Our first stop during an offshore trip on Oct. 7 was to the patch reefs off Islamorada, where we successfully loaded up the livewell with fresh pilchards and minnows for the day’s tuna bite. With plenty of bait, we headed out to the hump and got right to it.
Using the live bait as chum got the blackfin tuna fired up, and we had consistent action, quickly putting our limit of quality tuna in the boat.
Once the tuna bite was wrapped up, we made a move to do some deep dropping. We broke out the electric reels and sent our baits down to the deep ledges around 700 feet. The bite was excellent, and we were rewarded with a beautiful haul of prized queen snappers. We also had steady action from banded rudderfish. It was a fantastic day of capitalizing on the great weather.
FISH FACT
Unlike other snapper species, queen snapper inhabit deep continental shelf waters, typically between 328 and 1,640 feet.
FISH TIP
A descending device is required on board all vessels fishing for or possessing snapper and grouper species in federal waters of the South Atlantic. The descending device must be readily available for use and attached to at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line.
