Left at 6:00 yesterday and ran to the Southern area. Very flat, no wind, and hot. Dropped the anchor an everyone started catching nice beeliners, undersized snapper and a few keeper snapper. I started experimenting with some pork bait to no avail and then a double drop rig and found the fish about 60' down. Caught a few beeliners and undersized snapper and began feeling faint from the heat. I went inside in the ac for about 10 minutes and we made a move. At the new spot I had cooled off so I went back to the snaps and caught 2 keepers. I then changed to an iron and caught the largest anyone caught, maybe 10#. just then we pulled the hook because we had limits of snapper and beeliners. The rest of the day we looked for kings etc. by drifting various areas. Capt Keith searched hard but it was slow going. We picked up 2 ling and some chicken dolphin the rest of the day. I had a good time except for the heat episode and it was a relaxed day of fishing. By the way how many hooks can you use on a snapper drop?
The only reference I have seen to # of hooks is no more than 3 in a special managemt area off alabama. On beeliner rigs, I have used as many as 4, but found it too hard to manage so now use 2 or 3 max.
i think its 3, but on my 40hr these drunk guys were using as many as 6-7. when deckies saw em using it they just cut their line. the guys just laughed they were so out of it haha
I wondered about the number. A friend was using 4 hooks. Its easier to hook a fish before you run out of bait. He fishes a lot and was really whacking the beeliners. I used my Torium 30 for the first time. When the hooks were empty it was a quick return for more bait. However with a fish on it was a little harder to reel in than with my 2 speed reels. I guess I'm becoming an old f--t that is too lazy to fish! Maybe I should start handing off my fish when I hook up!
well we were thick on the snapps so i dont kno if that makes a difference, all i kno is the deckies flipped out wen they saw them using the leader stuff to make these ridiculous long rigs.
The Torium 30 is a high speed reel. Once loaded you don't have much torque and that's where your rod technique comes to play. If you want to catch Beeliners and Red Snappers in minimum time, rig up your own damashi (sabkiki) with 4-5 hooks, 60lb leader, and attach a strip of Fishbites to each hook. Wait till u get multiple hits that way u will crank up triple to fourple whammys....works everytime.... Occasionally a Grouper, AJ, etc. will grab your snapper and bust your rig. But for the most part you'll catch your snappers in no time and it will allow u to speed jig/deep jig/verticle jig/Japanese style jig all u want. Jig till it hurts...then jig so more.......
