written by Evan Anderson

On this episode of Saltwater Experience, captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor head out from Hawks Cay Resort and Marina with Sheldon Suga, VP Managing Director at Hawks Cay Resort, and Justin Epps, VP of Watermark Capital Partners, to get them out on the water for a day of offshore fishing. After giving the yellowtail a shot at the start of the day without much action, the crew moves to a different spot and gets into some amberjack and red snapper, resulting in some great bites. Here are some of the tidbits of wisdom the captains were able to give the crew when chasing these fish in the Keys.

FISHING THE BOTTOM

Using their Lowrance sonar system in tandem with their Motorguide trolling motor, Tudor and Rowland were able to find a school of amberjacks deep below the surface. “We were marking a lot of fish down there,” says Rowland, “I think we were seeing a cloud of amberjacks.” Seeing the conditions were right for it, Tudor decided to set up a drift. They secured their rods in the reliable Burnewiin rod holders and began drifting across the school, dangling their bait right in midst of the fish.

“Something that’s really fun, especially with the Yellowfin 26, is drifting sideways with the current and fishing the bottom with an 8-oz weight and a nice long leader,” says Tudor, “These Burnewiin rod holders are great for that, they give you a real nice angle for fishing the bottom.”

“Almost on the first drop both Sheldon and Justin got a bite,” remarks Rowland.

“The rig we were using for those dropping rods,” says Tudor, “was a real light St. Croix Mojo Salt rod with a Daiwa Saltist conventional reel with a lever drag...we had 50 lb braid on those rods with about a 50-lb flourocarbon leader. We used a 30-foot leader, seems like we get more bites with snappers at that length. And the bait that seemed to work the best was the ballyhoo, everything seemed to be biting on that.”

FOCUS ON TECHNIQUE

Amberjacks are a strong and stubborn fish. According to Rowland, “They call the amberjack the reef donkey because it’s stubborn, it does not want to come in.” Justin, one of their guests for the day, had done most of his fishing in the northeast and was in great physical condition, but when he got his first amberjack bite his eyes got wide as that rod doubled over.

Tudor’s advice for new amberjack anglers is to not rely so much on your strength or you’ll tire yourself out real quick. Instead, trust the technique. “It was Justin’s first big fish,” recalls Tudor, “and he’s a strong guy, he’s in great shape, but it’s not about your strength; it’s the technique. Let the tackle and the drag do its work. Just take your time and pump, reel down, pump, reel down.”

ALWAYS HAVE A VENTING TOOL ON BOARD

When you fish the bottom, you’re likely to catch quite a few species that don’t come near the surface often. This can be an issue for some like groupers or, in this case, red snappers, because their bodies don’t react well to that pressure difference. “Certain fish,” explains Tudor, “such as snappers and groupers, have an issue with changes in barometric pressure and come up bloated, so it’s important to have a venting tool onboard to release those fish alive.”

A venting tool is a simple device that inserts through the gill and releases the pressure building up inside the fish. As anglers we need to be responsible about taking care of fish that we aren’t planning on keeping. This ensures that we’ll continue to have a healthy population of these fish for many years to come.

Check out the full episode below and see these tips in action on Saltwater Experience S15:E8. Follow @saltwater_experience, @tom_rowland, @rich_tudor1, and @waypointtv on Instagram if you want more Saltwater Experience content. You can also subscribe to The Tom Rowland Podcast for 5 shows a week including interviews with icons, and how to episodes.