# amberjack



## True Blue (Nov 25, 2008)

What is the best way to catch an amberjack, and what is a good bait to use


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

big hardtail, big hook, long leader, big egg weight, + lots of drag= big amberjack. downsize for smaller jacks





fish big wrecks and rigs. they like structure up the water column. a hardtail also known as a blue runner.


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## True Blue (Nov 25, 2008)

i am new to all this what is a hard tail/ better yet i always have room on my boat so if anyone wants to teach me i will be willing to lend a ride


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Try jigging on the wrecks or rigs to the west. You will have more fun jigging for them, or at least I do.


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## True Blue (Nov 25, 2008)

what kind of jig/ I will use whatever you guys tell me to. I know how to catch snapper grouper bonita I just want to learn it all


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Get some williamsons, braid, shimano or any other brand vertical jigs from your local shop. Tell them you want to catch AJ's and how far out to determine size and weight of jig. I don't know where you live/work but I've got a bunch of them on sale here in Orange Beach. Either way most local shops should have a broad assortment of jigs to choose from.


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## Matt09 (Jun 6, 2008)

go to www.sportfishingmagazine.com and look for the jigging article...


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

Also go to www.shimano.com and watch their vertical jigging video and then you will know what we are talking about. Where are you fishing out of?


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

hardtail = blue runner


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

My personal favorite way is with a steel shaft. But most folks love jigging them up. For big AJ's, drop down big, big, bait.








http://www.spearfishinggear.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/Floridian.jpg


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## Moving Expense (Dec 12, 2008)

Spreader bar and either triggerfish or mingos work quite well.

Moving Expense


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

Go out to some fairly deepwrecks with some good bottom relief. Use the vertical jigs to find the fish. Once you start catching them, deploy live baits for the big ones.


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## ateupwitit (May 26, 2008)

When I'm hunting large AJsuse a deep drop setup: swivel, egg sinker(large enoughto hit bottom sometimes 16oz),4'-6' 80-100# fluorocarbon and a large circle hook; bait: very large squidand hardtails.

I've seen them high in the water column and used downriggers with live hardtails.

As far as jigs: butterfly jigs are alot of fun and alot of work, diamond jigs are an age old proven lure but I like Snapper Slapper jigs becauseI can addtrailer/stinger hooks. When I fish jigs I go with Power Pro 60-80# with 4'-8' 80-100# fluorocarbon attached with this knot.

my $.02


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## finsandhorns (Oct 15, 2007)

> *countryjwh (12/16/2008)*big hardtail, big hook, long leader, big egg weight, + lots of drag= big amberjack. downsize for smaller jacks
> 
> 
> fish big wrecks and rigs. they like structure up the water column. a hardtail also known as a blue runner.


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## True Blue (Nov 25, 2008)

Ok this is what I have for bait tell me if this will work.

I bought the four pack of williamson light speed jig kit all glow in the dark

2 6oz diamond jigs one silver one red

a bag of 6oz jig head with white/ red grubs and a pack of purple/black skirts

one pack orange/yellow/mackeral 

and just for the fact it looks cool a pack of holographic eels 10"


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## biggamefishr (Oct 26, 2007)

it sounds like you're on the right track....as much as i love jigging your bigger fish are gonna come on big live baits. 

What I do is start off trolling around the sandbars with a speck rig on lighter gear TLDs, 8500s, etc. load up the livewell with a dozen or two nice size hardtails then head offshore to the structure. I make a couple passes over the structure to see where the fish are holding then i'll pull up current and rig up the rods with 16-24oz egg weights, swivel, 10' of100lb leader, and a large circle hook, hook the hardtails through the nose.drop 2 penn 9/0s spooled with 80lb mono down (one on each corner of the boat). I'll drop the first line down to where the top of the school is marking at and the 2nd one down to where the bottom of the school is marking. I'll then drift over the structure, this also helps pull the fish away from anything that might cut you off, and fight the reef donkey til he hits the deck.


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## True Blue (Nov 25, 2008)

What isthe smallest test you would use, i have a 330 gt with 50# and a 345 with 40# is that to light


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

my AJ setups consist of 6/0 with 130# braid, if i remember correctly. horses them out from the rig legs a bit better than mono. braid is VERY punishing though-make sure you're in good shape. AJ is the closest fighting fish to a yellowfin, in my opinion.


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## SUNDAY-FUNDAY (Apr 17, 2008)

30 class okuma lever drags with a stout short rod in the 80lb class.... cheap, light, and can be multi tasked. i have 80 mono on mine. it seems the mono is more chafe resistent than braid. run a 3 way swivel with about 5inches of 10# test on a 16 oz weight. this allows the weight to break away if caught in rig/wreck. at LEAST 10' of leader. we do 200# and crimp 12/0's. top it off with a 16" hardtail then send her south and stick 'er in the rod holder. the AJ will hook himself. when rod tip hits water-line ease away from structure, strap in, and hold on. drink beer, then repeat steps 1-5:letsdrink


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## Bryan Bennett (Dec 29, 2007)

My AJ techniques may be kinda old school but I think they still work. The size rod, reel, and line you can get away with are kinda dictated by the structure you are fishing around. If you are fishing on a submerged wreck, as opposed to a platform, then you can use lighter tackle. Rather than have two rigs, just go a little heavy to begin with...a Penn 4/0 with 60 lb. mono works on "inshore" jacks, but if you go deep and tempt the big boys you will need at least 80 lb. mono and that calls for a 6/0 or similarly-sized reel. Of course, the dinosaur hunters fishing the deep, natural bottom use anything up to an 80-wide with 200-300 lb. test. Just remember that you aren't going to find many fish over, say, 30 lbs. within thirty miles. So select your outfit accordingly.

Lively live bait is key. Hardtails, big pinfish, mullet, croakers, squirrelfish, rubylips (tomtates), etc. all work. I find that hardier baits such as hardtails are usually best because if you use a mingo or some such fish, if he gets whacked but not eaten right away, he's usually too lethargic to tempt a bite.

It's kinda good to understand how amberjack school and feed to maximize your catch. The first fish is the most important. When one bites and gets hooked, it sparks off the rest of the group, who follow the hooked one around to see what the heck's going on. If you lose the first one in the wreck, or don't hook him well such that he pulls off, the bite will usually be over, especially if you are on a well-known hole. The trick is to fight one or two to a point where it is near the surface, but before you land him send down another bait...always keep one hooked until you've got your limit. But I've seen it where if you don't keep the frenzy going and gaff a fish before hooking another, they lose interest and they are hard to get fired off again.

Jigging: yes, the fancy new Williamson's and butterfly jigs work, but before I ever saw one of those an 8-ounce diamond jig always did the trick, as did a 4-ounce white jighead with an 8" white curlytail (which we always called a lazertail.) Vigorous jigging was the key, but I always found it took longer to spark off a bite with a jig than it does with a live bait. Jigs are good after you've got a taker on the string.

Finally, if you want to catch an ancient ol' donkey, go deep, at least 400', let's say, and drop down a live bonita (little tunny) up to about five pounds (they can eat bigger ones), on suitably heavy gear, and make sure you've got plenty of Icy Hot bandages at home...you also risk herniation with this technique, so be forewarned. Hope this helps and good luck.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Bryan Bennett (12/25/2008)*
> 
> 
> 
> The trick is to fight one or two to a point where it is near the surface, but before you land him send down another bait...always keep one hooked until you've got your limit. But I've seen it where if you don't keep the frenzy going and gaff a fish before hooking another, they lose interest and they are hard to get fired off again.




Bingo. Last time I was at one of my favorite AJ holes, we were hooking the first few at like 180 feet. Then I was starting to drop our next hardtail down and it got hit maybe 15 feet beneath the boat. I thought I had gotten caught up in the screws. 



+1 about the live bonitos. Sometimes tuna tubes make it a bit easier to keep these fellas alive. Don't be tempted by a 5# bonito's size either. A big AJ will make short work of his ass. Oh and the floaters also hold amberjacks...especially ram powell. Some absolute MONSTERS down there.


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## N-Reel-Trouble (Oct 3, 2007)

Are the very large AJ's still good eating or is it more of a try this ride out type of thing?


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

they are FANTASTIC eating. just make sure to cut out any worms that might be in there.


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## biggamefishr (Oct 26, 2007)

hell the worms won't hurt you, they just add more protein


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

heard that. i actually enjoy cutting them out and sauteeing them in a bit of olive oil, crushed red peppers, a bit of garlic salt, and a couple diced bell peppers, then topping the filet with them. delicious!


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## Bryan Bennett (Dec 29, 2007)

I have found that in the bigger fish, say 50 pounds and up, that the tail section is more worms than meat...cutting out the worms don't leave ya a whole lot. But this varies from fish to fish.

If you are going to eat amberjack, I strongly recommend taking the time to cut the red meat from the fillets with a thin-bladed, sharp knife. Yes, this process can be time-consuming, but invariably when I hear people complain that amberjack (or any other fish, really) tastes "fishy" it is because the bloodline wasn't cut out. It makes a huge difference in taste.

Amberjack is ideal for grilling, because it is naturally oily. Wrapping it in bacon really brings out a good flavor.


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## True Blue (Nov 25, 2008)

Well guy I need to say thank you for the advice you all gave me on amberjack fishing. Me and a friend went out today 1-3-09 and tried a couple of spots. The first two no luck "plus I was sick and then got sea sick" Then the third spot I caught 5 or so aj's using the williamson high speed jig. It was a pretty cool feeling to catch something I have never caught before. So I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who helped me in this process.:bowdown


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

:clap:clap:clap


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