never been to gulf stream. tons of near and inshore fishing. taking a headboat grouper trip out of murrells inlet. going to take an extra rod or 2 as I see a few tuna and mahi come in occasionally. any tips on rigs, bait, etc that may add something other than the bottom fish…tips for bottom fish will be good as well. taking some cigar minnows for sure as I think they only provide squid…thanks for any advice
if you can get your hands on some pinfish grouper love them.
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Listen to the captain he will tell you when your targeting what. If he says its the big fish spot its usually jacks and grouper. If you got a rod that is better than the broom stick and weed eater string most the boats provide then you just doubled your abilities if not more. Mullet works well for substitute cigar minnows, they stay hooked better. Pay attention to whats coming over the rails when you sew others catchi g grouper or big fish, time to game up. Braid and sharp circle hooks and some good leader/top shot will help also just check with boat about braid. Get there early as you can and waut at the loading spot so you can get a spot on the stern and balloon some baits out.
Run a search for posts by Natureboy.
I don’t know him, but think he used to be a headboat captain. I’ve learned a lot from reading his posts.
WJF
OK = here is my input on the head boat situation. Fishing 2 rods is a pain. If the fish are biting well , you cant handle but 1 rod at a time. If they’re not - 2 rods wont change things. The boats rods with the 100 lb mono and drag set locked down work well, but check it out well. Check for scratched up mono - make sure that the drag can be loosened incase a big cobia grabs it. If the boat offers electric drive reels , pay the extra. Its worth it and will put more fish in your basket. Tie or buy your own rigs The standard 2 hook rig will catch b liners & BSB. I like the Carolina rig with a 16 OZ egg slide sinker and a 4’ leader Use your own new sharp hooks. Get some smaller hooks for triggers Bigger for grouper & Try to be by your self on the side of the boat with the wind in your face. Less tangles. One other thing I did that worked well - Go to Dollar Tree and get some small light sticks Loop it onto your bottom rig above the slide weight Try to find some smaller squid and rig them so they look natural fish them like your jigging . I used to watch the guys with 2 or 3 rods, It would get comical when they would all be tangled with others at the same time. If the boat was pretty full I would ask the multiple rod people to only fish 1 rod or pay for another ticket! Tip the mate before you start fishing and tell him that he will get the rest later if he’s good! Most of all - try to enjoy your day! Finally , obey the limits. A $400 ticket back at the dock will ruin your day