The Hints Club

Ok, we have caught our bait and are now at or near the 100’ deep area and are ready to see if any grouper are going to cooperate.

Our rig consists of a heavy snap-swivel tied directly to your main line. Make a 2-3 foot leader of 80 to 100lb mono leader and put a heavy swivel one end and a 8/0 hook on the other. Slip enough lead on the snap to keep you on the bottom, usually 12 to 20 oz depending on the wind and tide, and then slip the swivel into the snap also. Hook a baitfish up through the bottom lips out through the top, right next to the fish’s nostril. Sink him down to the bottom and hold on! Sometimes it won’t even hit the bottom before something nasty grabs it.

At the beginning of this article I mentioned that you want a “fairly” stiff rod. Well, the reason you don’t really want a “broom stick” is it will effect the presentation of your baitfish. After you put 16 to 20 oz of lead and get to the bottom, the rod tip should be moving up and down a little bit with the contour of the bottom. This in turn makes your bait move more instead of just dragging in a straight line. I’m not saying that you should use a light weight rod by any means; just don’t use the stiffest rod you can find. Many times I have used a stiff rod on one side of the boat with a more flexible one on the other. Every time the flexible will catch more fish…..Try it!

Most people who grouper fish prefer to anchor up on a spot. Well, we like to drift for them. I guess it is just your personal preference. I like covering more area by drifting and there is a better chance of finding a new hot spot if you are lucky enough to drift over one.

Well this should help you get started catching more grouper. Please practice catch and release whenever possible and remember the large fish don’t taste any better than an average medium one. Take a picture and let the hog’s go back to catch again later.

If you enjoyed the articles please let me know and I will write more.

You can read more about fishing techniques, submit your fishing photos, check out some tackle classified ads, or just look through our fishing forums at saltwater-angler.com

Thanks for reading!

Bluewater

At the south point of Florida, there is a chain of islands 170 miles long that is embedded in turquoise water. This is the Keys, bordered by the unique living coral reef in the United States. The subtropical climate and the extraordinary beauty of the Atlantic have made this ecological wonder one of the most prized destinations for sailors.

Sailboat Chartering With or Without a Captain

You can choose from four types of sailboat vacation:

Leasing the sailboat without a captain or “Bareboat Chartering” - The sea has no secrets for you or your crew and you are capable of bringing the sailboat back to port even if a hitch happens during your trip.

Chartering a sailboat with a captain - You prefer to have a captain on board to help you with the bowline knot.

Sailboat training - You want to learn to navigate or you wish to enhance your knowledge. Charter companies offer courses at every level, for groups, couples, for a weekend or for the whole week.

Cruising with a captain and cook - You watch them raise the sails and manipulate the sauce pans, while you take it easy.

Choosing a Sailboat

The marinas cannot always accommodate boats that are too big. Also the draft of your boat should not exceed 4.5 to 5 feet and the beam 13.5 feet to 14 feet. We prefer mono hulls from 40 to 43 feet long. They combine space and comfort and generally find a spot in the small marinas of the Keys. These boats are also better equipped than the smaller sailboats. Catamarans rarely find a dock large enough and must anchor outside.

The boats are rented for a day, a weekend or for a week.

Best Time for Sailing the Keys

The Keys benefit from a subtropical climate. You can sail all year long but, like everywhere else, there is this fantastic time of the year and less favorable periods.

The best periods are: March, April, May, end of November and beginning of December.

The periods of tourism affluence are Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year

Possible cold front periods: End of December, January and February.

Hurricane, humidity and mosquitoes’ months are June to November, with a peak in August September, and October.

Books

Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys, by Captain Frank Papy.
Good basic information about places to visit, marinas, underwater activity, etc. Excellent maps describing the entrances to ports and marinas, usually difficult in access because of shallow waters.

Diving and Snorkeling guide to The Florida Keys, by Halas and Kincaid.
Excellent guide for skin diving and snorkeling. Description of coral reefs, exotic fish and sunken Spanish Galleons. Indication of depth and the level of difficulty of the different sites.

Anne Lang writes for Travel Magazine USA

Clinton J Veasey talks about how to find the right coarse fishing tackle

Fishing is one of the most populat sports in the UK. A lot of people go on fishing trips regularly throughout the year. One of the most important things that you’ll need to buy is carp tackle and you should find a range of options online and in stores.

First things first, if you’re interested in buying carp tackle, you’ll have a few things to think about. You’ll have to consider a budget because knowing how much to spend is important. It’s quite easy to work this out as long as you do your research.

Head over to your favourite search engine and search for products that you are interested in. Have a pen and paper with you and make a note of the prices as you look around. Once you have a list of prices you should easily be able to work out a reasonable and realistic budget.

Make sure that you have a pen and paper with you and make a note of the deals you see as you browse the web. You should also consider quality while you’re browsing because you want to ensure that the products you buy aren’t low quality and that they’ll last a few years at least.

It’s sometimes a good idea to head into your local fishing store to see what they have to offer. However, only do this when you’ve seen carp tackle online and you’re aware of what the good deals should look like. Also, make sure that you bear quality in mind.

Buying online will give you access to a much larger range of products and usually the prices are better as well. Just make sure that you prioritise buying online because it’s so much easier to get good deals when compared with shopping on the high street.

Overall, as long as you’re clued up on everything on today’s market and you’ve done your research. You should find that buying carp tackle online is really easy. Just make sure that you have a pen and paper with you and that you note down any offers and deals as you’re browsing. Finding the best deals is much easier when you’ve done your research.