Spring can bring some great opportunities to fish inshore, but for the serious offshore angler, some of the best saltwater fishing comes when the more consistent summer weather patterns arrive. TFO Ambassador Captain Jonathan Moss gave us a rundown of the offshore fishing he’ll be doing with his clients in the next few months, including the Seahunter series rods he’s using to land big game species:
“The main things we look forward to with summer are the warmer temps and less wind. During this time of year (April), spring cold fronts often make offshore fishing pretty difficult. Conditions become a lot easier to fish in once we get past the cold fronts, and the warmer, calmer days arrive.
Photo: Oliver Sutro
In the summertime, I often joke and refer to the Atlantic Ocean as “Lake Atlantic”. Some days, the water really does look like a lake. With its slick, glassy look, you’d have no idea you were fishing on the ocean. These are my ideal days. It is considerably easier for us to run offshore. It is better for the client, and at the end of the day you don’t feel beat up, like you would in rough conditions.
With those warmer days come rising water temperatures. The typical target species begin to push closer to shore. During the summer, we are typically taking clients to target amberjack, snapper and grouper. Of course when the short season opens, we’ll be catching (and keeping) red snapper.
Photo: The Captain’s Log
In order to target these big fish, we have to rely on a heavier rod like the Seahunter that has the backbone to allow you to put the heat on these fish and bring them up off the bottom. These fish are holding in structure – wrecks, reefs, rock piles and artificial reefs. When they come out of these structures, if you don’t have the backbone in a rod or a strong enough drag on a reel, they are going to grab your bait, swim back into that structure and break you off. Having the power in a rod to put the brakes on a fish is crucial.
Gear
I rely on two TFO rods when fishing offshore:
1) 7’ 7030 Seahunter spinning rod (TAC SHS 7030) with a 6000 series reel, spooled with 40lb braid and a 50-60lb fluorocarbon leader
2) 6’6” 6640 Seahunter spinning rod (TAC SHS 6640) with a 8000 series reel, spooled 60lb braid and a 50-60lb fluorocarbon leader
Photo: The Captain’s Log
If we find that we’re not getting the action/bites we desire, we will size down on the leader. Conversely, if fish are breaking off more, we’ll step up the strength of the leader. We’ll adjust until we find that sweet spot.
Pro Tip: Sometimes adding an additional cushion to the butt of the rod can really help reduce fatigue and minimize the bruising of the hip.
For baits, we are typically using grunts in the 8”-10” range. These are great baits to send to the bottom using a knocker rig, for your bigger fish like grouper, red snapper, etc. For the smaller species, we’re using cut baits (squid, shrimp) with a chicken rig.
Inshore > Offshore Trolling with the Seahunter
Another tactic I like to use the Seahunter for is trolling. Typically when we run out the inlet, we are throwing out a trolling bait right off the bat. You never know what you’ll catch as you’re working your way out to your spot to fish the bottom. It’s not uncommon to catch barracuda, kingfish, mahi mahi, or a sailfish while you are running out to your deep water spots. The 7030 rod setup is what we typically use for this.
Photo: The Captain’s Log
Offshore Vertical Jigging
One of my favorite ways to fish the Seahunter offshore is vertical jigging. I spend the majority of my time fishing lures inshore on the flats, so being able to fish a lure offshore is an absolute blast.
Amberjacks are what we typically catch while doing vertical jigging. They are also referred to as reef donkeys, because when they hit the lure, they take off like a mean mule. You’ll be vertical jigging – pulling up that lure, popping and jigging it – then it will just stop and take off when an amberjack hits it. Not only do they fight hard, but they are a fantastic table fare. A blue and yellow 9oz vertical jig, with a lot of flash works well at getting the fish’s attention.
Offshore fishing is a ton of fun. It’s hand-to-hand combat. You are literally going one on one with these fish. Having a strong tool like the Seahunter makes all the difference. It’s in my boat everyday and my clients love using them.”
Photo: The Captain’s Log
Blog written by Ambassador Capt. Jonathan Moss. You can find out more about his charter Go Castaway Fishing Charters here or follow him on social media here. You can also see Captain Jonathan Moss in action on his hit new show The Captain’s Log, viewable on Waypoint TV, Amazon Prime and his YouTube channel.
