Hey Pal, Try This on for Size

In a fisherman’s fairy-tale there’s a place where no big game reel is safe, a place where heavy boat rods crumble under the extreme pressure of gargantuan grouper and monstrous snapper. Drags scream, screws pop, and reels explode as keeper mangroves horsed off the bottom are inhaled by unseen beasts, instantly converting three hundred dollar grouper diggers into measly snoopy rods! Ladies and gentlemen there is in fact such a place. It’s no fairlytale and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

I’ve been reef and wreck fishing for most of my life and couldn’t begin to calculate how many grouper and snapper I’ve actually caught, but rest assured combined they would fill a dump truck. About five years ago a close friend mentioned he knew of a place where I could fill that same dump truck with only a fraction of the fish, a place where only barbarian black grouper and mammoth mutton snapper lurked. Now he had my attention and I hope I have yours because I am going to tell you exactly where this fantasy land is and precisely how to fish it.

It’s no secret that a huge portion of Florida’s Gulf coast hosts fantastic bottom fishing. One look at a chart reveals countless wrecks, coral ledges, underwater springs and rock piles both large and small. These fish havens litter near-shore waters from Tarpon Springs to Sarasota. Add the remainder of the coast and the significant number of fish-attracting spots dramatically increases. The real deal though is further west, exactly 73 miles due west of Johns Pass that is. Here you’ll find the famed Elbow.

The Elbow is an outreach of the 30-fathom line. For more than ten miles this stretch of rolling bottom, depressions, rock formations, ledges and huge crevasses provide prominent habitat for a wide array of species including the bulkiest American reds. The Elbow hosts the best spring time bottom action I have ever experienced and as an added bonus also plays host to an abundance of mid-water predators including dolphin, blackfin tuna, wahoo and smoker kingfish as long as you are tall.

In a perfect world fish would always bite and seas would always be calm, however we all know that’s dream land. Leaving the dock at three o’clock in the morning and running more than seventy miles into the pitch blackness does require a bit of planning, especially if Mother Nature isn’t being a hundred percent cooperative. Most importantly keep a careful watch on the weather for up to a week in advance of your intended departure date. This way you’ll be able to establish patterns for what’s to be expected. There are many resources where one can obtain current sea conditions and up-to-the-minute forecast. I always collect a handful of reports from various sources and compile all the info into my own prediction. There are few things worse than enjoying a comfortable trip then paying dearly for it on the way in. Seventy miles is a long way to get clobbered!

For obvious reasons most long range guys equip their vessels with an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) life raft, and satellite phone system. Some even go to the extreme of survival suits, though I believe the most important thing you can carry is pure common sense. With that being said, let’s get on with the story.

One fall afternoon I received a call from that same close friend, Capt. Tommy Laronge. He told me he was heading out later that night to ‘fill the boxes’ and invited me to tag along. Three seconds of coaxing, and I gave in. I arrived at the dock to find Tommy loading palm size pinfish, pigfish and huge blue runners into his well with an unusual 3 a.m. grin plastered on his face. I climbed aboard and Tommy mentioned we were headed to what he liked to call, the land of the giants. As Tommy steered the boat west, he went on to explain that he believed the grouper had run for cover from the unstable weather activity way out in the Gulf. “Even the biggest bottom fi sh get washed around by the turbulent water so they seek refuge alongside big rocks and breaks out here in the deep. If all goes well when we pull up to the numbers the bottom half of the color scope should be covered up!”

Sure enough as soon as the Hattie Gale slowed to a crawl a towering rock formation appeared on the fish finder, then another, and another. A short distance later you could no longer discern the rocky peeks as thick red blotches blacked out the bottom of the screen. By the time the boat swung around on the anchor both Tommy and his mate Chris were pinned to the rail by a pair of fat gags. I lowered my bait to the bottom and before the sinker even landed I felt the telltale thud that comes along with a 30-pound grouper devouring your bait. Struggling for all I was worth I finally managed to pull the remarkably determined fish from the security of his lair some 160ft. below. Ten minutes later my first of many hefty gags lay calmly on the deck besides me where he proceeded to meet his maker. The hot bite continued through out the morning and well into early afternoon. Finally I refused to drop another bait. I just couldn’t crank anymore.

Our grand total consisted of totes overstuffed with overgrown gags, huge yellowfi n grouper, and exceptional mangrove, mutton, and yellowtail snapper along with the usual assortment of tasty porgy and hogs. As we rested on the fi sh box and shared a gallon of refreshing spring water Tommy revealed stories of other peeks and breaks just to the north and south that were equally productive. “The whole area is a hot bed for tremendous bottom fishing. Once the water temperature begins dropping in early fall, grouper populations accustomed to hanging way out in the far reaches of the Gulf head into shallower water to feed on the masses of baitfish that get pushed out of all the bays. The full-grown fi sh actually begin to move in as early as late spring and once autumn finally arrives, they slowly slide their way south to spawn. This rotation keeps a constant supply of breeders roaming these deep water ledges.

Traveling to the Elbow and getting started is not as hard as one would assume. With today’s technologically advanced navigational equipment and personal computer software anyone can find this promising structure. MapTech alone is worth its weight in gold, identifying every nook-&- cranny around the Elbow and adjacent promising areas.

The Elbow is a well defined expanse of hard rocky bottom. The only thing that you’ll to do when you arrive is pull the throttles back and spend a few minutes looking around. There are so many attractive peeks and depressions you’ll be surprised how many fish you’ll mark, but as with any type of fi shing nothing beats repetition when it comes to learning the particulars of a specifi c area. Keeping a detailed log book will be invaluable later on since you’ll probably never fi sh the exact numbers twice. A log book should contain all of your trips, even the one’s you would much rather forget. The specifics should include date, weather conditions, water temp, GPS coordinates, current, size, type and quantity of species caught. On many occasions I have been able to refer back to my log to save what would have been an otherwise slow day.

Fishing the Elbow is fairly easy. For the best results this is an anchoring game requiring little if any chum. You can expect the current to run around 2-knots though full moon periods may require up to 16-ounces of lead. Attempts to drift across the high spots will leave you constantly covered up by enormous amberjack. Once on anchor, top baits include large pinfish, pigfish, runners, tomtates, big porgies and even giant grunts. The policy at the Elbow is simple. The bigger the bait, the better! 25- to 50-pound beastly grouper and vicious cubera are not shy about inhaling 1-, 2- & even 3-pound critters.

With the number of anglers bottom fishing Florida’s west coast there’s no doubt many techniques and tactics are effective and experimenting will keep you in the game. We all know that tackle preferences vary tremendously as one travels up and down the coast with many anglers who fish shallower reefs and wrecks preferring spinning outfits over conventional gear. Out here I would strongly suggest otherwise. The majority of charter boat crews and hook & line commercial fishermen moored in St. Pete and Tampa use only top quality 4/0 or 6/0 conventional reels from leading manufacturers such as Penn and Daiwa.

I should mention that on most factory drags it’s next to impossible to get them to completely lock up. Tighten drags as much as you can so you don’t allow the fish even a chance at freedom. The first few seconds of any grouper tug-of-war often determine the outcome of the fight. On my outfits you’ve gotta’ wear gloves and yank your hardest in order to pull any drag. This may sound like overkill but it’s not even close. The shear power of these muscular fish will take you to the cleaners on more occasions than you’ll care to remember. But don’t worry your fishing buddies will never let you forget the day you got ‘rocked up’ five times in a row.

Every time someone sparks up a conversation about the best deep water grouper rods I tend to walk away. I get confused listening to all the different brands and models. Nowadays I just refer people to Bill Robinson at Gandy Bait & Tackle in Tampa. I called Bill and asked him to reiterate exactly what he thought on the subject. He said, “Kenny, you know the deal. We put these big grouper combos together all the time and for the money, Penn or Daiwa conventional reels capable of holding hundreds of yards of 80- to 100-pound line are the norm. We match Senator and Sealine series reels with beefy top notch Star and Crowder rods.” When I asked Bill about length he mentioned 8ft. rods are the most popular but a number of hardcore sinker bouncers prefer shorter, stouter 7ft. rods. Pulling these colossal fish from the deep requires serious backbone and both Bill and I recommend Crowder EBR80 and Star B508HC. Either will get the job done. I personally use these rods exclusively and even with socked down drags I’ve never had problems other than those induced by angler error.

After cranking several hundred pounds of angry grouper from the depths some sane fishermen choose to invest in electric equipment. Kristal, Dolphin Electreel, Precision Auto Reel and Lindgren- Pitman all manufacture quality gear suitable for the job. Some of you will undoubtedly scoff at the electric outfits but don’t be fooled. Just because you’re not reeling with your hand doesn’t mean these fish won’t glue your knees to the transom.

When one moseys into a tackle shop nowadays it’s like candy land. Rows of rods, shelves overflowing with shiny reels, walls dripping with colorful lures and boxes upon boxes of fancy rigs. The selection of tackle can be mind boggling. When it comes to fishing the Elbow, I recommend keeping it simple. My crew uses nothing but Mustad hooks. When you head out to deep water structure you can expect to lose terminal gear. Mustad hooks can be bought in bulk for a fair price and they hold up well. When the bite is on, I pin two Mustad 10/0 92671 hooks together and impale put my live bait on the back hook. If the fish are a little picky, I’ll drop down to 7/0 hooks.

As far as leader is concerned, some guys prefer fluorocarbon and it does work, but bulk spools of Berkley monofilament in 100lb. and 125lb. will do the job just fine. Experimentation has proven I get an equal amount of bites on the straight mono and it usually holds up equally well. Sinkers are a matter of preference but an assortment of sizes is necessary. On the Creature we carry plastic containers full of eggs ranging from 2- to 20- ounces. If you implement a swivel in your terminal gear make sure it’s rated for over 200lbs. If it’s too small the ring may slice through the knot under heavy loads. I prefer not to use braided line on my bottom fishing rods because it can cut into itself though there are many anglers who are convinced braid is the only way to go. For me Berkley Big Game Clear in either 80lb. or 100lb. works perfect as does Ande Clear. I have fished shoulder to shoulder with other anglers using white or green line and they just don’t seem to get the same amount of bites.

If you feel like you need additional advice before taking off on your own then you should consider booking a charter to fish the Elbow or at the very least attend a few seminars on the subject. Even though there are more than enough charter boats in our area only a handful of crews regularly fish this far offshore. The experienced are usually more than willing to help and it’s wise to listen closely to everything they say. These guys are full time professionals and earn their living fishing these grounds so their knowledge is truly genuine.

When heading out to the Elbow don’t rule out taking a variety of other gear along. A few lighter outfits will come in handy for big yellowtails and a set of trolling rods will fair well for the wahoo and tuna that browse these same waters. Dolphin are almost a sure bet in the warmer summer months as are tournament winning smokers, just never on the right day. Every year a handful of sailfish are caught as well as a few giant permit for those well prepared, so be ready for anything and everything. Spend some time doing your homework and you may even find out about the abundance of blue and white marlin just a short distance further. That’s a different story altogether that we’ll get to one day in the future. Be safe, always remember to file a float plan and keep a watchful eye on the weather. Make sure you bring along plenty of bait and plenty of film. Spend some time scouring the area; you’ll be surprised at what you might find.

For charter information, Capt. Tommy Laronge can be reached by calling 727-418-3345 If heading to the Elbow intimidates you, an easier option does exist. A simple method for west coast anglers to find big bottom fish is to learn all you can about the Gulfstream Natural Gas Pipeline that runs from the mouth of Tampa Bay to the Mississippi. Though the pipeline might not yet sustain the tremendous size and huge numbers of fish associated with the Elbow, its rock piles yield decent catches of well above average size grouper, snapper and even more.

WaterProof Charts of Punta Gorda prints a chart (#5F) which clearly defines pipeline data that retails for about twenty five bucks. The trick is to locate the intermediate piles of rock anchoring the pipeline in place. This chart provides a straight shot of numbers to hit until you find the most productive depth for that time of year. How much easier could it get?

Capt. Kenny Hyatt is a full time professional charter boat captain and outfitter. His success throughout the years is due to complete dedication to his clients as well as his fishing. Whether looking for a world record or just a good time, Capt. Kenny provides an outstanding first class experience. Capt.Kenny Hyatt 813-245-3122 or 813-831-3529 www.FishHogCharters.com