By Fishin’ Frank
Let’s talk where to go fishing during this first month of the year and I’ll start off in the gulf. There is grouper, snapper, king mackerel and many more type of fish to be had and there is a spot not too far off the coast to find them. It is an old Barge that sunk 10.3 miles from Boca pass, really a bit closer to Captiva Pass and I hope you enjoy this spot Barge wreck on a heading of 226 degrees and it is in 48 feet of water, for your G.P.S 26-26.755N and 082-22.755W
I would take two different types of Rod and reel set ups the first would be a 30 size two speed conventional with a 6 foot rod maybe a bit shorter and stout, with 65 to 80 pound test braid and 6 once sinker with a 60 pound floro carbon leader. I tie on a 7/0 Circle hook VMC makes a good one. From the hook to the swivel I like about 3 feet of leader more or less is OK, I use a 150-pound test AFW swivel and don’t want shiny – I like the dull finish. If I use a shiny black or silver colored swivel when I am fighting a fish other fish see the shiny thing and try to eat it, which often means they will bite through my fishing line. The dull finish is better for this. The swivel is used to keep the sinker and I use an egg sinker 6 once slid on to my line before I tie on the swivel keeps the weight away from my hook.
For bait on this set up I like frozen spanish sardines not too expensive and they really catch fish! Why, because they are stinky soft oily nasty bait which everything likes to eat. One problem with spanish sardines is that they are difficult to keep on the hook and tend to fall off so my trick to keep them on the hook is lay a whole squid on its side then slice a cross section of it maybe ½ inch. The piece I cut when held up looks like a circle or thick rubber band. Then put it over the head of the sardine and put the hook through the squid and through the sardine coming out the other side and through the squid again making a keeper for the bait.
For snapper, I tend to use spinning tackle A 50 or 60 size reel with a 6 to 6’6” rod and 30 or 40 pound test braided line with a 2 once sinker then tie the line to your swivel and again leave about 3 feet of 40 pound test floro leader to a 2/0 circle hook. This is my snapper rig and for bait I put on a chunk of squid which works well, but I find that the fish prefer live shrimp. The fish will whack the shrimp and maybe get away with it without being hooked. if you feel the bite and miss the fish let it fall back down a bit and wait the fish will come back for the squid which is still on the hook and tap, tap, tap of the bite and start reeling you got it, this time.
I understand you can use the sardine without the squid collar, or just the shrimp without the squid back up or just a squid alone is very good bait and if I am going after big fish with squid I use it whole and put the hook through the pointy end twice to keep it on. Let the tentacles hang, this is a very good way when I first drop a bait down. I like to use larger baits to see if the big fish will hit, and once you get things going the smaller fish are quicker and more aggressive so even though the large fish are there they are not as quick as some of the smaller ones.
Fishin’ Franks Bait & Tackle 4425-D Tamiami Trail Charlotte Harbor FL 33980 941-625-3888 – Fishin’ Franks Tackle Shop 14531 N. Cleveland Ave. Ft. Myers, 33903 239-634-1043