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Let's go catch some yellowtail! The yellowtail
snapper is one of the most sought after fish in the Florida Keys.
They are smart; they can bite off your hook (but if you rig with
wire they won't touch the bait) and barracuda love to eat them as
soon as the yellowtail on your line is over 18".
The first thing we need to do is get set up with the proper stuff
to get rigged right for yellowtail catching. You need a 15 to 20-pound
class rod with a strong backbone and a light sensitive tip for casting
ability and for feeling a very light bite. The Captain Dave Brown
Signature Series 15 or 20-pound Shakespeare Ugly Stick rod was designed
for yellowtail catching in mind. Teamed up with PENN 5600L or Daiwa
BG 20, makes an unbeatable combination. Avoid using graphite body
reels for yellowtailing. When you dog down the drag to bring in
that flag, a graphite body will flex, causing the gears to strip
out. The PENN and DAIWA reels are built much stronger with metal
bodies. Fill your reel with 15 or 20 pound test P-Line. P-Line is
best because it is nearly invisible in the water, has very low stretch
and is highly abrasion resistant. You can tie the hook right to
the P-Line and do very well with yellowtail, but for those times
when the water is clear and you just can't get a bite, it's time
to get out the fluorocarbon leader. Fluorocarbon leader in 15 or
20 pound test is the best for yellowtail. All you need for terminal
tackle, is an assortment removable split shot, a box of Mustad 9174
#4 hooks, the new Owner #2 Mutu Light circle hook, and some Capt.
Hank Brown number 99002 Hook-Up Lures. The leader should be tied
direct to your line with a double uniknot or an Albright special.
However, a small #10 swivel can also be used for joining line to
leader.
Now that we are properly rigged it's time to go find the fish. Start
in 50 to 100 feet on the outside edge of the reef. While cruising
back and forth between these depths, look for pinnacles and drop-offs
that fish can hide in or around. Watch also, for schools of fish
marking on your fish finder. Mark the spot with your LORAN or GPS.
A marker buoy is a good tool to have for marking significant bottom
features, be sure you have enough line on the buoy to reach the
bottom.
Once you have located and marked your spot, check the direction
of the current flow on the marker buoy or a nearby trap float. The
final anchored position should be approximately 200 feet from the
GPS spot or marker buoy, so that the chum runs directly to the spot.
Move the boat until you are on the spot! Always use a reef or rock
anchor with the chain rigged to the bottom of the anchor. Run the
chain up the anchor shank and tie it to the top of the anchor with
cable tie wraps or monofilament line, so that when you pull the
anchor the ties break and the anchor comes out backwards. Use a
float and ring for easy anchor retrieval.
Proper chumming is the key to catching yellow tail snapper. There
are all sorts of exotic recipes for chumming yellowtail, but most
of us don't have time for all that. The best chum on the market
is made with pure Atlantic menhaden. Menhaden is an extremely oily
baitfish found in abundance from Northern Florida to Long Island
Sound. In fact almost all of the fish oil sold is derived from menhaden.
You can buy a frozen chum at The Tackle Box that is double ground
from 100% pure Atlantic menhaden. This chum is dynamite for pulling
up big yellowtail. Always ask what is in the chum no matter where
buy it, as some chums in the Keys are ground from fish carcasses
and won't go through the chum bag. The second best ingredient for
chum is thread herring or Spanish sardines. Chum should always be
made from fresh baitfish not thawed out frozen baitfish or carcasses.
Don't forget to have a spare chum bag on board.
Glass minnows are a good supplement to your chum. You can throw
a handful in the water along with your bait to distract the yellowtail
from your leader and hook. Cracked corn is another helpful tool
for yellowtail fishing as yt's love to eat corn. I don't now of
any other fish that attacks a handful of corn like a yellowtail
snapper.
Start out with two chum bags, put a block of chum in the first bag
then about 20 minutes later put out the second block of chum on
the other side of the boat. Every few minutes throw out a handful
of glass minnows. Alternate the glass minnows with cracked corn.
When the yellowtail show up in a ball behind the boat, take one
chum bag out of the water and slow down throwing out the glass minnows
and corn. Now you are ready to start catching fish!
Yellowtail snapper will eat a wide variety of baits. The problem
is you never know from one day to the next what they will eat. Live
shrimp is probably the best all around yellowtail bait, with silverside
minnows a close second. Two or three glass minnows on a hook work
well at times, as do small pieces of ballyhoo or squid. Make sure
you only use fresh ballyhoo. Place a shrimp on your hook up through
the head or a glass minnow through the eye sockets. Open the bail
on your reel and start letting out line until you get a bite or
you get tired of letting out line. This is called flat lining. Do
not close the bail on the reel and leave the bait in the water.
This will cause an unbelievable twist in your line. When landing
a flag yellowtail snapper, use a good quality landing net or a small
gaff. Remember that fish gets heavier when you pull him out of the
water, so you don't want to break a leader and loose the fish. Make
sure your hooks are sharp! Good yellowtailing!
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