Saltwater Sportsman

Sarasota THROW DOWN

OFF FLORIDA’S CENTRAL GULF COAST, HITTING ROCK BOTTOM MEANS HOT GROUPER AND SNAPPER ACTION.

- By Alex Suescun

He then joined the crew in the cockpit and grabbed a rod. The moment the anchor rode went taut, the four of us sent baits to the bottom. The reception below was immediate, and all the rod tips went skyward. Everyone hooked up, and a fat mutton, a mangrove and a pair of lane snapper cleared the gunwales minutes later.

DESIRED TOPOGRAPHY

We were a good 30 miles off Sarasota, Florida, nowhere near a wreck or artificial reef. The fish-finder screen showed only some jagged, hard bottom and a number of marks right above it, evidence that the spot held fish.

In the Gulf, where the bottom is mostly flat and sandy, any structure attracts bottomfish, like snapper and grouper, and pelagics, like amberjacks, almaco jacks, barracuda and cobia. But the location is also important because the structures that harbor the bigger fish are generally found farther offshore.

While there were several wrecks and artificial reefs considerab­ly closer to port, Adams opted to keep going and instead fish over natural, hard bottom in 100 feet of water. “I usually find a variety of bottom dwellers out here,” he explained, “and these fish don’t get hammered like those that hang around the more accessible wrecks and reefs.”

NO CHUM REQUIRED

A loud grunt came from the starboard corner of the cockpit, and I turned to see another member of our crew — knees bent and firmly jammed against the transom coaming — doing his best to subdue what, judging by the deep bend on his rod, seemed bigger than our initial round of snapper. For a minute or two, the fish pushed the medium spinning gear to its limits, but everything held, and he managed to turn the 8-pound red grouper and put it on ice.

Knocker rigs with chunks of sardines, and jig heads with Fishbites were doing a more than adequate job,

hooking keeper snapper and grouper on every drop. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder if any larger game lurked nearby. So I made a ballyhoo plug, cutting the head and tail off the bait, then butterflie­d it and dropped it to the bottom in hopes of tempting a big snapper or grouper.

Raising and dropping the rod tip, I fluttered the bait enticingly. The rat-a-tat of small fish pecking at the ballyhoo plug came quickly, but soon after ensued a heavy jolt that called for a vigorous response. I set the hook hard and went into pumping mode. My steady pull brought the fish away from the bottom, so the tug of war continued away from potential break-offs, and an 11-pound red grouper soon floated behind the boat.

By the time my red made it into the fish box, the rest of the gang had contribute­d another grouper and several mangrove snapper to the morning’s catch. Amazingly, we never chummed. We just kept dropping our baits, and the bites came fast and steady. Apparently, the commotion caused by our hookups convinced other fish to get in on the action.

GET THE DROP

The light wind and current pushing nearly in the same direction most of the morning kept the anchored boat from pivoting too far from the good bottom and its ravenous inhabitant­s, and provided enough of a drift to present our baits in a natural manner, covering a larger swath down-current.

When the wind picked up and changed direction, making it harder to stay on top of the fish, we were forced to reposition a couple of times. That’s when everyone tied on bucktail jigs, let them fall to the bottom, and began erratic retrieves. The change in tactics paid off, and all were rewarded with chunky red grouper.

Still jonesing for bigger game, I considered dropping another butterflie­d ballyhoo plug, but instead upped the ante, pelting the surroundin­g area with a 6½-inch Tsunami Deep Shad, plucking a pair of nice reds in the process. Encouraged by the results, I continued yo-yoing the big swimbait straight off the transom, and half a dozen casts later, a hefty gag pounced on it.

If you’ve never felt the brute power of a gag grouper on your line, just imagine snagging a Winnebago as it speeds down the highway.

The 20-pound spinning tackle I was using made things a bit too sporty for comfort, but the reel loaded with braid was somewhat reassuring, and the drag eventually drained the fight out of the dogged 16-pound brawler.

ANCHORING VS. DRIFTING

When you frequent a number of bottomfish­ing locations on a regular basis, and you’ve had ample opportunit­y to dissect them and pinpoint their sweet spots, anchoring produces the most consistent results. Otherwise, drifting

baits while keeping tabs on your fish finder allows you to scout a structure and its surroundin­gs to mark where the resident fish tend to hang out.

Drifting is the easier option. If you have the coordinate­s or, better yet, the spot marked on your plotter, figure out the effect of the wind and current and position the boat for a drift over or alongside the structure.

If you’d rather anchor, take into account the way your boat will drift, how far away from the structure you need to drop anchor, and how much rode to let out to end up in the perfect position to send baits down to the fish. When the wind or the current is strong, baits drift a considerab­le distance before reaching bottom, requiring you to anchor well ahead of the structure to fish it effectivel­y.

SEASONS AND SPECIES

Our trip took place in October, but bottomfish­ing off Sarasota remains productive all year, as is the case off most of Florida’s Gulf coast. Various species, neverthele­ss, peak at different times and depths, and in some cases, there are closed seasons to take into account. Check the current regs before you go.

Red grouper spawn in April and May, so expect them to congregate in larger numbers then. Gag grouper go shallow in winter and spring. Then, many of the fish you usually catch in 50 to 100 feet of water move to depths of 20 to 30 feet, where they are susceptibl­e to trolled deep-diving plugs. Mangrove snapper, available year-round in spots as shallow as 10 or 15 feet, spawn in the Gulf during late summer, and the big spawners prefer depths of 50 to 70 feet. If it’s black grouper you’re after, you’ll find more and bigger specimens in depths closer to 200 feet. That means running 80 miles out or more, which also puts you in jumbo red snapper territory.

LONG-RANGE READY

The payoff of lengthy treks in the Gulf can be spectacula­r, but you should be prepared for the unexpected. Make sure your electronic­s are working properly (take a backup VHF radio and plotter or GPS, if possible), carry extra food and water, monitor the weather forecast not only before you leave but periodical­ly while out on the water, and leave a float plan with friends or family.

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Federal and Florida state regulation­s require Gulf anglers bottomfish­ing to possess a dehooking device and use non-stainless-steel circle hooks when using natural baits.
Legal Bottom Gear Federal and Florida state regulation­s require Gulf anglers bottomfish­ing to possess a dehooking device and use non-stainless-steel circle hooks when using natural baits.
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