Trolling Info - Bradenton, Florida

[RickV1955]

Looking for specific advice for trolling.

Will be fishing the Sarasota-Bradenton area (Gulf) and looking for information as to tactics used when trolling.
I'm a real newbie and don't know anything about this at all.

I have a "new" 2005 Proline 19' center console fishing boat with a 115 Mercury Outboad. With the boat, I also got some rod/reel combos as well some tackle.
The tackle includes some fairly large (Manns, I believe - in the 10-12 inch range) lures - deep diving bills.

Heading offshore (maybe some reefs or wrecks)....what specifically would I do in locating fish?? Would I simply rig the lures and "troll" around the edges of reefs/wrecks?? Any other tactics to locate fish?

Maybe use other methods (jigs...live bait) if fish are located??

The previous owner of my boat did a lot of grouper fishing.....

What other kinds of (Gulf) fish could I expect to catch trolling in this area??

Thanks for any and all tip/info.

Rick

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Trolling Info - Bradenton, Florida

Hmmmm...looks like someone is gettin a little antsy up north and trying to pass some time before his big move!!

How's it going Rick. Got the short timers calendar out yet?

One of the things we have here is something called hard bottom that doesn't jump right out on the depthfinder. Alos called swiss cheese bottom. When you dive down on that stuff you find limerock with holes that go down and not structure going up. Grouper will lay in there and grap these big lipped lures that you have. You have to check the boxs, usually trolling at 3-5 mph gets them down to about 25-30 ft. Once a grouper hits, toss over a marker and either anchor up and fish with live bait, cut squid, or vertical jigs. Or you can continue trolling, marking the locations on the gps. I remember you had said the gps comes with some good numbers.
Try them before showing up at the marked and busier reefs.

 

[RickV1955]

Re: Trolling Info - Bradenton, Florida

Hey Rick.....

Yep, ya hit the nail right on the head!!!
Even though the warm weather is coming up north here (officially Spring today), I would much rather be down in Florida fishing with the new boat....I'm having withdrawal symtoms showing up already (and we've only been back up north here for just over a week!!)

Have a little program on my computer at work that shows the days, hours, minutes and seconds till retirement (but hey who's counting...lol)

Have the day off today....will be burning brush here at home - left over from the devasting ice storm we had here in December (we were lucky enough to have missed it - we were in Florida....)

Soooooooo, yeah, thought that I'd pass some time with tying to get as much fishing info I can get before I get back to Florida.
Have been checking out "Flroida Sportman's Magazine" on line...a lot of great articles there!!

Also in the process of taking a "navigation course" on line -

Gonna be a Looooooooong summer.......

Rick

 

[Romad1967]

Re: Trolling Info - Bradenton, Florida

Slow troll or drift some live bait (catch your own or buy from live bait boats) around the reefs or wrecks and stand by for action. Use florocarbon leaders and circle hooks. I'm out of Fort Walton in the panhandle.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Trolling Info - Bradenton, Florida

Hmmmm...looks like someone is gettin a little antsy up north and trying to pass some time before his big move!!

How's it going Rick. Got the short timers calendar out yet?

One of the things we have here is something called hard bottom that doesn't jump right out on the depthfinder. Alos called swiss cheese bottom. When you dive down on that stuff you find limerock with holes that go down and not structure going up. Grouper will lay in there and grap these big lipped lures that you have. You have to check the boxs, usually trolling at 3-5 mph gets them down to about 25-30 ft. Once a grouper hits, toss over a marker and either anchor up and fish with live bait, cut squid, or vertical jigs. Or you can continue trolling, marking the locations on the gps. I remember you had said the gps comes with some good numbers.
Try them before showing up at the marked and busier reefs.

Rick nailed it, I look for hard bottom, it can be very productive and is not pressured as much as the wrecks. Another thing I do is remove the treble hook on the belly of the jig, makes removal much easier from the fish.