new to saltwater fishing

[lonewolf.4]

I just recently purchased a boat ( 20 ft mako) , I will be going down to alantic beach to do some fishing in mid july . I do not have a lot of experince fishing in saltwater. I thought I would like to do a little trolling (spanish or king ) and also some bottom fishing for maybee grouper how far off the nc coast will i need to go to find grouper, or how deep of water will I need to fish in to catch them. I have just ordered two penn 930 and 940 reels what is a good rod to use for this type of fishing (trolling and bottom fishing). What is the best bait to use live or artificial lure . thanks for the help

 

[jigngrub]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

I strongly suggest you stick closer to the coast for the Spanish and Kings (and you'll probably get some nice Bluefish too).

Grouper waters are further out than you need to be going in the 20 footer, especially being a newbie.

You'll have more fun and luck chasing the Macs than you will the Groupies, and you'll be able to get back to safe waters quicker should the weather turn bad.

The size and creel limits on Groupers have been reduced so drastically it's not even worth the fuel to go after them anymore, and that's if you know where the wrecks and structures are to find them... which you don't, and you'll just end up burning a bunch of fuel for an empty fish box.

The Spanish, Kings, and Blues are fun and easy to catch... they're also great on the grill! Search some vids on youtube for mackeral trolling for methods and lures.

 

[lonewolf.4]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

Yea i think thats what i will do i have been watching video on youtube on how to troll for spanish and king there is alot of video but not a whole lot of omgo

 

[dingbat]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

The 930 and 940 where not the best choice. You’re going to a gun fight with a knife at best. You hook up with a smoker King and you'll know why in the hurry. I suggest picking up a couple of TLD 15 or 20 and a couple of 15-30 Standup rods if you want to chase the Macks.
I prefer to troll live bait for Kings but artificial works if no live bait is available.

You’re fortunate enough that the run out to the “Deep” isn’t all that far. You can catch Grouper and other bottom fish within sight of land so get a map and some good local intel and go look for them if that’s your fancy. Even fishing in close, don’t be surprised if something other than Macks take your bait. We have a King tournament down there every year and just about every year someone catches a billfish, tuna or big shark only a mile or two of the beach.

 

[kahuna123]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

agreed it gets deep real quick over there. Nothing like the West Coast.

 

[lonewolf.4]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

well the 930 and 940 will have to do for now .You said live bait i have a casting net are you talking about mullet? I have a bait tank but not a aerator can i use a bucket to keep the fish alive with a mr bubbles? also what kind of setup do you use when fishing with live bait thanks.

 

[dingbat]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

We use Menhaden, Bunker, Pogies. All the same fish, different local names. A mr. bubble isn't going to get it. They are fragile fish that require a good size, round or rectangular live well that will turn over large amounts of water.

Here are the basics:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...30475&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

 

[jigngrub]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

Just because the water gets deep close to shore doesn't mean there are Grouper around, Grouper are structure oriented fish and you have to know where the structure is. Grouper are also overfished and scarce/hard to find even if you know where the structure is.

 

[diggin4grouper]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

other things is to get a good gps/sounder for your boat then go and look at this site which will give you a lot of the known reefs and wrecks http://www.ncfisheries.net/reefs/index.html then you can look at this page http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document...b3c-36c6-4c44-92a8-f738aadd2263&groupId=38337 this is the size and creel limits

 

[lonewolf.4]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

Thanks for the links and the info,now I need to figure out how to rig my boat with a livewell .Also i have a garmin 160 sonar that came with the boat its not the best but will do for now.

 

[capt sam]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

put a spoon on a swivel and troll it near schools of bait with fish and birds busting on it, it's the easiest way to catch mackeral. Now replace that spoon with a diving plug and troll over sandy bottom and you'll catch grouper, you can go from there once you learn more.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

Use a couple of feet of steel leader behind a swivel...those species all have razor sharp teeth!

 

[noworries79]

Re: new to saltwater fishing

Get some clark spoons and some 20' leader in 40 or 50lb. test and tie a small snap-swivel on the other end. Snap the leader onto a #1 planer and get to trolling. The heavier lb. test is much easier to manage than 20 lb. at that length.

You will have to get to 70+ feet of water to get on some grouper. That is at least 23 miles. There are nice sea bass on the wrecks closer in. Take Dingbat's advice and get some charts and #'s. There was a blackfin tuna caught from the Bogue Inlet Pier a couple of months ago. That is in Emerald Isle.

Just curious, are you refering to Atlantic Beach, NC?