How to Catch Amberjack

by Captain Jason | Jun 23, 2023 | All Posts

90-pound amberjack caught off the Finest Kind Charter Boat.

There are several options that work well for catching amberjacks. The top method is bottom bouncing or plunking. Both place your bait on the bottom of the water column. Another option is to troll for amberjack using natural or artificial bait. Amberjack fish can be difficult to catch, but focusing on bottom fishing or trolling will improve your chances of bagging a big amberjack.

Because amberjack fishing can be frustrating, the fish has many names including reef donkey or sea donkey. They are known as Coronado also. Some are positive names and others reflect the difficulty of catching amberjack.

NOTE: Amberjack are often thought of as tuna or Yellowfin tuna. The reality is that these fish are not related to tuna at all.

Types of Amberjack

Greater Amberjack – 20–100 pounds.

1. Best Bait – Live bait works best. Cigar minnows are the top option for bait. Use minnows that are up to a foot in length. Other options include – sardines and menhaden. If none of these are available then choose another baitfish that looks like any of these.
2. Best Destinations – Anywhere along Florida’s coastline is likely a good spot for greater amberjack to be. As a bottom feeder, they will be deep in the 60-foot depth mark.
3. What To Look For – Seek out wrecks, reefs, and sunken structures in the 60-foot depth region. You can find them in shallower water, but they hunt baitfish, crabs, and squid along the bottom. Oil rigs can also be a good place for amberjack fishing.

Lesser Amberjack – Maximum of 27 inches

1. Best Bait – Live bait is king. Cigar minnows, menhaden, blue runners, and other bait fish are the best option.
2. Best Destinations – Anywhere there is a reef, wreck, or oil rig.
3. What To Look For – Bottom depths to a max of 400 feet. Like greater amberjack fish, seek them around wrecks, reef systems, artificial reefs, and structures.

Yellowtail Amberjack – Record at 200 pounds

1. Best Bait – Live bait or metal jigs – Cigar minnows are the top live bait option, but you can target them effectively with metal jigs in silver tones. In deep water, you can chum them to the surface and then hit them with spoons and minnow mimic lures.
2. Best Destinations – Anywhere along the Florida coast where there are structures.
3. What To Look For – Oil rigs are a top spot for yellowtail. These structures attract the bait fish, which school to the rigs to seek shelter. It is one of the few places you will find amberjack off the bottom.

Banded Rudderfish – to 11 pounds

1. Best Bait – Shrimp and Squid. They prefer live bait but will also take cut bait. Cut bait on a jig or using a metal spoon can also be a good option. While smaller than many amberjacks, the banded rudderfish makes an excellent offshore game fish.
2. Best Destinations – nearshore in weedy patches or near shallow structures. They also can be in deep water and trail sharks looking for bits and pieces of the shark’s meal.
3. What To Look For – a hard bottom layer is where most banded rudderfish are found. Stay away from sandy stretches and aim for the harder shelf structures along the Florida coast. They are often found in shallow wrecks or near reef systems too.

How To Catch Amberjack

Because amberjack fish are bottom fish, you will use a bottom fishing technique, such as bottom bouncing or plunking. Live bait is one of the best options, but you can also use baited metal jigs or bottom lures to attract amberjack. In deeper water, you can chum them to the surface and then use live bait, cut bait, jigs, or spoons to attract them.

Amberjack Fishing Techniques

1. Bottom Fishing – weighted rigging so that your bait, jig, or lure either stay in one spot (plunking.) or drifts along the bottom (drift fishing.)
2. Jigging For Amberjack – baited or metal jigs at the bottom with a quick wrist flick to mimic a struggling baitfish. You can also jig in shallow water for the banded rudderfish or around oil rigs where baitfish are plentiful.
3. Trolling – is an okay method for attracting amberjack species to your hook if you choose the location correctly. Most of the time amberjack fish are on the bottom, and it is difficult to troll on the bottom in deep water. For that reason, you would focus on trolling around oil rigs or reef systems where your bait might attract amberjack. You could also spread a large chum area and then troll through that area. Oily fish can attract amberjack.
4. Plunking – occurs when your rig is heavy so that the bait stays in one place on the bottom. It differs from drift fishing, which allows your bait to bounce along the bottom.

Amberjack Fishing Tips

Amberjack Bait

Live bait is a good option and includes cigar minnows, menhaden, sardines, and other baitfish. The size depends on the species of amberjack you are targeting. In general, anywhere between six inches to a foot in length is a good bet – longer for bigger amberjack fish.

Most species of amberjack will also chase lures, spoons, or jigs if they resemble baitfish.

Amberjack Fishing Rigs

For all big game fish, amberjack fish included, use a circle hook. A 9/0 10/0 will work fine for most amberjack.

1. A Simple Rig is best – Line, sinker, hook – use a short leader no longer than six feet. Tie the hook on one end of the leader and the sinker to the other. The terminal line attaches where the sinker is so that the weight of the sinker pins the floating bait and hook in the bottom few feet of the water column. You can use a swivel to connect the line to the sinker and your leader should be at least 100-pound test.
2. Equipment – A lot of people prefer braided line 50-pound test or higher but 100-pound mono will be one of the best options you can rig for amberjack. These fish can weigh 100–200 pounds, though most of what you catch will be in the 40+ pound range. A heavy-duty saltwater fishing rod with a matched reel will do you proud.
3. Bait – Take the time to fish for live bait. If you use cut bait make sure it is an oily fish – sardine or cigar minnow. Jigs and lures should resemble baitfish. You can use baited jigs – a nice piece of sardine or menhaden works just fine.

Amberjack Size Limits and Regulations Florida – Gulf Coast

1. Minimum Size Limit – Greater amberjack must be 34 inches from the tip of the nose to the fork. For lesser amberjack and banded rudderfish – nothing less than 14 inches from the nose to the fork.
2. Daily Bag Limit – Amberjack fishing limits Florida – one greater amberjack per person, per season. Five lesser amberjack fish or banded rudderfish or a combination of both. The total cannot be more than five.
3. Season – highly regulated due to conservation efforts – Check with the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife for changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is Amberjack Season in Florida?

Generally, it is open year round beginning on August 1 and ending on July 31. That changes though due to conservation efforts. Be sure to check for season changes at the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife.

How Long Does It Take To Reel in An Amberjack?

Expect to battle an amberjack anywhere from half an hour to an hour depending on its size.

What Kind of Fish Is an Amberjack?

Amberjack fish are its own family of fish not related to tuna. The family name is Carangidae whereas tuna belong to the family Scombridae. Amberjack fish are benthic predators meaning they feed at the bottom or near the bottom.

Where Can You Catch Amberjack?

Amberjack are available around the world in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They prefer warm water and are concentrated in tropical or subtropical waters. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the best areas to fish for amberjack fish.

Circle Hook Size Chart: Best Circle Hooks for Saltwater Fishing

by Captain Jason | Oct 3, 2022 | All Posts

What is the best circle hook for your fishing adventure? The truth is that while size matters, it varies depending on the fish you want to target. We will sort that out later in this blog, and we encourage you to take a closer look at the circle hook size chart here and explore the various circle hook sizes.

Circle Hook Sizes

You may have noticed that circle hooks run in two ways – the # or the /0- For example, the #1 circle hook is different from the 1/0 circle hook. As you choose your range of circle hooks understand that with the # number system on hooks, the larger the number the smaller the hook. So, a #4 hook is smaller than a #1 hook. With the ought or aught system, the hook sizes are followed by a /0 – for example, 1/0 is a one aught hook, and it is smaller than a 4/0 (four aught) hook.

Another key consideration when choosing the hook size regardless of the style of hook circle, J, etc. – is that you need to match the hook to your bait size, and bait size is a reflection of the fish you want to target. Many fish, with some exceptions, will eat whatever food will fit in their mouth. By matching the size of bait to the mouth size of the fish you want to target, you can sometimes eliminate pesty bait steelers that will take your bait even though they are small.

There are physiological reasons for choosing the right hook. With circle hooks, you want to pay attention to the gap. That is the space between the point of the hook and the shank. Wider gaps allow thicker jaws to enter the circle of the hook and therefore allow you to hook bigger fish. Smaller gaps make it more difficult to hook bigger fish since the hook will not fit over their jaws.

How to Choose the Right Size Circle Hook for Your Goals

Fishing hooks have seven parts. These include the:

1. Eye – where you tie your line to the hook
2. Shank – Attaches to the eye and is a straight part that ends where the hook begins to bend.
3. The Bend – The bottom of the hook where the metal forms a U-shape
4. Throat – where the hook begins to straighten after the bends – there is often a barb in the throat to help keep the hook in place.
5. The Point – where the throat meets the barb
6. The Barb – the sharp part of the hook that penetrates the fish’s flesh to help set the hook and keep it in place.
7. The gap – The span of air – no metal – between the barb or point and the shank. The gap is the diameter of the opening that indicates the fish jaw size to hook size ratio.

Choosing the best circle hook is all about two things.

1. The diameter of the metal that makes up the hook – thinner for smaller fish, bigger for heavier baits, and for bigger fish.
2. The gap measurement so that you can gauge what size fish will fit the hook or what size bait you can use with this hook.

The exact size of the circle hook will vary from one species of fish to the next. For that reason, you want to think about what size bait you will use or soft plastic. Longer soft plastics, which are very popular, take bigger hooks. You want the shank of the hook to be longer so that the head of the soft plastic piece sits at the eye of the hook and the bend emerges from the soft plastic near the middle or top third of the soft plastic mimic.

You also want to think about the gap, especially with circle hooks. The gap needs to be large enough so that the hook will be set above the jawbone. If it does not, the fish can tear – literally – away from the hook.

Best Circle Hooks for Saltwater Fishing

Two brands stand out when you shop for circle hooks. Mustad and Gamakatsu.

Mustad Hook Size Chart 

Gamakatsu Hook Selection with Size Charts 

There are other brands of circle hooks that are also awesome. Eagle is one such brand.

For saltwater fishing, you will likely stay with a 2/0 hook for most inshore and some offshore fishing. For reds and speckled trout, you can do down to a 1/0 or stay with the 2/0

#4-6 for Jack Mackerel, if you are targeting bigger fish such as Cobia, or Yellowtail 5/0 is a good bet. If you are using soft plastics as bait, consider a 3/0 or larger depending on the length of your soft plastic bait.

For massive fish, such as marlin, you will head to the top of the big hooks with 10/0 and 11/0 hooks. You could use a 10/0 or 11/0 circle hook for the red snapper. Their mouth is huge, and they don’t typically shy away from hooks.

What size circle hook is right for your next fishing adventure? If you are going solo, stick with a selection of circle hooks to match the catch available. A good quality 2/0 will do you well for most inshore fishing. 3/0, 4/0, and 5/0 for medium-sized fish and go big – 10/0, 11.0 for anything with plenty of weight and a big mouth.

What Is a Saltwater Catfish and Are They Any Good?

by Captain Jason | Sep 27, 2022 | All Posts

Saltwater catfish are a pain to deal with because they are so good at stealing your bait. The joke, however, is on them because you might find them to be one of the best fish to eat. How big do saltwater catfish get? Most species range from 9-12 pounds at full maturity, so not as big as freshwater catfish. While there are several types of saltwater catfish there are only two main Florida catfish species – hardhead and gafftop catfish.

What Are Saltwater Catfish?

Are there saltwater catfish? There are a few species of catfish that live in saltwater. Hardheads and sail catfish are perhaps two of the most widely populated saltwater catfish along the coastal waters of Florida. They reside in both the Atlantic and more heavily in the Gulf of Mexico.

If you are wondering how big saltwater catfish get, they stay fairly small. The Hardhead catfish can grow to 28-30″ in length and about 12 pounds. Anything close to that would be considered a trophy catch. Most Florida catfish found in the shallows range in weight to three pounds. The Sail Catfish or gafftop catfish is slightly smaller when fully matured weighing around nine pounds. On average, expect most of the Florida catfish you catch to be under three pounds. In fact, both species are considered pest fish for anglers because they are very good at stealing your bait.

Hardhead or gafftop fishing is fairly easy. You can find saltwater catfish in both the shallows during the summer and in deeper water in the winter months throughout the Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. While the hardhead catfish is generally only a saltwater fish, the sail catfish, aptly named because of its taller dorsal fin, will sometime invade brackish lagoons, bays, and estuaries.

For those anglers who want to target snook, redfish, or spotted trout, you will have to battle the sailcat catfish and hardhead catfish as both will try to steal your bait. For most of you, that’s a negative, and it can be, but there is an upside. Ocean catfish make amazing cut bait. If you find that you are having to re-bait your hook or constantly unhook Florida catfish from your line, just use them as bait.

Hardhead Catfish

Can You Really Eat Saltwater Catfish?

A big question from anglers new to catfish saltwater fishing is “are saltwater catfish edible”? They are edible, though some people do not like their taste. You can, and you should expect a similar taste and texture as you find with freshwater catfish. Many people who catch saltwater catfish do not bother with eating them. They just throw them back. They have a bit of a negative image because they are not overly large, they are bony, and their dorsal spins can be toxic. They are actually excellent to eat.

If you cook them correctly, you end up with a solid, flakey fish that has a firm texture and that lovely catfish taste. They are not gamey or bad tasting. You do have to work cleaning them as they are very slimy. Their extra thick slime coat helps protect them from the saltwater but makes them slippery to hold. There is also the risk of getting “stung” by their dorsal rays, and pectoral rays, which can cause a toxic reaction.

For these reasons, many anglers prefer to target other fish, that are less work and easier to clean. Opportunity is in the eye of the beholder. The ocean catfish pretty much catch themselves. All you have to do is throw out your line, and they will attempt to steal your bait. If you have not tried them for lunch or dinner, do so. You may be pleasantly surprised at the quality of fish they are.

How To Clean and Prepare Saltwater Catfish

Catfish have very angled rib bones. So, you have to filet them a little differently than you would another type of fish.

Step 1: Bleed them, by cutting the gills. You can use an ice chest with water in it so that they bleed into the water. That kills the fish faster, and they bleed out quickly. The result is a cleaner filet.

Step 2: Once the fish is dead, you want to feel for the outline of the ribs. The bottom of the ribs will range from the pectoral fin to the anal fin. Cut along the spine and along the edge of the ribs down to the anal fin. This will help you remove those ribs when you filet the fish.

Step 3: At this stage, you can filet the catfish like you would another fish. The difference is that as you remove the meat (filet, you slide your knife along the rib cage where you made the cut to the anal fin. As you do, the meat will come away from the ribs, and you will end up with nicer filets. Hardhead and sailcat catfish do not have a lot of meat, so fileting in this way helps to produce the most meat.

Saltwater Cat Fishing Tips

• What bait do you use for saltwater catfish? – Catfish hunt by smell, so something stinky is always a good choice. Oily cut bait is one of the best baits to use.
• How to safely catch saltwater catfish? – Saltwater catfish have three spines that can produce a toxin. Those are the first dorsal ray, and the two thickest spines on the pectoral fins. To safely catch catfish, bring them to the boat or on shore with a net. The net helps reduce them flopping around, which can cause you to get stung easily. Put them directly into the cooler and then bleed them.
• What techniques work best for saltwater catfish? – You can target catfish in shallow water and along structures with cut bait and hook. You can also chum them in the same situations and then target them with a hook and bait. Chumming helps cause the catfish to congregate in one area where you can then target them with your hook.

Why Do People Not Like Ocean Catfish?

There are two main reasons why anglers do not like ocean catfish. The first is that they steal your bait while you are fishing for other fish. The second is that they are a little harder to clean. Some anglers will tell you that ocean catfish are not good eating and that is very debatable.

Are saltwater catfish poisonous? Another reason people do not like ocean catfish is that their spines can cause a toxic reaction. By learning how to handle them safely, you can avoid much of the risk. The flesh is not poisonous to eat.

How To Keep Shrimp Alive

by Captain Jason | Sep 26, 2022 | All Posts

Fishing with live bait is sometimes a must. When it comes to tempting big fish with live shrimp many anglers struggle to keep their bait shrimp alive. Inside, we discuss how to keep bait shrimp alive and some of the tricks we use to use live bait successfully.

How To Keep Shrimp Alive Longer

Like all living organisms, there are parameters that must be met to keep shrimp alive. Those are:

1. Plenty of air
2. The right water temperature

When you take shrimp out of the water and put them in a bucket or a Livewell, you are putting them into an artificial environment. That means you have to manage the environment to create one that sustains life, even if it is for a short while as you fish. Here’s some more on how to do that.

1. Limit How Many Shrimp You Put in Your Bucket or Livewell – For three gallons of water Keep no more than about 18-shrimp. For five gallons of water keep no more than 24 shrimp. Too many shrimp deplete oxygen and foul the water. When the water is dirty it kills the shrimp. Live shrimp is a better bait option over dead shrimp – though both will catch fish.
2. Add Oxygen – Warm water holds less oxygen than cold water. Because the shrimp are in a bucket, the water will warm quickly. To counter the loss of oxygen, use a bubbler. There are battery-operated bubblers that will aerate the water for you. As an alternative, there are flow-through shrimp buckets that you drop into the ocean where you are fishing. The tidal pressure forces water through the bucket so you don’t have to worry about an aerator.
3. Use a Shrimp bucket – Unless your Livewell is small you probably want to go with a special bucket for live shrimp. They make them. They are set up to hold an aerator. Plus, they are small enough that you don’t have to hunt for shrimp.
4. Use small ice packs to regulate the water temperature. If the water is too cold or too warm the shrimp will die. By using small ice packs or even small amounts of frozen water in a bottle or container, you can keep the water in the bucket just right. Do not add ice directly to the water. It will shock the shrimp and cause them to die. It also will melt and dilute the water in the bucket. Saltwater shrimp need salt water and if you add ice to the bucket, it will drop the ratio of salt to the water.
5. Limit the time you have the shrimp in the bucket – On the way to go fishing, pick up your live shrimp from the bait store. Trying to keep them overnight is a hassle. By limiting the amount of time you have the shrimp, you stand better odds of getting to the fishing spot with live shrimp.
6. Keep it Shrimp Only – The shrimp bucket is for shrimp. Don’t put anything else in there. Not only do you risk your shrimp becoming a meal for other things in the bucket, but those other things will use up oxygen and pollute the water, both of which put your live shrimp at risk of dying.

What Are You Using To Keep Shrimp Alive?

One big mistake that anglers make when trying to keep shrimp alive is to use a regular bucket. You can certainly take a regular bucket and modify it to work. It is much easier to just buy a shrimp aerator or filter bucket. It is also important that your shrimp bucket be clean before you use it – every time you use it. When you have a designated shrimp bucket, you tend to use it only for shrimp which cuts down on many pathogens that may kill the shrimp.

Common Mistakes

• Adding ice directly to the bucket is a common mistake.
• Not cleaning the bucket well enough before you add the water and the shrimp
• Not keeping the bucket out of the sun while you fish
• Adding too many shrimp to the bucket, especially with an aerator.

Advice For Longer Lifespan

1. Keep the water temperature fairly consistent. Not hot, not cold, but something close to the surface temperature of the waters where you fish.
2. Don’t put other fish in with your bait shrimp. Fish like shrimp as snacks.
3. Use a bait shrimp bucket that you float in the ocean. It will help keep the temperature in the bucket consistent and add aerated water to the bucket.
4. Don’t buy your shrimp the day before you go fishing, instead, buy them on the way to go fishing so that you keep them in a bucket for the least amount of time possible.

How To Keep Shrimp Alive Without a Livewell

Unless your Livewell is small, do not use it for keeping bait shrimp alive. You will spend a lot of time hunting for the shrimp and if you catch other bait fish you will have nowhere to store them. Keep the Livewell for fish and use a bait shrimp bucket for shrimp.

It may seem like a hassle to fish with live shrimp. There is a reward of sorts though. Live shrimp are very keen on avoiding predation. They will hide from the smaller fish that steal bait and live shrimp. That means that your bait is going to stay on the hook longer and your odds of hooking bigger fish are better.

What Are the Best Saltwater Lures for Redfish?

by Captain Jason | Sep 23, 2022 | All Posts

Redfish are the kings of inshore fishing. Because of their vast range and fighting prowess, they remain a favorite of anglers from South Texas almost to New Jersey. Where you find redfish and how you fish them are two very interrelated attributes.

The process of targeting big bull redfish begins with your rod and reel, which we outline for you in our blog – “What Is the Best Rod and Reel for Redfish and Speckled Trout”. However, this blog focuses on lure selection for the successful fishing of redfish wherever you find them.

The Trick to Catching Redfish

Redfish are creatures of habit, and they range from deep water to crawling across muddy weed beds with hardly any water at all. Habit is a good thing to think about when targeting redfish. It is true that they will eat whatever they can find, even snakes. But to successfully fish them, you need to pay attention to what is available where you are fishing. In fly-fishing, we call this “matching the hatch”, and to do that, you pair your fly with patterns of insects that are available (hatched.) With redfish (and most others) you do the same thing. The redfish are dialed into what is available and so you need to be also.

Pay attention to what is available in the water where you fish. In the shallows, you might be looking at blue crabs on the sandy bottom near a marsh or inlet or sardines that are schooling in deep water. Redfish fishing in the in-shore can mean targeting them with crabs, shrimp, and shads. So all of these options are variables that change based on where you fish. That little factoid is important because you want to match your lure selection to what is physically available in the water where you are fishing. Thankfully, redfish lures come in a huge variety of sizes and patterns.

Our Top Saltwater Lures For Redfish

Inshore fishing

Inshore fishing you want to have a few varieties of soft plastic shrimp and crabs – these can be lures or jigs the head standers work well for bottom targets. Head standers mimic feeding shrimp and in terms of redfish lures, they are a hit. Another hot item is the shad patterns. You can find these in metal lures or soft plastics, and they work well on a variety of fish. Eel patterns are also a good option.

What you are looking for in a good inshore lure is a mimic of the life that exists in the sandy flats, rocky crevices, smaller reef structures, etc. These are the food items that redfish are dialed into and what they will strike at first and fast. You can also pay attention to seasonal changes, such as when the baitfish come inshore to spawn or when bigger fish, such as cobia are chasing baitfish into the shallows.

When you fish inshore, you would usually grab a shrimp pattern first. If you notice, there are a lot of crabs around switch to crab patterns. If you are not seeing a lot of native wildlife – shrimp, crabs, eels, then you can try a gold-tone spoon and see what that does. The best tip is to be prepared to change it up often.

Our Choice for Topwater Lures

Get ready to start speaking gibberish – As in the Skitter Walk, which is a hot topwater option for targeting redfish. The Skitter Walk by Rapala is one of the best and most versatile red drum lures, but it is not alone. The Heddon Super Spook is another option that will do an excellent job. One of the best reasons to opt for topwater lures for redfish is that red drum can present an explosive strike that launches them out of the water. THKFISH GT Popper is a third option, and they are available in many color patterns – go for the gold tones though the blue can be a hit in spring or fall.

Any of the above lures will do well in deeper water or inshore fishing, but for tidal marshes, inlets, and brackish water, you want to go a complete 360. If you are fishing along the weedy beds, you will find shrimp and crabs and those are good bets, but a perfect topwater lure is something in a mouse pattern. Think fluffy and bright like a dry fly. Small rodents are not uncommon food for big red drum fish. One of the best artificial lures for redfish is the Redfish Mariboo #10 in purple and black. The fluffy bit of flotsam is a redfish magnet.

A good tip for fishing the weedy spots is to use a weed guard. They allow you to pull your lures through the weeds with far fewer snags. Redfish love the weeds, and you can find big bull redfish in shallow water in weedy spots.

Our Choice for Best Versatile Lures for Redfish

Often when you are targeting redfish you also have the option to target speckled trout and snook too. Twitchbait options are a good choice because they will allow you to target red drum, speckled trout, and snook. The slow sinking twichbait by Yo-Zuri 3D in the mullet patterns are good options. In fact, many of the slow sinking lures, such as mullets are ideal. You can target redfish all day and increase the fishing by also enticing snook and speckled trout to pop the hook.

Again, the takeaway here is not so much the specific lure as the fact that it mimics something that is native to the environment. When you dial that in, the fishing becomes better.

When you set up for redfish, the lures you use are close mimics. If you are fishing inshore, the water can be murky as the tide changes. If you are fishing inlets, bays, or estuaries and marshes, you want to pay attention to the clarity of the water. Brighter tones work well in murky water and redfish seem to love the color gold. Gold and green, gold and purple, and gold and red are three options. If you want to fish with spoons, gold and green are hard to beat. The best tip to give is to be prepared to switch up your lure option often. Stock and rig your leader with swivels, so you can switch your lure with ease. In shallow water, you will often sight-fish for redfish, speckled trout, and snook. To make that process better, standard equipment should include polarized glasses.