What is Deep Sea Fishing?

Deep sea fishing refers to fishing that happens further away from shore and can include fishing on the reefs or areas much further out in the open ocean. While there is no recognized specific definition of the term deep sea fishing, it is generally recognized that it involves fishing in deeper waters, stalking larger fish, on larger boats with heavier tackle – all of which are necessary when venturing out to offshore waters.

Offshore Fishing in Florida

There is a good reason why Florida is referred to as the sportfishing capital of the world. Florida offers an excellent environment for offshore fishing. The state is practically encircled by an active reef ecosystem teaming with life. The marine inhabitants form a prolific food chain to sustain the wide variety of species, including all the offshore fish you will typically target while fishing offshore.

Fishing Florida’s offshore waters means you’ll be targeting reef fish like snapper, grouper, cobia, barracuda, amberjack, sharks and king mackerel (aka kingfish). In the transition area from the deeper reefs to the more open ocean you can also encounter sailfish, mahi-mahi, tuna, swordfish, and an occasional marlin.

Southeast Florida offers prime access to deep sea fishing because of its proximity to the waters of the Gulf Stream. In the Miami area, the Gulf Stream lies within approximately 3 miles from shore. Once you get past the reefs lining the coast, the Gulf Stream current has carved out a channel where the water flows in-between Florida and Bahamas. These offshore waters are like a river in the sea where the currents push through the area at a speed of 4-6 MPH.

The flow of the Gulf Stream waters brings and redistributes vital nutrients into the local marine ecosystem as well as providing a source of fresh pristine seawater. All these factors result in an aquatic environment that is rich with life and continuously revitalized.

Florida holds more than it’s fair share of IGFA (International Game Fish Association) world records. As a testament to how prolific our waters are, the IGFA has established “slams” to recognize angling achievements. These slams are caught with regularity in Florida’s offshore waters.

They are the named the “offshore grand slam” and the “offshore super grand slam”. The offshore grand slam consists of any combination of the following three offshore fish caught in a single day and the offshore super grand slam is attained when any four of these species are caught within a 24-hour period:

 

• • Any billfish (sailfish, swordfish, marlin, etc.)

• • Mahi-mahi (aka dolphin fish or dorado)

• • Tuna

• • Wahoo

Fishing Methods

Trolling

Trolling is a popular fishing method because it allows you cover a lot of ground in search of your quarry. The objective when trolling is to pull or drag several baits behind the moving boat and make them appear like a school of baitfish and hopefully attract a bite from a nearby predator fish.

The baits are spread out in different positions within the boat and by use of outriggers that extend out from the sides of the boat. The baits are further separated by varying their distance from the boat. The end result should appear like a school of baitfish wandering the ocean.

The baits used can be either artificial lures, real dead baits that have been specifically rigged to withstand the constant force of being trolled, or live baits. The case of trolling live baits is a bit different as they need to be trolled at slower speeds to keep them alive.

In trolling, baits are most commonly dragged along the surface of the water. But there are other ways to modify the “spread” by using planers and downriggers to fish areas further down the water column. Planers are like wings or fins attached near the end of the leader that use the force of the moving water to drag the bait deeper down below the water’s surface. Downriggers perform a similar function by using a heavy lead ball to maintain your bait even deeper.

Drifting

In drift fishing, you are relying on the wind and currents to move your boat slowly through the area you want to fish. As you drift, baits are deployed in various ways throughout the water column. Baits can be live, dead or artificial – like a jig – or any combination. Like boat fishing techniques, your chances of drawing a strike increase with the more baits in the water and as well as varying the location of those baits.

For example, a savvy fisherman may be fishing a local reef or wreck known to be a good fish habitat and intends to drift by the location with multiple baits deployed. The spread will likely include 1-4 baits dragged along on the surface. These surface baits could be freelined or held near the surface by a ballon or fishing kite. They likely also deployed 1-2 bottom baits held on or near the bottom of the use of lead weights. Simultaneously, anglers may be actively fishing the mid-depths using artificial lures – like lead headed jigs.

In this manner, the anglers can fish the entire water column from the surface to the bottom and all areas in-between. It’s an extremely productive method of fishing.

Anchoring

As the name implies, this method involves setting your anchor over a specific location known to hold fish – like a reef or wreck. Anchoring usually involves chumming, where ground fish, fish oil and other food additives are slowly dispersed into the water.

The objective is for these free fish scraps to drift down with the current into the target fish habitat. The free food will usually entice the fish to begin feeding and hopefully draw them out of the reef or wreck and eventually work their way closer to the source of the food – your boat.

When fishing for yellowtail snapper, it’s common to see dozens or hundreds of yellowtails schooling within a few feet of your boat.

Other Fishing Methods

There are numerous other fishing methods are more specialized. There is kite fishing where live baits are suspended from fishing kites. This method is most often employed when pursuing sailfish. This is deep dropping where electric reels are used to fishing the bottom in very water where using hand-crank reels are impractical. Deep dropping is used to fish for tile fish and other bottom fish in depths of 200-600 feet. Electric bottom reels are used to target swordfish in depths of 1200-1800 feet.

Sailfish Highlighted

For all of the reasons mentioned above, our local waters are in particular home to an incredible sailfish fishery. The pristine habitat has always maintained a concentration of Atlantic sailfish. In fact, many argue, and technology affirms that sailfish populations are greater today than at any time in recorded history. Due in large part to ever improving conservation efforts and the fact that this is primarily a catch and release fishery, sailfish populations are flourishing.

During the peak winter season, it’s not uncommon for local fisherman to release 10-20, or more, sailfish in a single day. When wind and current combine in just the right way, it concentrates the sailfish within a narrow corridor known as “Sailfish Alley”. This area produces the best sailfishing in the United States.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to catch a billfish, Southeast Florida can provide you with an unparalleled opportunity to do so.

Swordfish – Another Conservation Success Story

Florida is home to the Atlantic’s swordfish spawning grounds and nursery. For untold years, huge swordfish have congregated in the deep offshore waters to procreate. From the 1960’s to the early 2000’s, commercial longliners decimated swordfish populations in the area bringing them within the brink of extinction. With thousands of hooks in the water, longliners decimated the swordfish biomass as well as many other species caught up in their indiscriminate snares.

In the early 2000’s regulations were established that greatly reduced or eliminated the access of longliners to key spawning areas. The restrictions produced immediate results as swordfish stocks rebounded quickly. This was a true conservation success story. By the mid 2000’s recreational fishermen were able to successfully target a species that had become almost unattainable.

Around the turn of the century, fisherman simply did not target swordfish because it was not worth their time and effort. Today with continued conservation efforts, swordfish are back in a big way. Fisherman seeking this offshore prize stand a good chance of reeling in one of these monsters of the deep.

How to Access this Fishery

Most people reading this article don’t own to an offshore fishing boat or all the tackle and gear necessary to take participate in this fishery. This usually means you will be hiring a charter boat if you want go deep sea fishing. It’s really a great option that will get you to the fishing grounds and include everything you need, including fishing licenses. Plus, you won’t have to clean the boat afterwards.