I have been Charter Fishing for many, many years. As a Georgia Charter fishing guide making more than 15 trips each season to Georgia’s 40-mile live bottom (also known as the Brunswick Snapper Banks) for the past 15 years, you prove that this 2009 spring season is far better than the previous years for large red snapper (Mule).
After an hour of whirring 4-stroke outboards on our 31 Contender, we pulled up to the R-5 Navy Tower 34 miles from the beaches of St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia. We stopped close enough to check the bait around the legs of the tower. Thousands of Peanut Cigar Minnows circled the legs of the north tower, allowing easy bait for our crew, so we picked up about 50 and headed east towards Snapper Banks.
Anyone who reads my articles knows that I am a multi-target bottom fisherman. After all the great bottom I’ve fished, this day would be different. Color scope markings like I’ve never seen. The bottom literally “exploded as we drifted to our destination and zeroed in. The entire team stared in awe at the scope of color as if possessed. A hidden shot would have been priceless as we were all looking at the bottom machine” . with our mouths open in deathly silence. Finally, I broke the trance. “Man, this is going to be ugly!”
This mark was on a 10 foot. ledge on the Brunswick Snapper Banks and for some reason this ledge always tends to hold more fish than any other in the area and it’s not a secret number. It’s on any chart you get from the Georgia DNR. This intense mark rose 45 feet. From the bottom. It was textbook. The “red firefighter” marking stacked high on the vivid background like this at a sharp angle in the stream. Something that any bottom fisherman looks for on any day of fishing.
After a hasty scramble to set up the rigs, we zoomed in again and positioned perfectly at the top of the 117-foot mark, the first drop to the bottom not making it. At approximately 100 feet, the Ugly Stik 30-60 Rod flipped overboard pinning our client against the stern of the Contender. “Fish in!” It was all he could growl as we all yelled at him to wobble, roll, roll! Keep your rod up! The seemingly long but brutal battle produced a 30-inch red snapper for our first fish of the day. That beauty…
As I photographed the fish and angler, another scream and shuffling of feet told me that another Snapper had once again pinned someone to the side of the boat. This round was won by an angler who rode a 17 pound Gag Grouper after a furious fight on a lighter rod we had originally rigged for the Vermilion Snapper. I don’t know how the 3/0 light wire hook didn’t bend or break under the pressure of the deep sea grouper, but it held and the fisherman landed the fish.
I fish with my reels locked almost as tight as the drag will allow. When you hook up with a big bottom fish, you don’t want any line coming off your reel. Block those drags hard, keep the rod up and hang on! It’s you and him face to face, no resistance.
After that Grouper, we decided it was best to swap all rigged rods for the Vermilion Snapper since the leader was 60lbs and the hooks were 3/0 medium. I didn’t want to risk losing a big mule or giant gag, so we rigged up a 100lb mono leader and bigger hooks.
“A Boundary Georgia Red Snapper”
We had a legal limit of Mule Red Snapper in no time and I realized my son had finally had enough. We were releasing 30-inch fish at the time. Our team prayed those big Mule Snappers would stop biting! After a total of 18, the tide turned and the Vermilion Snapper’s bite ignited. The crew was relieved when their rods were bent only half as far as they had been with the Mules.
Obviously, a limit of vermilion snapper wasn’t going to be a problem, but as each three-pound bee-liner hit the deck, it got quieter, until finally my crew had enough fishing that day. There’s a sense of satisfaction when everyone agrees that your arms and back just can’t work well enough to catch another fish! I don’t see this as a problem. I see it as mission accomplished…
You don’t need any “special” numbers to fish Georgia’s 40 – Mile Bottom. Stop by the DNR office in Brunswick Georgia and pick up the public box, or pick up the phone and give them a call. There are many good numbers marking ledges and outcrops that contain many large Red Snapper and Vermilion Snapper. This season has simply been a “stellar” year for bottom fishing and this rings true for Savannah Georgia and many other places on the East Coast based on reports from other Georgia fishing guides and charter fishing boats.
If you haven’t been bottom fishing and would like to learn, there are a few things you should know. First of all, the fish must be a legal size. Depending on what state you’re in, it’s usually 20 inches. Be sure to check your baggage allowance as well. In Georgia, that’s (2) red snapper per angler. Florida rules are different and seasons also apply in certain areas.
The process of releasing bottom fish in deep water is critical. When you release a fish that is undersize or oversize, you must deflate the fish’s air bladder to allow it to safely return to the bottom. Otherwise, it will normally float to the surface and eventually die. There are small tools called “deflators” or “vent tools.” Learn where and how to properly aerate bottom fish for release. There are many articles on the Internet about ventilation procedures for bottom fish.
“The Arsenal”
When you cast big deep sea fish, you need a big bat to hit. There is no better bottom fishing rod than an Ugly Stik in my book. Here is my team for Mules.
– Ugly Stik 30-60 or 40-80 Rod
– Penn 4/0 High Speed Senator spool loaded with 80 pound braided line.
– Redfistone brand 9/0 circle hook
– 6 feet. 100 pound monofilament leader
– 12 oz. bank leader
– 90 pound snap swivel
You can use the same rod and reel for the Vermilion Snapper, but you can change your terminal rig a bit. Use a 60 pound mono leader and (2) 5/0 circle hooks. Some anglers use single hook rigs, myself included, but if they bite well and you’re not about to burn out, use 2 hooks to produce a lot of fish.
If the fish are picky, we’ll rig with a single 3/0 straight hook so I can set the hook instead of relying on the circle hook to do the work for me. When it comes to hooks and their styles and sizes for each fish, it’s personal preference once you’ve learned the game, so choose your poison.
Your best bet for bait is live Spanish sardines, but many anglers can’t afford to catch 50 sardines before a trip. Frozen sardines, Boston mackerel and whole squid can be purchased the day before your trip. Also, many anglers use horsetail lures and other lures to lure Snapper and Grouper onto the hook.
Whatever you choose, take your kids fishing. They are the future of the sport. Tight lines and good fishing for all!