port a question

[CaptV]

I am traveling from the east coast to port A during the second week of feb. We are thinking of doing the 8-12hr day trips as well as a 30 hr on the dolphin and a 48 hr with capt kelly's. here are the questions



what type of rods and reels am i going to need to bring?

as well as Terminal tackle, jigs, poppers, etc



what kind of fish can we expect to encounter on the different trips?



and if anyone has some recommendations/advice it will be greatly appreciated



thanks

[Minnow]

Welcome aboard.

8-12hrs trip usually will target King Mackerel, shark, beeliner, cobia and maybe Blackfin tuna.30-50lb class fishing gear will get you cover.

48hrs trip most likely will go to the floater target species will be tuna, AJ, Wahoo, grouper and more. for tackle Recommended tackle list for Gulf of Mexico long range fishing.

[CaptV]

thanks for the link...

do you have an opinion on the dolphin 30 hr trip?? is it worth going on that time of year???

[Bret]

I think you have a better shot at tuna on a 30or 48hr vs a 8-12hr.. I cant speak for the dolphin, but most boats that are doing the 30 or 48hr are making it out to the floating oil platforms and have been doing well on the yft...

[xs_tackle]

Originally Posted by CaptV

I am traveling from the east coast to port A during the second week of feb. We are thinking of doing the 8-12hr day trips as well as a 30 hr on the dolphin and a 48 hr with capt kelly's. here are the questions
what type of rods and reels am i going to need to bring?
as well as Terminal tackle, jigs, poppers, etc
what kind of fish can we expect to encounter on the different trips?
and if anyone has some recommendations/advice it will be greatly appreciated
thanks

1. February is typically the coldest month of the year in CC. I remember from living there in the 1950's, it snowed several years betw Feb 12-14. Feb is also likely to be windy and wet. Got boots, Grundens?

2. The DDocks boats are generally slow. That's not a bad thing, just means they have to be more cautious of sudden weather changes in the GOM--less likely to make long trips. The floaters (Hoover/Diana, Boomvang, Nansen are 100 or so miles out; and, in the La Pesca or the Dolphin (9-10kt boats), that could be a 12-17 hr trip out, depending on wind and sea state. But there are hundreds of other places (rocks, reefs, rigs, wrecks) to fish.

3. One guide to the fish you'll see are the pics of the fish they have landed in Jan, Feb and Mar 1991-2007. See Dolphin Dock Inc. Currents fishing photos..... Not a lot of pix were taken before 1999; and before then, only a few folks fished for YF or BF tuna or had the tackle or know how to land them in numbers. Also before 2000, I doubt the DD boats had the CGuard certificates required to take folks more than 100 mi offshore. So, don't be dismayed if you don't see many tuna displayed for that time. Don't recall when the Hoover/Diana was installed.

4. 50-80# tackle generally does the trick. You're better off bringing your own rigs if you have them. The boat will provide hooks, leaders, sinkers, bait.They may even sell you artificials, but better to bring your own if you're going to go that way--but, I'm not so sure that does much for you in Feb.

5. If you particularly like AJ or grouper fishing, it's nice to have a 130# rig to pull them off structure before they can wrap you up. And, you may want to bring a couple of 2-3 lb sinkers for such a rig, because the currents may be strong. Typically, you can take about as much of your own tackle as you want; but, there's no good place to stow extra rigs. You have to improvise (e.g., milk crates w/ rocket launchers or lean it up against the walls toward the back and the end of the benches on the Dolphin or La Pesca).

[papio]

I you're going out of Dolphin Docks be sure to get on the Lapesca, its a faster and bigger boat. Capt Ken will put you on some fish and he will let you know how deep the fish are, unlike the other roolkie skippers on the Dolphin.
I believe The LaPesca is the only boat schedule to sail in the month of February.

The King Macks will probably be very active so use wire leader if doing any jigging. Bring some Megabait Live Jigs, Turkey Sliders, Williamson Benthos, and Butterfly jigs. Yozuri Bull GTs, Yummee Flyers, Oti Poppers for topwater.

4/0 levelwinds for bottom fishing if u got em, don't worry if u hang a YFT, I've brought up to 90lbs to the boat on Penn 330 GTI and Mitchell Trolling Reels. Use most of the boats terminal tackle after all you're paying for it. Good luck!

[Snagged]

The 8 hour trips are a waste of time, small sharks, kings and b-liners.

The 48 hour and above trips are the only ones for decent fish. Take Minnow's advice on tackle.

[CaptV]

thanks for the info. i have got a lot of tackle that i use on the east coast that should be fine for what is needed. I will prob do the 30hr trip as well as some 12 hrs. Maybe do and 8hr and just jig all day.

[TeamOso]

Originally Posted by CaptV

thanks for the info. i have got a lot of tackle that i use on the east coast that should be fine for what is needed. I will prob do the 30hr trip as well as some 12 hrs. Maybe do and 8hr and just jig all day.

a 12hr on the scat cat will go about probably the farthest than all the other boats in pt a. leaving from fisherman's wharf, just a thought, more room also as most people arent on these trips that time.

[CaptV]

another question...

what type of poppers should i buy?? all price ranges...
what style of jigs should i bring... i have diamond jigs, metallic sardines, and some flat sided butterfly....
any other suggestions...swim jigs, tady, sumo, etc

thanks