Never leave the reel in free-spool, on a clicker, or bait-runner mode while the rod is unattended. Always have the drag engaged. When the fish strikes and swims off, there will be some tension on the line to set the hook against the fish's jaw. Otherwise, the fish will just spit the bait out. I see more fisherman loose their fish this way than any other way.
In most instances, when you have a bite, you will hook many more fish if you just reel, do not jerk the rod. You do not have to cross their eye balls. This is especially very important the deeper you fish. You can give a slight hook set on the rod after reeling some and after the line becomes tight and the rod doubles over.
During dolphin (mahi-mahi) season which runs from April to August, be sure to have some herring cut and ready to throw to the smaller schoolie dolphin. Use 20-30 lb. line and 4/0-6/0 hook. Also, have a rod rigged and ready with a bigger bait, like a whole herring or a ballyhoo, in case a bigger fish shows up.
When anchored fishing on the reef it is a good idea to have an unweighted flatline (30 lb.) out on an outrigger trailing behind the boat. There should be a wire leader with a whole ballyhoo or herring back in the chum slick. You will be surprised how many extra bonus fish it will catch! We usually get king mackerel, tuna, wahoo, barracuda, sailfish, and even occasional mutton snapper and grouper on this rig. Try this at every spot that we fish, but only when there is some current.
One of the best tricks to fire up slow fishing, is to cut thread herring or similar bait in half, and throw out a few chunks behind the boat in addition to the chum. You have to do this regularly, about every 5-10 minutes and hang on!
The presentation of the bait is very important, more so than the actual bait that is being used. Freshest bait works the best. Match the size of the bait to the fish you are after.
Mutton snapper and black grouper are a bit shy of the boat, or any unnatural commotion on the bottom (like your sinkers bouncing up and down). To catch these fish, try casting your bait/rig away from the boat, preferably in the direction of the chum slick. Use bigger baits like whole yellowtail snapper or grunts for black grouper. Smaller baits will catch more mutton snapper and red grouper.
I know everybody has something to say about the use of circle hooks. After many years of using both circle and convential hooks, I find that circle hooks work better in deeper water for bigger fish. I have cought plenty of amberjack and grouper using them. Everywhere else conventional hooks will hook more fish.
Catching snapper behind the boat in the chum slick is called flatlining. Most people are familiar with it, but the technique takes some time to perfect. Here I will give you a few pointers that are sure to increase your odds. First, use a spinning rod with 12-20 lb. line. A 6'-12' length of fluorocarbon leader (same pound test as the main line or slightly lighter), tied directly to the main line will help. I do not reccomend using any swivels. Use 1/0-3/0 hook. It is best to match the bait you will be using with what you will be chumming with. If it is block chum, use tiny piece of cut bait. Under certain conditions, (cloudy water, no current), a tiny split shot close to the bait, or a tiny jig will help. The trick is to get your bait moving naturaly in the chum slick with the current. Presentation is very important, so let your line go out freely off the spool. Feed the line out with your hand. Avoid any pulling on the line, twitching the rod tip, letting the line become tight, or trying to feel for a bite. Any unnatural movement of your bait will usually cause the fish to turn away. Ever wonder why sometimes you will catch some yellowtails really fast and soon they go back and become hard to catch? This is because you still have to work on your presentation technique. When the fish takes your bait, the line will zip out fast from the spool. Close the bail and reel. Fish on!
When bottom fishing, do not let your sinker bounce up and down on the bottom. You will get snagged often and will not catch many black grouper and mutton. Reel up 3-5 cranks on the reel after the sinker hits bottom, or let the sinker lay motionless right on the bottom.
Often I see many people hook their bait too deep. Do not imbed the whole gap of the hook into the bait, especially if the bait has tough skin. Leave the point and some of the gap of the hook exposed, so there is something to catch the fish's jaw. When there is some current, it also helps if you hook the bait so it is more hydrodynamic. It will be less likely to spin on the way down, and foul up your line. I see some people hook their live baits in the tail section, which is not too effective under normal conditions. It looks very unnatural swimming tail into the current. For drift fishing it might be OK.
When catching small "shoolie" dolphin, one or more hooked fish running and jumping, will get the rest of the school excited and feeding. Keep at least one hooked fish in the water to keep the rest of the school close to the boat. Keep this hooked fish in the water only untill it tires out, stops swimming, and turns color. When that happens, get him into the boat and try to hook a fresh one. This will keep the whole school feeding. Be ready, and keep an eye out for bigger dolphin in the vicinity of the smaller ones.
Remember, fish go through feeding cycles according to the tide, barometer, time of day, etc., so be patient. Just because the fish are not biting right now, does not mean that there is no fish, or you are fishing in the wrong spot. Sometimes the longer you fish an area, the better it will get.
When trolling lines behind the boat, run fewer lines, but run them further back. This is especially true when it is windy, because too many lines will tangle on a turn. Furthest back lines will catch more whoo, tuna, and bigger dolphin. The lines can be run closer when there is a lot of floating weed or when there is plenty of schoolie dolphin.
There is no reason to run rigged natural or dead baits on your trip, as we will be trolling too fast for these to work properly. Fast speed artificial baits will work better in this situation. There are a few that seem to work better then others. Email me if you need suggestions on what trolling baits to bring on your trip.
Always make sure you have a chum block working in the water while fishing on the reef. Pay attention, and drop a new chum block in the bag before the old one runs out.
Be extremely careful when handling any fish. Most of them have sharp spines, and many have razor sharp teeth. Especially, stay away from the mouth of all mackarel, barracuda, eels and sharks. It is best to just cut the line instead of trying to recover the hook out of any of these species. If you are not sure of yourself, please ask, your captain or a mate will be happy to help you.
© Copyright 2005 Two Fish Charters Inc.
