How do YOU fish screaming tides?

[TheOtherLine]

I was talking to Grouper Jim, the other day about a fishing trip he went on. It was during a full moon in about 125 feet of water. He was trying to fish a ledge and with 8 to 10 ounces of lead, was having difficulty getting his line down and in front of the fish.

The bite was slow, because the fish were hunkered down behind the ledge to conserve energy against the ripping current/tide.

I too have experienced this, and was wondering if anyone had any tips? Most obvious answer would be and more lead, but at some point it becomes impractical.

 

[esfishdoc]

I don't do it often but when I'm dropping 300 feet for blueline tiles or whatever else is down there I start with 16 ounces and work my way up as needed. The smallest braid possible also helps a lot. Braid and lot's of lead.... is there any other way?

 

[Megabyte]

I agree with Richard.
A TLD15 on a 7' rod spooled with braid, and lots of lead.

 

[DaleH]

Yup, braid, lead, and the weight tied to a lighter sacrificial line to snap it off if/when you hook the bottom. I have a saying on my boat, when fishing the rips for stripers ... If you don't hook the bottom every once or a while ... then you're clearly not fishing deep enough!"

A tip for deep fishing, I prefer conventional reels and I personally use the Penn 320 or 330 Gti models (same HT100 drag as 4/0 Senator) with the level wind feature. I find the clutch gives me better line management, which I believe is key! I'll have the clutch open, thumb on the edge of the spool (NOT the line :shock: !) and will 'bounce bottom'. If/when I lose contact, I'll immediately let out 3-5' of more line. I don't fish circle hooks usually, so when I feel a bite, I let out another 3-5' of line, lower my rod tip, close the clutch, count to 3 or more slowly (bait dependent, as live pogies need more time to be swallowed) and then ... HOLD ON !

One other tip, try various weight set-ups. I LOVE 3-way rigs for my bait or live-lining fishing. You might have good luck using heavy in-line egg sinkers, though rig them on a mono section before the transition to braid.

Also try to position the boat and swing the bait well up-current to get it down fast, in order to make the best presentation to the fish.

Another rule I live/fish by ... tidal stage, structure, bait, and presentation.

Edit: Added new 3-way rig photo ...

 

[Megabyte]

Dale, We use 3-way rigs like that too. We call em bottom bouncers and the line from the 3-way to the weight is a lighter mono so it will break off in the event it gets caught in the rocks.

Actually, we use a similar setup in the fall while deep trolling. The weight follows the contour of the bottom (bottom bouncing) and the lure (soft plastics or spoons) remain a constant depth off the bottom.