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Fishing Report for the Florida Panhandle
Capt. Alex Crawford
October 31, 2003
Carrabelle - Saltwater Fishing Report
AMBERJACKS--- BULLIES OF THE GULF
Vivid memories remain from twenty years ago, when I was painfully introduced to a monster amberjack. Until then, my angling experiences were limited to small AJs in the teens. Indelibly burned into my angling memories, this offshore trip was uniquely different from others. Fishing out of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, our destination was the world-famous Islamorada hump only about twelve miles offshore. Looking at the color bottom machine, we marked large fish holding on the up current side of this massive seamount. I dropped a hand-size frisky pinfish down in about 325 feet of water. What happened next is difficult to describe with simple words. The big 12/0 circle hook found its mark and the brute fish headed for the Bahamas with a heavy, irresistible pull. This was a tractor pull and I was on the losing end. My shoulder rotator cuffs were at maximum torque, as I held on to the rod, so as not to be pulled overboard. Finally and mercifully, the big fish stopped and allowed me to regain a few wraps on the 9/0 Penn reel. Then, we settled into an exhaustive pump and wind tug of war. Can’t remember a more physically challenging experience. After about 20 minutes of sweat and throbbing pain in my arms and shoulders, the brute surfaced with my pinfish hanging from his jaw. The gaff found its mark and two of us lifted the great fish onto the deck. Later, the dock scales registered 59 pounds, a personal best. The learning experience is that large AJs will make you sit down, drink a cold one and recuperate for a long time, regardless of your physical condition.
Greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili, gets its name from the amber color stripe that extends from the base of the tail fork through the small eye. Largest of the jack family, their range extends from Massachusetts to Brazil, including all of the Gulf of Mexico. Smaller cousins commonly caught in the Gulf include the great-eating almaco jack, banded rudderfish and the lesser amberjack. The world record AJ was caught in 1981 off Bermuda and stands at 155 pounds. Not far off the world mark, Florida’s state record is 142 pounds for a bruiser caught off Islamorada in 1979. Florida allows a daily bag limit of one fish per angler per day with a minimum length of 28 inches fork.
AJs live on wrecks, rigs and reefs, both natural and artificial, in the Gulf. They are accessible to recreational anglers from 60 feet to several hundred feet of depth. Typically, smaller specimens are caught on the shallower reefs and wrecks. This is a good thing, as the just-keeper fish are better table-fare and don’t inflict as much bodily pain. Deep, offshore wrecks hold the big bruisers. Larger AJs don’t eat as well and are prone to worms, especially in 85 degree, summer waters. Tangling with bully AJs is sometimes a catch and release game for macho masochists. Pull and they pull back!
The very best baits for AJs are healthy, live ones. Although they will take dead baits and trolled lures, a big lively pinfish is the top choice. My second choice is a big hardtail (blue runner), with grunts, croakers and beeliners right up there. As the ultimate prepared opportunist angler, the best live bait is whatever you can catch and keep healthy. Keep some chunk baits at the ready, since this technique will bring fish up, so you can sight cast to individual targets.
Two of the best methods for inducing wreck AJs into eating is jigging. AJ pros know that schools of fish holding up in the water column on a deep water wreck are susceptible to a big white turtle jig that emulates a squid, a primary forage. A heavy diamond jig is a killer lure at times. Large, sweeping motions of the jigs will get the jacks in an eating frenzy. It is common to see a school of AJs follow a hooked fish to the surface. Always have an outfit ready to pitch a live bait, cast a surface popper or drop another jig in the fray. Multiple AJ hookups are sheer cockpit pandemonium. Watching a big fish eat your offering will give you an immediate adrenalin rush, call it AJ ecstasy!
Tackle selections vary greatly from fly rods to 130 pound class gear. Generally, 30 to 50 pound class outfits are ideal. Since this is a standup endeavor, a quality fighting belt is helpful. My favorite AJ tools are Shimano TLDs and Shimano Spheros 14000 spinners mounted on stout six foot glass sticks. I spool the TLDs with Ande 50 and the spinners with 40. Terminal rigs are equally important to handle the torque an AJ puts on the gear. Eighty pound fluorocarbon leaders tied to 200 pound barrel swivels work fine. A hand-sharpened 12/0 circle hook is small enough not to impair the action of a live bait, but strong enough to handle a hard pull.
When wreck fishing AJs, it is important to find the position on the wreck where fish are holding. Many times you will mark the show above the superstructure and on the up current side. Remember, cardinal fishing rule number one: fish where the fish are! When you see the school on your bottom machine, deploy a quality marker buoy that only plays out the exact amount of line as the water depth. Then, position your vessel up wind and up current from your buoy. Depending on the depth where you marked the fish, drop you best live bait over the fish. They feed up. AJs will hook themselves as they pull against the circle hook.. Next, hold on for dear life, as you attempt to crank a small car out of deep water with a small tool.
On the Forgotten Coast out of Apalachicola there are several good AJ spots. Wrecks include the Angela, Gilmore, Stormy Seas, Flaming Star, Empire Mica, Gilmore, Paula and Endeavor. Reefs include the Bryson, Franklin County, Apalachicola, Exxon template, as well as all five of the alphabet towers. The soon to be deployed Saint George Island bridge rubble reef will create perfect AJ habitat within 10 miles of the Government Cut.
A quick and easy AJ recipe: Char-grilled AJ, marinate AJ fillets in Italian dressing for 30 minutes in the frig, salt and pepper to taste, ten minutes on the grill per side until tender and flaky. Celebrate the memories with your good friends, your favorite beverages, your best music and great eats. Realize your dreams, do it today!
Captain Alex Crawford
Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Proud Member Florida Guides Association
www.topknots.com
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