual to go the entire trip and not get a "run" until the last few minutes.
  As my specialty is shark fishing, I run a lot of shark trips in the summer, particularly during shark week on television. One of the things to keep in mind is that those big schools of sharks you see on television are generally in tropical areas that are not within reach of normal anglers. That said, we do get a lot of sharks, ranging in size from two feet to over twelve feet. I get a lot of people wanting to get a "shark" for one of the youngsters, and we generally stay in the bay for these (smaller fish, most of the time). For the larger species, we go out into the gulf, and time is not an issue in catching them. I've caught them at eleven in the morning and eleven at night. Night fishing is normally cooler than daytime, otherwise it doesn't really matter.

• Dolphin Sighting and/or General Sightseeing: Sightseeing trips can be arranged upon contact. These trips are run just to show off the beautiful waters, dolphins, birds, etc. around Panama City Beach, St. Andrew's Bay, St. Andrew's State Park, Shell Island, etc. Feeding of the dolphins is now illegal, but dolphins are still very numerous and friendly. They can commonly be found playing.

Trip Lengths

• 2-3 Hours: We stay in the bay, usually trolling with spoons for spanish mackerel, bluefish, hardtails, or skipjacks. This trip is designed for the family that wants to get out on the water for a little while and perhaps let the kids catch a few fish, or see the dolphins. Fishing normally starts within 10-15 minutes of leaving dock, but may be a little longer if I know of fish in a certain area.
• 4 Hours: Normally considered a half-day, these trips are usually trolling trips, to catch mackerel or other types of fish encountered while trolling. We may be in the bay or gulf, depending on type of fish, weather considerations, or other factors. We can bottom fish on this trip, but results are not always what you may want, fish are normally smaller than on long trips, with more releases due to undersize fish, etc.
• 6 Hours: Most of the time this trip is in the gulf, almost always within sight of land, and may be trolling and/or bottom fishing. While trolling, you may have more time to catch your limit, if fishing is a little slow (yes, it does happen). However, bottom fishing is definitely better on a six hour trip than a four hour trip. Most of the time it is either bottom fishing or trolling, as there is really not enough time to do both correctly (except for those days when you can do no wrong, or if it is a small party).
• 8 Hours: This is considered a full day, and can be trolling, bottom fishing, or a combination of the two. There is usually a wider range of species encountered. Sizes of fish are much better than the shorter trips, although this varies from trip to trip.
  Example There has been a movement of fish that are just smaller than what we were getting last week and it may take a few days to figure out. It works in reverse too. There was a trip back in 2001, when we got 10-15 pound red snappers on several spots for three trips in a row. When they moved out, it took a while to discover where they moved to. A week later, we found them again and had a couple days of bigger snapper, rather than the normal 2 to 5 pound fish we would normally catch on those spots.
• 10-12 Hours: These trips are generally bottom fishing, although a combination trip works very well. I have run them to try and catch larger fish of one species or another, concentrating on one species, such as king mackerel, or while fishing a tournament.