George Poveromo
We found ourselves a hefty 70 miles offshore from Destin, keenly focused on the tip of our rod as we slow-drifted a skirted strip bait in the depths of 1,500 feet, all in pursuit of swordfish. Suddenly, the rod tip straightened, signaling a lack of weight. It turned out a swordfish was swimming up towards the bait! I hurried to the outfit, took in the slack, and locked in on the fish, ready for the battle ahead. Just under an hour later, Captain Adam Peeples skillfully gaffed a memorable catch.
It’s no secret that knowing exactly what to look for, paired with a finely tuned sense of feel when to set the hook, played a huge role in our success—we managed to land 5 out of 7 swordfish that day. Without that experience, a novice angler might have missed the slight cue from the rod tip and lost the chance of a lifetime.
George Poveromo
Developing the Feel
To truly master fishing techniques, spending time on the water is irreplaceable. This includes not only being aware of where your bait is positioned in the water column, but also gauging whether a lure is performing attractively, detecting when a fish takes the bait, and recognizing the optimal moment to set the hook.
There are no shortcuts here, but it is possible to lay down a solid foundation to build upon. At the top of this list is developing a rhythm. Whether you’re after striped bass, snapper, or billfish, honing in on the rhythm of your technique and how it functions underwater is essential.
For instance, when using bottom baits, it’s crucial that your offering stays in contact with the bottom rather than hovering just above it. You can easily confirm this by feeling the sinker hit the seabed. If that connection is lost, try free-spooling a bit to regain it. The aim is to maximize the time your bait stays in the strike zone, but be cautious; if you free-spool too much to maintain bottom contact—particularly in strong currents—you can lose sensitivity. The less aggressive your line angle is while bottom fishing, the better your feel and hookup rate will be. It’s a delicate balance, especially when contending with strong currents and wind.
Navigating Rocky Terrain
When it comes to aggressive structures, maintaining a keen awareness of how your bottom bait or jig is behaving is crucial. This advanced skill set involves rolling a sinker or jig over rocks and jagged surfaces, ensuring it doesn’t settle long enough to snag.
Last season, I ventured out for tautog fishing off Cape May with Captain Tom Daffin. Anchored, we used two-hook sinker rigs baited with crabs, threading them skillfully into the nooks and crannies of offshore wrecks. In this scenario, if your bait isn’t making its way into these hidden spots, you might as well take a break for lunch.
Successfully targeting tautogs required continuous and subtle raises of the rod tip, allowing us to feel our sinkers rolling over the bottom and slipping in and out of crevices. We racked up over 30 tautogs, including a personal best weighing 13.8 pounds. Although I’ve only fished for tautogs twice, my bottom fishing experience made adapting to these deep structures a breeze.
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George Poveromo
Effective Hook-Set Strategies
Be it bottom fishing, chunking, or live-baiting, staying attentive to subtle changes in the rod’s rhythm is absolutely vital. Just like in the swordfish example, if you notice a slight bump or tap on the rod, or if a live bait suddenly starts to act more frantically, that often means a fish is closing in. Small taps could indicate a fish nudging or pecking at the bait—species like mutton snapper, snook, tarpon, and even striped bass are known for that behavior, especially when they’re not actively feeding.
To tackle the non-aggressive pickups, consider leaving a rod in a gunwale holder. When bottom fishing, chunking, or using inline circle hooks for live bait, once a fish takes off with the bait, it will pull the line tight, bend the rod, and set the hook in the process. This takes away the uncertainty of when to strike with a finicky fish.
For manual hook sets, the approach may differ with each situation. However, as soon as a fish runs off with the bait, be prepared to strike when you notice the line speeding up. If you miss the opportunity, immediately free-spool the line. If there’s any bait left—or part of it—that fish may give you another chance. Once again, spring into action as that fish speeds off with the bait. This technique works phenomenally for wahoo and king mackerel, which are known for attacking their prey and then circling back for a taste of the remains.
Billfish Techniques
When releasing a bait back to a billfish, sight plays an integral role. White marlin, often considered the trickiest billfish to hook, are incredibly sensitive to even the slightest resistance during a drop-back.
As you engage the strike, free-spool the bait while extending the rod tip towards the fish, applying just enough thumb pressure to prevent backlash. Once you notice the line speeding up, increase the drag, reel quickly, and gradually lift the rod as the fish makes its getaway. The circle hook should set itself securely.
If you happen to miss, raise the rod high overhead, reel the bait back up to the surface, and wait for a second chance. Aiming to strike while the fish is swimming sideways or in the opposite direction to the boat enhances your likelihood of a successful hook-up—there’s a real advantage in being able to see what’s going on.
George Poveromo
Avoid Choking the Fight
The skills of feeling carried over into the actual fight with the fish. While boat flipping smaller species like schoolie mahi, tripletail, and bluefish is one thing, handling larger and more powerful adversaries calls for a firm understanding of your tackle’s limits, along with a steady rhythm throughout the fight—this rhythm should continue until it’s time to gaff or release the fish.
Maintain a solid amount of pressure on the fish but allow it to dictate the pace in the beginning. As the battle unfolds, get a feel for how the fight and the tackle pressure evolves. Keep your movements smooth and be ready to respond to sudden hard surges, especially as a trophy fish approaches the boat.
Recently, I engaged in a grueling 90-minute battle with a 220-pound bigeye tuna off the coast of Portugal’s Azores. As I brought it close to gaffing range three times, the fish made blistering runs that nearly emptied the reel’s top shot. Each time it neared the boat, I felt the urge to increase the pressure, but I knew that patience was key. Ultimately, we managed to bring the fish aboard, and the sense of sore muscles that evening was a sweet reminder of a hard-fought battle.