Moving to West Palm Beach Area

[plugman]

Got a friend who is moving to West Palm Beach from the Boston area. Has a 22' Boston Whaler and plans to do some off shore fishing. Of course, he asks me what he can expect to catch and what he should use for tackle, plugs, etc. when he's out three miles working the edge of the Gulf Stream. As if I know.... Having never been there.... Any body have thoughts or suggestions I can pass on?

[soundownsam]

The 22' Whaler should be plenty of boat for near shore and offshore fishing. Sails, wahoo, dolphin, kings, cobia, tunas, etc.. are avialable as close as 1/2 a mile from the beach with the majority of fishing taking place "on the edge" which is about 2-3 mile offshore in most of Palm Beach County.

As far as tackle 12-20lb spin and 15-30lb conventional tackle will do the trick for most live baiting, dead baiting and trolling situations.

For more local info he may want to look at the Floridasportsman.com fishing forum's SE section which is a good place to hook up with other locals down that way.

Hope this helps.
Sam

[Capt.ChrisLembo]

The very first thing he should learn to do if he does not already know....is learn to throw a cast net. Live bait is very important in S. Florida. He should then learn where the bait is when he gets there. Also he will need a live well on that thing. The reason you don't see that many Grady, Whaler, Sea Craft, and other boats common to the NE down here is that they do not have enough livewell capacity. He should rig up a 50+ gallon livewell. The Conch 27, Contender, Sea Vee, Whitewater, Palmetto, all have large and multiple livewells. Another guide at Murray Marine is waiting on a new Conch 27 with a 110 gallon in deck livewell. You need lots of water to keep a days worth of bait in good shape. 1000 Pilchards, 30 Blue Runners, 30 Goggle Eyes, 30 Speedos will need lots of water to stay healthy.

Pretty much what was mentioned above...12-20 spin gear and 20 lb conventional is norm. You don't need a Penn 30 or larger sized reel for anything down here except maybe a monster Wahoo.

My setups are Quantum Cabo PT60 with 30 lb Power Pro on All Star Elite 12-25 7' Spinners and Accurate Boss Magnum 870 HXM with 50 pound Power Pro on All Star 20# IGFA Elite 7' rods for conventional.

That works for all spin needs including chucking jigs and cut/live bait at Mahi, Sails, Kingfish, Blackfin as well as for smaller Grouper, Yellowtail, reef plugging etc. The Conventional work fine for trolling for Sails, Mahi, Kingfish and bottom for larger Grouper and Amberjack, Blackfin.

If you saw my video you see the Blackfin being caught on the abovementioned spinning outfits.

[soundownsam]

Chris makes and excellent point regarding the live well. South Florida boats are designed around their livewells. 40-50 galons will be ok for standard recreational fishing. If youwant to get into tournaments 100+ is what you need.

Sam

[plugman]

How about plugs, etc. Any suggestions?

[soundownsam]

plugs?

People with 100 galon live wells don't do alot of plug fishing.

Sarcasm aside plugs are great for jacks, macks, (small) blues) and macks at certain times. You will have a tough time on getting pelagics to eat a plug.

Sam

[lemaymiami]

One of the first things I'd recommend is to hook up with the Palm Beach chapter of the CCA (Coastal Conservation Association). Some of the top anglers belong, it doesn't cost much, and it will put you in touch with guided trips at reduced cost (a lot of local guides will donate trips for auction each year that usually bid out at less than you'd pay normally as well as an opportunity to hook up in a social setting. The next thing that I'd do is research the local fishing clubs. Most welcome visitors and all are great sources of info and fishing partners that know the area. Lastly get out there and don't be afraid to try the things you know from home. You may just have a technique that the locals haven't seen (not likely, but possible...).

There are two noticeable differences between where you've come from and the local scene. The first is the Gulf Stream (think of a river of deep blue water with no fixed boundaries) some days it will be as close in as 70 feet others it's all the way out past 1000... In winter it's warmer and summer it's cooler than inshore waters. Some days the current's screaming others it might even be reversed... The other big difference is the wrecks and artificial reefs. You should be able to get a listing from the local state DERM office with GPS numbers... Very handy, they're a part of every charterman's day since they range from the reef out to more than 300' in some areas and always have fish...