There is a special breed of anglers in South Florida who will pass up pedaling offshore to look for dorado, wahoo and tuna. Instead, these anglers stay closer to shore, bottom fishing to target the many different species of grouper and snapper living on the reef.
There are only a handful of kayakers who explore the possibilities of the bottom, but this type of fishing is very popular among boat anglers. While bottom fishing may not be as glamorous as hauling in a wahoo, tuna or billfish, it is often more difficult and the payoff is tastier.
6 Steps for Successful Bottom Fishing
1 Prepare Your Kayak
Bottom fishing requires the kayak to stay in position over the reef. You will need an anchor trolley, a three-pound, collapsible anchor with at least 150 feet of rope and a depth finder to mark structure and fish.
2 Research Charts and Navigation Apps
Research charts and navigation apps to find areas with deep ledges and rocky debris where snapper and grouper hang out. On the water, use a GPS to locate the general area indicated on the chart.
Then, search the bottom with the fish finder for anomalies in the structure that might hold fish. Learn to read the fish finder to determine hard bottom from soft sand. Hard bottom usually shows as a darker, thinner line. Of course, marking fish is a good sign.
3 Use the Right Bait
For a day’s fishing, I take two blocks of chum and four dozen ballyhoo. While fishing the reef, I use a Sabiki rig to catch small fish for live bait. Chumming is key to attract fish and fire them into a feeding frenzy. Anchor up current from the reef allowing the chum to slowly drift towards the structure.
4 Use the Right Rig
Rig a 30-pound conventional rod with 50-pound braided line, an eight to 10-ounce sinker sliding above a 250-pound-test swivel followed by 30 feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader ending in a 5/0 hook.
5 Prepare Your Bait
To prepare ballyhoo for bait, cut each one in half between head and tail. Remove the tail and pass the hook through the bone. Securing the hook through the tail bone allows smaller fish to pick at the bait without pulling it off the hook. When a grouper or snapper comes to dinner, solid hook placement will ensure that it takes the bait.
6 Go Deep
Drop your bait to the bottom, put the reel in gear and hold the rod while pinching the line. Try to keep the bait on the bottom, occasionally bouncing it to keep it from becoming snagged. Once you are hooked, reel in quickly because bottom dwellers are experts on taking the rig back to their rocky homes.
This article was first published in the Winter 2020 issue of Kayak Angler Magazine. Subscribe to Kayak Angler Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
Stop short for grouper, snapper and other bottom dwellers. | Feature photo: Jason Arnold
