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Novice or pro, what every offshore angler should know...
With so much to reveal, let’s skip the fluff and get right to the
point. I’m a firm believer there isn’t any one thing more important to
your overall sport fishing success than a well planned strategy.
Too many anglers head out with little or no direction. Way too often weekend warriors play-it-by-ear following the notion, “We’ll see what we see, and make the most of it”. Granted, that’s a pretty sound approach, but not likely one that will stack the odds in your favor when pursuing brilliant pelagics. Sport fishing is a game, and in my eyes walking into any game without a plan is an ingredient in a recipe for failure.
Consistently achieving offshore success offshore starts with a solid, well thought out strategy. Where are you headed and why are you headed there? What do you anticipate finding when you get there, and what are you going to do to maximize on the encounter? In the all-too-real event that things don’t come together as you anticipated, what’s Plan B?
This logic should apply regardless if you’re heading out for a few hour escape or getting ready for an extended island expedition. Establishing a tactical advantage right from the get-go helps achieve the results you’re looking for, that is if you’re looking for bragging rights or a few fillets for the grill. When it comes to establishing a sound strategy, there are many factors to consider, and all should be well thought out long before leaving the dock.
Let’s lay the cards on the table. Though we all enjoy recreational boating, sport fishing is obviously our passion. I know as far as I’m concerned, my ProKat serves a single purpose. It’s a high performance vehicle designed to take me and my guests to and from the fishing grounds, regardless of distance or conditions. Each and every time we leave the dock our goal is to return winners. Time on the water is too precious to waste chasing fish that have no reason to be in that specific area in the first place.
If you’re serious about fine tuning the hunt, you should obtain as much info as you can. Take the time to digest all the data and lay out a strategic plan, a blueprint of sorts with your intended route. Increase the odds by keeping close tabs on weather and marine conditions. Be prepared to deal with unsettled seas. Most game fish bite best under a crisp chop with overcast skies.
If you’re planning on heading toward the Gulf Stream in search of dolphin, tuna and wahoo, dissect a sea surface temperature chart with a fine tooth comb. Even a small warm water eddy may be just the ticket to finding what you’re looking for. By tracking an eddy for days in advance of your weekend outing, you’ll be able to establish patterns and predictions. The resulting info will reveal promising edges that may be great places to start your search. Remember, there’s allot of water out there. Thanks to modern day technology, all of this information is available at our fingertips 24/7.
Take it a step further and network with active anglers in the community. Obtain as many reliable fishing reports as you can. By pooling the information you’ll be able to come up with a fairly good assessment of what’s really happening on the local offshore scene.
Charts should play a big role in your strategic planning. Determining what heading you should follow should partially be based on the detailed date obtained off nautical and bathymetric charts. Though most modern day sportfishermen utilize state-of-the-art electronic charting equipment, there’s still nothing that beats the reliability of a tangible chart. Focus not only the promising area, but look to the north and south. Are there wrecks, reefs, hills or depressions worthy of investigating? Utilize the valuable information to its full potential. Coupled with sea surface temperature data, you’ll have a pile of chips in your stack before you even flip the first card.
Piecing the puzzle together establishes a solid game plan that maximizes your odds with each and every passing minute you spend on the water. When you leave the dock, you will know exactly where you’re headed and why you’re headed there. Right from the start you will have a higher level of confidence and you’ll be better prepared for whatever comes your way. Of course our playing field is an ever changing environment, and adjustments to your overall game plan may need to be implemented, so keep your options open.
Essential to consistently achieving success in the endless offshore arena is an educated crew. Your team of anglers, usually a few friends or family members, should work together like a smooth oiled machine.
Never leave the dock without everyone onboard clearly aware of the rules, and the rules start with safety. In the untimely event of an emergency, you’d be more confident knowing everyone onboard knew exactly how to access and utilize all the safety gear as quickly as possible. Though $10- life jackets may be credited for saving more lives at sea than any other item, if passengers and crew don’t know where they’re stored, they might be rendered useless.
Prior to departure, conduct a brief safety course. Make sure all know where the fire extinguishers are located and how to operate them. It will take a total of two minutes of your free time. In the scary event a fire were to occur, fumbling around for even a few seconds may be the difference between a tiny accident, and a potential disaster. Make it clear that however abundant, a bucket of water isn’t the solution for distinguishing fuel and electrical fires.
It’s sad, but true. Accidents do occur, and they seem to have a way of occurring when you least expect it. Before departing, make sure each member understands how to operate the navigation and communication equipment. It’s a important lesson.
Successful offshore angling is really a numbers game. The more hours you spend on the water the better your results, and the more the odds lean in your favor for crossing paths with that 50-pound bull you’ve been waiting for your whole life. When the opportunity does arise, your team needs to be ready. Out here, instant reactions make or break you.
When a pod of sails explodes on your spread of gogs, who grabs which rod? Everyone needs to be clear of their individual responsibilities. Fellow crew members should be assigned tasks that coincide with their strengths. Specific duties for fighting fish, securing the deck and re-setting baits, you name it, and it needs to get done in an organized and efficient manner. Landing or releasing every fish is a culmination of everyone’s efforts. Successful offshore fishing is a team sport, period!
I am sure you’ve all witnessed this. During a full on bite, an unorganized crew would be running around the deck like chickens-with-no-heads while a triple-header of leaping sailfish would be dumping reels and crossing lines in three different directions. It’s a sad sight to see, but a bit humorous. Taking the necessary precautions to insure angler failure doesn’t get in the way of your hard earned success will in itself increase your overall score.
Along with a well thought plan and a competent crew, the list of ‘right tools’ for ensuring consistency on the offshore grounds goes on and on, but there a few ‘must haves.’
With such a vast area to explore, the ability to see not only what’s directly in front of you, but what’s also way out in the distance is invaluable in your pursuit. Magnified vision greatly enhances your ability to locate birds, floating debris and fish or bait crashing on the surface. It’s easy to forget that at best case scenario the naked eye can only see a somewhat short distance, especially when you factor in glare. Binoculars should never be more than an arms length away. If anyone believes they spot something worth investigated, grab the glasses and get a better look. Not utilizing binoculars offshore just doesn’t make sense.
Adequate ground tackle with more than an ample supply of rode is a must have. On occasion, concentrations of fish are held up in a particular depth. Anchoring right on that edge may be the best way to maximize on the situation. Setting up on the hook can also come into play when conditions may be unfavorable for drifting or trolling. It’s important that you keep anchoring open as an option.
It’s no secret in anyone’s book that here in South Florida; offshore anglers rely heavily on live bait. Take a peek at any of the popular bait catches holes up & down the coast just prior to a tournament, and you’ll know I am making a valid point. It obviously goes without saying that various sabiki rigs and a cast-net or two should always be on board. These mandatory tools-of-the-trade take up little room and will be put to good use on many occasions both inshore and off. Live bait fishermen also reveal they would never leave the dock without a few boxes of frozen sardines and a handful of rigged ballyhoo. Even if you never touch the bait, it’s good to know it’s there if you need it.
All successful captains have something in common, patience. They know the Gulf Stream has a habit of concealing its inhabitants. It’s not uncommon for the last few hours of the day to produce the best results. If you’ve had a slow morning, don’t let your guard down. Stick to it, the bite will come. Even a single 20-pound dolphin seems to have a way of making it all worth while.
Let’s also keep in mind Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither are the best fishermen. Plenty of practice, experimentation and most importantly, time spent on the water will make you as good as you can be when pursuing your favorite passion. Don’t expect things to happen right out the gate, because they rarely do. It’s the crew that’s ready for everything even when least expected that most often emerges victorious. Just we understand each other, offshore, patience pays!
To be as effective as you can, don’t give up on something that didn’t produce the results you were anticipating the first time you tried. How many of you purchased a new trolling lure, pulled it once with no success, and have never fished it since. Often, a particular product or tactic works best under specific conditions. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up. You were obviously confident it would work in the first place or you wouldn’t have tried it. Go with your gut and do a little refining. Offshore, persistency is crucial to your success.
Our oceans are so vast and sport fishing so unpredictable, to be successful on a consistent basis requires you’re ready for everything, all the time. This way your team can make the most of every situation, whenever it happens to arise. All of this may sound like a tall task, but nobody ever said battling the elements in your pursuit for piscatorial glory was easy.
Lastly, this may sound a bit trivial but insuring you can get home is the final element to any high scoring offshore excursion. Never, and I repeat never leave the dock without more than enough fuel. The ocean is an unforgiving place and offshore fishing an unpredictable sport.
A reliable source recently spilled-the-beans of fighting a large swordfish for over eight hours. The 245-pound broadbill was foul hooked right in the tail. When all was said and done, they landed the beaten warrior more than 38 miles from where they hooked it. Now close to 6:00 A.M. and not nearly as calm as it was last night, they suddenly realized they had no way enough fuel for the 60 mile return trip into a stiff head sea. The crew neglected to anticipate the unpredictable. Luckily, a different port was within reach where they refueled and weighed their catch.
Like all major sports, offshore fishing is as much mental as it is physical. Imagine that every time you head out, it’s the big game. Consider for a moment the vast amount of strategic planning that goes into just that one 60 minute football game played on a single 100-yard field. When you leave the inlet, your team is facing an equally challenging opponent in a much larger arena. Sure, even with no planning there will be days when a little lady luck is on your side, but ensuring consistency on a regular basis requires strategic planning, precise execution, patience and persistency, and most of all, a undeniable commitment to being the best you can be. Get Hooked Up!
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