Let it all hang out …the back of the boat that is!
Light-lining out the back of an anchored-up boat or a bait under a kite will get bites from all the pelagics this month, including blackfin and yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphin and kings in the deeper water, with cobia and kings on the beach and dolphin as close as 10 miles (and closer) off the beach.
Sometimes the light line can be more trouble than it is worth (if the grouper and snapper are biting well) but other times it can be nothing shy of wonderful when a school of gaffer dolphin come to the chum slick looking for lunch. The first bait to go off will be the long bait or the kite bait, then the short bait goes off and dolphin are dancin’ (jumping) everywhere. At that point, have someone chunk a few more baits (whole squid) out as freebies, and as they are being gobbled up by the green eating machines, put another one (or more) out with hooks in them. Now you have a full-blown circus, with not enough hands for rods, gaffs and cooler lids. Don’t start slinging dolphin onto the deck with a hook in its mouth… put them straight in the cooler, and keep the lid held down. It’s the same drill with cobia. If you see them swim up the chum slick, or by the boat, give them a couple freebies and then the “loaded bait.” Sometimes cobia can be “wire shy”. So if you have the room, it is good to keep a rod ready for this occasion with a 5’ piece of 60# fluorocarbon snelled onto an 8/0 circle hook for a live sardine, cigar minnow or a whole frozen squid.
The scamp bite last month was good and will continue to be good through the month of June, as well as the gag and reds. Live cigar minnows and sardines have been plentiful in the 10-mile range over wrecks and rocks. Do yourself a favor and practice the “art” of catching bait. I would recommend two anglers with sabikis on each side of the boat (at the stern) and a person dehooking in the middle, letting the baits drop directly into the bucket that’s half full of water. Check out the video section of www.barefootfishing.net (click on sabiki bait part 1 or 2) this will give you an idea of how easy it is to catch the bait that nothing can resist. Yes, frozen cigs and sardines will get bites, but live ones on Decoy Jigs are “simply irresistible”.
There are really only three things you must do to catch (big) grouper:
1) Have the right bait… live cigs, sardines or whole fresh or frozen squid
2) Present the baits properly (clean tackle)
3) Fish the correct bottom. Not all ledges/bottom hold grouper. Sure, you might get a lot of bites in certain areas, but are you catching beeliners, sea bass, grunts, pinkies and triggers only? If so go find the bottom that holds the grouper. Do NOT use cut squid and/or minnows when you are fishing for grouper. Remember this: a grouper wants a whole bait! If you are fishing for pinkies and grunts, you can use cut squid and minnows.
If I had to pick the most important part of grouper fishing, I would tell you to learn how to anchor!
Anchoring is KEY. Sure, it is good to pull up on a “good mark” on the recorder, drop in to see who’s home, but when you get a grouper bite or two, anchor up, fly the kite and/or light line for some “full circus” action.
For a good look at the tackle, rigging, flying the anchor and some great fishing action, check out the video section of our website.
Good fishing
Capt. Tim Barefoot
910-617-7637
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