LATE FALL—BOAT AND MOTOR MAINTENANCE ‘09

Late fall is the time to get your fishing boat ready to catch ‘em up.  Annual maintenance and service is a ritual for me.  Here is a list of things that you may want to consider on your annual boat/motor checklist. This certainly is not all-inclusive, but will provide a good starting point. 

OUTBOARD MOTORS

*Change oil filters, inspect oil pump

*Change gear lube (high quality synthetic lubes are best)-check for any metal filings

*Clean, inspect, change plugs 

*Inspect/change water separators and fuel filters 

*Inspect battery and electrical connections (add distilled water) 

*Check for worn electrical connections, wires and check all fuses and switches

*Inspect props, seals, cotter pins and lube prop shafts

*Lube motor fittings and inspect power trim/tilt 

*Add hydraulic steering fluid

*Inspect all pumps and replace worn hoses/ test bilge pump operation 

*Spray motor with Corrosion X 

*Add ring-free fuel additive 

*Change water pump impeller or install new pumps

*Check operation of hour meters and flo-scans

*Test operation of warning horns, inspect for rust

*Wax motor cowlings

*Clean and inspect live bait wells

BOAT HULL

*Inventory and inspect serviceability of offshore life jackets for adults and kids

*Wash and wax (marine Teflon wax works well)

*Polish all bright work with chrome polish

*Tighten all fittings and cleats

*Inspect all federal permit decals

*Inspect back-up prop, restow securely

*Check power anchor windlass (inspect chain connections and chafing anchor lines)

*Repaint hull with high quality bottom paint (inspect for fiberglass work)

*Clean electronics and lube connections

*Inventory and update safety gear

*Check First Aid Kit and epirb

*Check flashlites and Q beams

*Test Nav lights

*Inspect through-hull fittings and seacocks

*Inspect and clean gauges 

*Inspect structural integrity of swim platforms and motor brackets

NOTE: you can hire this work to be done in your local area.  The cost will vary depending on several factors like the size and condition of your boat and motors. 

This is only a partial list of considerations. There is no diesel info. The bottom line is that conscientious, annual care of your boat and motor will allow you to spend more trouble-free, fun time on the water catching fish.  And, it will provide a verifiable record with your marine mechanic when it is time to sell your boat.  Boats and motors that are cared for on a regular basis, command greater resale values. 

Till next tide, solid hookups and tight lines,

Captain Alex Crawford

Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association

Proud Member Florida Guides Association

Proud Member Coastal Conservation Association

www.topknots.com

captainalex@fairpoint.net   

(850) 697-8946                                     

                                       APALACHICOLA OFFSHORE BONANZA

In the 24 years that this Captain/writer has been chasing offshore fish in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, the fishing has never been better.  Those are some strong words, so maybe a caveat is in order.  For the really good eating bottom species that are highly prized, the fishing is fabulous.  The most prolific targets include grouper, seabass, triggerfish and snapper.   With the right conditions and techniques, the dedicated bottom bumper can get bit on virtually every drop.  Compared to inshore piscatorial endeavors, tackling big fish offshore is faster than greased lightning. 

Obsessed offshore anglers always try to stack the odds in their favor.  Chum is the trick!  Today, there are several innovative chum products on the market that have proven successful.  One that is employed by guides across the Gulf coast from Texas to Florida is called the Chum Churn.  This is a simple, but effective device.  It is built out of 4 inch pvc plastic with wide slots carved into the housing.  A set of razor-sharp stainless blades are set at an angle in the plastic tube.  Whole fish up to 24 inches and cut baits are loaded into the top of the tool and hung overboard on the gunwale or inserted into a rod holder by means of a curved handle.  With an aggressive pumping action, the device cuts and dispenses chum into the water in large quantities.  As a bonus, the churning noise sounds like a school of baitfish being attacked by predators.  Fish are attracted by playing on three natural senses, sight, smell and sound.  One incremental advantage of the Chum Churn is that anglers can sight-cast to larger fish up in the water column, thereby reducing mortality of short fish.  There is nothing better than presenting a lure or bait to a big fish and watching the take in clear water, especially on top.  If this thrill fails to get your blood running, take up a new sport, like watching grass grow.   

Another creative chumming product is the Chum King.  The success of this device is that it allows the angler to introduce different types of chum at a chosen depth.  A weighted basket is filled with the chum or chunk baits and deployed on a hand line to the bottom or midway in the water column depending upon the target species.  The chum is introduced and the device is pulled out of the water.  The basic premise here is that fish behave differently to man-made objects in their domain. 

The evolution of how fish react to chum has gone high tech.  Underwater cameras record the behavior of different species to different flavors of chum products like shrimp, pogies, squid etc. Just call it Fish Behavioral Psychology 101.  Already on the market are impregnated/scented lures that catch more fish.  In the future we will walk into the tackle store and tell the salesman what species of fish we want to catch.  A complete assortment of different “flavors” will be available that have been documented to catch each targeted species from grouper to wahoo. 

A dual-purpose chum device is called the Chum Basket.  Manufactured by American Bandit Company out of Bainbridge, GA, this creative tool serves two basic functions.  The business end is a lead-weighted basket that is filled with your favorite chum.  The line is attached to a high-quality marker buoy that marks the fish show seen on your bottom machine.  Catching more fish is only limited by one’s preparation and ingenuity.   

Till next tide, tight lines and solid hookups,

Captain Alex Crawford

Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association

Proud Member Florida Guides Association     

Proud Member Florida CCA

A PERFECT FISHING DAY ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA.  A few days ago, Douglas White and fellow anglers from Charlotte came down for a fun day on the big pond in search of some world-class piscatorial memories.  They found idyllic weather and an absolutely wide-open bite. 

Adrenaline levels were high as we ran southwest into the Gulf with the new day sun boiling up on the port gunwale.  Expectations are a heavy burden, so I made a promise I could keep.  A box full of good-eaters were the target of the day and we would never get zilched. 

We began our search for good fish (are there any bad ones?) in 80 feet and soon the sonar announced loudly, park here!  This obvious explosion of life on the bottom-machine had the Captain and crew grinning like possums eating persimmons out of a wire brush.  We anchored on the show and began cutting pogies, cigar minnows and squid.  For the next 6 hours this Captain unhooked 100 plus finny critters, plus a big, hungry sea turtle.  It would be fair to say our sojourn into the sun produced multiple personal victories.  Basically, someone was pumping and winding all the time, even through lunch.  These guys had a huge want-quotient.  I call it the “where’s the beef” mentality, a rapacious attitude.    

Since luck is the residue of great planning, we broke out the fluorocarbon leaders and Owner 5/0, stick in your thumbnail sharp, hooks.  Twenty pound class spinners with 8 ounces of lead were the tools for this group of accomplished anglers.  They knew the drill.  Drop a well-hooked bait to the bottom and come tight to feel the sinker bounce.  Point the rod tip at the water and stand ready.  At the first nibble, raise the rod tip sharply with the wrists and get half a dozen quick cranks to lift his head out of the coral.  Then, slowly and smoothly cranking down and pumping up puts riders in the box.  Not a real high degree of difficulty, but technique is the trick.    

The fish gifts for the day’s perfect adventure included gag and red grouper, several yummy little flounder, beaucoups of black seabass, tasty triggerfish and dozens of throw-back snappers.  All of this on a gorgeous day in the northern Gulf of Mexico.  Not a single day is promised to us, so remember, fishing is not a matter of life and death, it is much more important than that. 

Till next tide, tight lines and solid hookups,

Captain Alex Crawford

Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association

Proud Member Florida Guides Association   

Proud Member CCA Florida

                                             APALACH OFFSHORE

When the waters in the Gulf warm up in Spring, cabin-weary fishermen turn their thoughts from deer, hogs and turkeys to grouper and snappers.  Offshore of the pristine barrier islands of the Forgotten Coast, productive habitat exists for these bottom dwellers.  Limestone ledges are prevalent and hold schools of chunky snappers, including red, lane and vermilion..  Artificial and live bottom, natural reefs are perfect homes for gag and red groupers.  Numerous ship wrecks exist here and attract all the most highly-prized bottom species, as well as pelagic predators like cobia and kingfish.  You can find the latitude/longitude coordinates of dozens of these wrecks in the public domain.  However, a short list of the most productive ones on a seasonal basis will include the Stormy Seas, Gilmore, Empire Mica, Angela, Flaming Star and the Paula.  The Air Force maintains five (5) towers that are used for training purposes.  They are spread across the Forgotten Coast from about 10 to 20 miles out into the northern Gulf of Mexico.  These fish magnets are called alphabet towers by their names C,O,V,K and S.  The underwater superstructure of these towers create ideal habitat for all manner of fishy critters.  Be the first boat on one of these towers in the early morning and drop a live bait down.  You may be rewarded with a hefty cobia.  Be the ethical angler when you encounter divers on these towers.  They had to run out just as far as you did to get to the tower.  And they have the right to dive there, just as you do to fish.      

Professional fishing guides use proven techniques to help their customers have a fun and productive day on the water.  Two of the most effective methods of filling the fish box are proper chumming and the use of live bait.  Live baits catch more fish, period.  But this only holds true if the angler knows the first secret of fishing, “fish where fish are.”  You can capture your own live bait with some prior planning and the right tools.  First, catching live baits with sabiki rigs tipped with squid is always a fun way to start the fishing day.  A friend of mine is perfectly happy catching hardtails all day with sabikis on a little spinning outfit.  But, the most efficient way to catch large quantities of high quality, frisky baits is with a good cast net.  Pogies are one of the very best baits.  They are available in huge schools to the stealthy castnetter.  Just look for the rain drops on the water, position your vessel upwind/upcurrent, turn off your motor and drift onto the school for a perfect throw.  Large, live bait wells with plenty of raw water flow are necessary to keep oxygen-dependent pogies frisky, especially as temperatures rise into the eighties in summer.   

It is generally agreed that hard-size pinfish are the numero uno bubba-grouper baits.  The best tactic I have learned to capture bunches of lively pins is by using an offshore bait trap.  This is not your basic inshore, hang at the dock, pinfish trap.  It is a slightly modified version.  First, you will be deploying your trap offshore on a live bottom in deep water.  Tie an adequate length of stout nylon handline onto the top of your trap.  Secure a couple 5 pound lead weights to the inside, bottom of the trap so it will stand upright on the bottom.  Add a large, highly visible marker/float on top,  so you can see and retrieve it in choppy seas.  You may want to punch the numbers into your GPS when you drop it overboard.  Best baits are pogies and squid.  Simply fish around the area for an hour or so and, when you pull up your offshore trap, you will be rewarded with enough fresh live baits for the day.  And your fishing friends will be quite envious of your new found expertise.                                                                                                                                   

Successful chumming techniques are as varied as the anglers that employ them.  And one could write a book about all of the products that are commercially available for chumming fish.  For snappers and groupers there are two methods that have proven to be highly effective.  One is called the Chum Churn, an innovative device that allows the angler to introduce large quantities of quality chum at the top of the water column.  The tool consists of a plastic tube with holes cut into the sides.  Inside are a sharp set of stainless cutting blades.  Fresh cut baits, chunks, chum and small, whole fish are loaded into the top of the churn.  A rapid up and down pumping action in the water disperses the cut chum into the water.  Mangrove and red snappers are especially susceptible to this tactic, as they come up on top to feed.

A chum basket or chum bag can be lowered to the bottom for groupers on a handline or on your downrigger ball.  Groupers seldom come up in the water column, so you have to induce them by sight and smell where they live.

Anchoring is another extremely important key to your fishy adventure.  Deep water bottom fishing requires lots of chain and anchor line.  Most small, lunch- hook Danforth anchors will not get the job done.  With strong offshore currents, wind and seas, it is necessary to have a large anchor with heavy chain and sufficient line to set up.  Wreck anchoring requires a specialized wreck anchor.  Have the right equipment for a good result. 

When you arrive at your waypoint, begin to do figure eights around the area.  Spend some time searching for a great show of fish on your bottom machine.  Deploy a marker buoy that plays out only the amount of line for the water depth.  Homemade marker buoys typically have excess line and don’t mark the fish adequately with blowback from wind and current. It is important to anchor your boat so you are vertical over the show of fish.  This may require several attempts at anchoring in the right position, but it is critical.  Sometimes your boat’s position may be off only 20 feet or so, but that makes the difference between fishing and catching.  By moving your outdrive back and forth in the current, you will waggle left and right.  Or pull forward and go back on your anchor line.  Many times these maneuvers will put you on new fish.  

From the comfort of your great room easy chair, you can organize your tackle and become the ultimate prepared opportunist angler.  Tie leaders, sharpen hooks, spool new line, lube reels, check drags, inventory sinkers and store everything onboard for easy access.  Even the simple act of tying a leader while anchored in choppy seas becomes a difficult task.  The basic premise is to minimize downtime and maximize catching time.  Since there is so little time to fish, prior planning will enhance the fishing experience and put more fish on the table.   

Fluorocarbon leader material will help you catch more fish.  Scale down your barrel swivels for leader-shy species like snappers.  Sharp out of the box, high quality steel hooks will give you an edge.  Circle hooks are proven successful to out fish conventional “J” hooks.  Buy the best quality reels with superior drag systems and maintain them.  And lastly, the most important piece of tackle you own, you fishing boat must be ship-shape to be safe and have fun out on the wild, blue yonder.

Grouper and snapper fishing offshore of Apalach is simply loads of fun.  Spring is prime time for these species and you can get in on all the action with a good fish plan.  The beautiful Forgotten Coast means good fishing, what are you waiting for?  Make plans today!

Till next tide, tight lines and solid hookups,

Captain Alex Crawford

www.topknots.com 

Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association

Proud Member Florida Guides Association

Proud Member Coastal Conservation Association