Anyone gone Deep Sea Fishing?

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

I am thinking of trying deep sea fishing. I am not going for the big fish, not going to charter the boat at $500-700 for the day and go for marlin fishing. I am going on a 90ft boat. It goes out 6-12 miles and the 'guests' (aka tourists) drop a line to the bottom to fish for sea bass, groupers, grunts and many types of fish I have never heard of.

Has anyone done this type of fishing?
How was your experience? Did you catch fish? How was the crew? Did you have to buy anything extra? How were the seas (could you relax on the boat and enjoy the experience or did the boat bounce around too much)? Did the trip to and back from the fishing location go quickly? If you caught fish, what did you do with them? I understand the service offers fish cleaning, which I would believe means an extra charge, but then what? Do they pack in ice? Any other tips for this half day trip?

I am thinking that if I get lucky enough to catch fish, do I freeze them and pack in my suitcase to get them home or how do I do this? And how much motion sick pills will I need to take for the boat trip?

[Jestjoan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jestjoan]

DH is going to charter a boat at the Gulf at the end of the month. We can drive so no problem with keeping the fish. DH asked to borrow my Sea Bands...

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I have done my share of fishing but the last time I went for bass and then we switched to Blues I kind of had enough. We went out of Montauk Long Island one of the best spots on the east coast. It was in Nov around thanksgiving. We tried something new called Cable fishing. All it was is the line is cable and it it all let out wit lures on the end. We booked the boat for 8 hours. On the day we went We only really needed 2 hours. We pulled them in and maxed out our limit in under two hours. Everyones arms were sore. After my 2nd bass I wanted ice packs for my arms. It was not fun pulling in over 100 yds of Cable wire line while trolling and have a huge bass fighting you. After we hit limit we switched to Blue Fish which was much easier to real in but again we maxed out in under 2 hours. I think all 10 of us maxed out in just over 3 hours total on both fish. After that day I never had the feeling that I wanted to do that again. BTW I do not eat fish I do it for sport.

[Elan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Elan]

I did the exact type of fishing you describe when I was about 12. Bottom fishing. We went off the Oregon coast in blustery conditions. Boat went out about 5-10mi and then sat there like a bobber in moderate swells. I was fine while the boat was moving, but once it stopped to fish, I was in trouble. As much as I tried, I couldn't keep from getting sick. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a quitter, but after "chumming" over the side of the boat multiple times, I pretty much packed it in. I would have had just as much fun if I'd eaten some bad mayonnaise and then jumped on a trampoline for awhile.

As far as packing your catch, I know some places will do the packing for you. Also, depending on what you catch, sometimes you can sell the fish rather than keep. You can ship back home in dry ice, but I would think the cost would be prohibitive.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Fishing while packed in like sardines!

Your experience may well depend on how busy the boat is that day! I've done this twice, as it is an easy way to introduce the kids to ocean fishing since the crew handles just about everything and you simply act as a human pole stand...

When the boat is busy and people are packed in shoulder to shoulder it can be a nightmare.. When someone hooks a fish- everyone else has to reel in as quickly as possible (otherwise you end up with a pretty christmas bow of tangled lines!) and there's always someone next to you who is either nodding off and crossing lines with your or getting sick repeatedly (no offense intended Elan)... You usually spend all day reeling in the line and yelling at your kids to stop crying cuz the baitfish is dead and can't feel the hook going into them......

However- my first trip was great.. It was a slow day for the Captain, but that made for a much better trip. There was some elbow room- and everyone caught a few fish. When you get back to the marina- the will normally offer to clean and filet your catch for a few extra bucks. Often, there is even a local restaurant that will cook it for you that night!

Wish I could look into the crystal ball and tell you how your trip will be.. Best I can do is wish you luck!

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I've done it a couple of times and I can't figure out when I have a fish or when I had a wave so after many times of pulling up an empty hook that I plopped myself on the bow of the boat and laid out and got a great tan. shaggy PS Have fun, I'd do it again.

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

My son typically will fish more like that. Usually he has some good luck, with most of his party catching fish. I think last time his line got tangled with someone so he didn't catch anything. He didn't have to buy anything extra and the crew cleaned the fish afterwards for so much a fish and they took it home.

[Theo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Theo]

I am thinking of trying deep sea fishing. I am not going for the big fish, not going to charter the boat at $500-700 for the day and go for marlin fishing. I am going on a 90ft boat. It goes out 6-12 miles and the 'guests' (aka tourists) drop a line to the bottom to fish for sea bass, groupers, grunts and many types of fish I have never heard of.

Has anyone done this type of fishing?
How was your experience? Did you catch fish? How was the crew? Did you have to buy anything extra? How were the seas (could you relax on the boat and enjoy the experience or did the boat bounce around too much)? Did the trip to and back from the fishing location go quickly? If you caught fish, what did you do with them? I understand the service offers fish cleaning, which I would believe means an extra charge, but then what? Do they pack in ice? Any other tips for this half day trip?

I am thinking that if I get lucky enough to catch fish, do I freeze them and pack in my suitcase to get them home or how do I do this? And how much motion sick pills will I need to take for the boat trip?

You don't identify a specific geographic area, but the species you mention are "southern only" so I must assume that you're talking of somewhere between South Carolina through Florida. Here in coastal New England, vessels such as you describe are known as "head boats" --- likewise known down south. You (and likely a few dozen others on board) "bottom fish"; still fishing heavily weighted lines, alongside others with lines over the railings --- spacing and "elbow room" are entirely dependent upon just how crowded the boat is for that trip. They will pack in all the people they can (the cash register rings "per head") right up to USCG vessel capacity, given the chance.

Grouper are very strong fish and will promptly head directly for the rocks and bottom once hooked. If you are not lightning quick on the reel, you will likely never get them out of the rocks or other bottom structure they favor (if you even manage to set the hook at all). Good eating if you succeed in winching them up, however...

To be honest, I wouldn't plan on catching enough of anything to have to be concerned about "freezing" your catch and / or transporting it back to the heartland. I'd instead just bring a small collapsible cooler with a cold pack and pack up your (likely very modest) catch in that small cooler and cook it up fresh while you are there on vacation. Trust me, you won't catch enough to have to even think about stocking your freezer back in Minnesota. In addition, there are enforced minimum sizes and landing limits for regulated species --- which is most everything these days.

Head boat fishing is truly boring fishing in my view, but there is also a social aspect and a group dynamic which can be fun and entertaining if you are able and willing to interact with others on board. My bet is that you don't get much opportunity for marine fishing in Minnesota , so by all means make the trip and enjoy yourself. Tip the crew members who fillet any of your catch. At least you'll be able to later say "been there, done that, got the T-shirt".

As far as motion sickness goes, that is a purely individual and unpredictable phenomenon. I sometimes worked as a mate on a "head boat" in summers during college. I saw folks who live and work on the coast get sick just from the engine exhaust smell, while tied up dockside on a calm day. Other flatlanders, out on the water for the first time in their lives, were completely unaffected by sizable ground swells. There is just no predicting this. My personal suggestion, however, is to use one of the "patches" instead of dramamine or bonine pills, either one of which can and will likley make you drowsy and very dry mouthed.

Enjoy...

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

We did this several times when I was a kid visiting Cape Cod MA or Point Judith RI and we always had a great time! Then a couple summers ago, we took our kids out in N Myrtle Beach SC on the same kind of boat and they loved it too. Go on a weekday and the boat won't be as crowded as a Saturday trip. We always did the "half day" 4-hour trip. It took about an hour to get out there, then we spent a couple hours dropping lines and moving about between sites and then an hour to return.

We each took a single dose of Bonine before leaving and none of us felt ill. Some people use the patch behind the ear. If you tend toward motion sickness, get one of those. At the front of the boat, it's a roller coaster ride out over the swells - we loved it and so did many other younger people! At the back, it's steadier with the motor rumble - plenty of adults stayed there during the ride out and back. Once you've stopped, the amount of motion will depend on how rough the sea is that day. So watch the boating forecast on The Weather Channel and choose a day that's not rough.

We've always been given cut up squid for bait, which didn't look like a dead animal so the kids weren't bothered about baiting their own hooks. The crew supplied poles and showed us how to use them. They also had nets handy for scooping up the fish if you have difficulty getting it out of the water and they helped get them off the hooks if you wanted. They watched for fish or critters that have more spines and they'd come over to help then too, with thick gloves on.

We've always caught something, sometimes plenty of tasty dinner fish and sometimes just a couple of oddball things to throw back. But for us, it was worth the entertainment of doing it, at least once. The crews gave us buckets to fill with sea water to keep the fish alive while out there so they stayed fresh without ice on the boat.

The crews always offered to clean and filet the fish for us, either on the ride back to shore or at a cleaning station at the dock - generally about $1/fish, I think. They provided plastic bags and bags of ice were for sale. We had a little cooler bag with freezer packs in the car and we brought the fish back to our timeshare to cook for dinner. If you don't want to keep the fish you catch, others are glad to take it.

Try it once. It's a fun experience. HTH.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Lots of good information, thank you for the help.

The location we hope to fish is Calabash, NC. which is just north of North Myrtle Beach where we will be staying. After reading reviews, I am switching from one fleet to a different fleet. They have replied to an email letting me know they are doing morning half day fishing trips. I think it is about $42 each, so if I don't catch anything, it hasn't cost me the rest of my 401K.

Nice thing about 'hard water' fishing in MN this time of year, you can walk or drive to the fish. I always leave the car door open when I drive out to my fishing spot. Put in a hole and drop a line.