Deep drop fishing is done primarily with a fishing reel that has an electric motor built into it along with a standard hand crank handle. The rod is relatively short and you fish it from a rod holder mounted on the gunnel of the boat. We normally only fish one rod at a time because when fishing on the bottom from 500 to 2000 feet deep two lines would constantly be getting tangled up with each other. For hardy souls in good shape deep dropping can be done with special rigged conventional tackle. If you are looking for world records you would have to go this route because electric reels do not qualify for world records.
We have to use from 3 lbs. of lead up to 6 lbs. or more depending on the current and depth. We use a multi hook rig with circle hooks. The line is braid because it does not stretch and is very thin for it's strength. We typically use pieces of cut fish and squid for bait. The weather has to be very good and relatively flat. The higher the seas the more the bait pulls up off the bottom every time a wave lifts the boat. If it is too rough we will have to cancel the trip or do some other type of fishing. It is a rare day in the winter when the wind and seas lay down enough to be able to go but it does happen occasionally. It is best to have a window of opportunity to pick from, say a week's stay in Key West, to try and go the calmest day that is forecast.
All fish that we normally catch has some sort of regulations affecting it. The regulations on Snowy Grouper is one per person per day. Warsaw grouper is one per vessel per day. Aggregate of all groupers is 5 per person per day. Anglers must have a current Florida Saltwater Fishing License.
We only run full day 8 hour trips for $800. The run to the fishing grounds is generally too far to do justice to a shorter day. We recommend a maximum of 2 anglers and only one person at a time deep drops. Occasionally if there is any fish activity at or near the surface and we have the proper baits with us other lines can be put out. There is space up front on the bow cabin roof for sun bathing if one or two non-anglers wanted to ride along.
There is a lot more skill involved than you might think in using an electric reel. All it does is the winding in part. You must decide when to do that. Since there are multiple hooks on the line you have the possibility of catching more than one fish per drop. By feeling the line or the rod you try to figure out if you have a fish on for sure or are you just feeling fish nibbling at the bait? If you have one on and you decide to wait to try to catch more on that drop then you stand the chance of losing the one that you hooked first. Sometimes it is better to bring it up as soon as you know you have a fish so you know you won't lose it if you leave it down trying to catch multiple fish. (This also gives the other angler their turn quicker and more often.) The decision is yours and that is part of where skill is involved. It takes a sensitive touch to try to figure out what is going on say 650 feet away at the end of the line. We will be watching the fish finder bottom machine closely along with the GPS to put you on fish. The boat will always be drifting with your bait bumping along the bottom covering the fishing ground as the boat drifts with the current and wind.
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