# Where to deep drop?



## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

I would like to try a little more deep dropping before that fishery gets shut down. I have tried a couple of times and caught a few longtails, a snowy, and a yellow edge. Ihavedeep dropped a few times off my dad's boat but we were way off to the SW (horseshoe rig area). When I tried it on my boat I was roughly 37 miles SSE maybe 170 or so degrees fromPensacola pass and in 450ft of water. I knowanother areato the SW but I don't want to run 60+ miles to grouper fish in a 21 footer.

You guys thatare successful at deep dropping , are you going SE or SW from the pass? It seems like a pretty good ride to the SW before getting to any deep water. I know there is deeper water to the east but I really haven't spent much time out there. Most of the time when I go SE I am snapper fishing and stay closer in.


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## Fiver (Nov 6, 2008)

> *DreamWeaver21 (21/04/2010)*I would like to try a little more deep dropping before that fishery gets shut down. I have tried a couple of times and caught a few longtails, a snowy, and a yellow edge. Ihavedeep dropped a few times off my dad's boat but we were way off to the SW (horseshoe rig area). When I tried it on my boat I was roughly 37 miles SSE maybe 170 or so degrees fromPensacola pass and in 450ft of water. I knowanother areato the SW but I don't want to run 60+ miles to grouper fish in a 21 footer.
> 
> You guys thatare successful at deep dropping , are you going SE or SW from the pass? It seems like a pretty good ride to the SW before getting to any deep water. I know there is deeper water to the east but I really haven't spent much time out there. Most of the time when I go SE I am snapper fishing and stay closer in.


Deep dropping in a 21 footer is going to be tough most days. A lot of time and money goes into it, so I doubt anyone posts any numbers for you, but you seem to know what depths to start looking. Get a good bottom machine and start looking....or take a look at some bathymetric charts.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

dreamweaver</p>





havethe same issue that you are having. I really don't want to make the 60 mile run to the southwest.

plenty of deep water 400-1000 ft closer, but itis obvious to me that there is a reason the larger deep v center consoleswith twin power are making that run for deep dropping... 

suspect grouper fishing pressure (commercial and recreational?)may have already impacted success in deep dropping closer to the pass? 

that said with a good sonar (1000w+) there has to be spots closer that you can locate.

You are right though, word is that due to real or percieved overfishing that NMFS will cut the rec grouper TACdramatically in the gulf after 2010.So it may be a wait and see as to what regulations bringwith respect to purchasing thousands of dollars of new equipment to deep drop effectively.

Also, out of the gavelston meeting am hearing that NMFS will most likely end AJ rec fishing in july this year as july is when NMFS expects the rec sector to have caught the rec AJ tac. 

Mark</p>


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

Well I wasn't asking for numbers. Really just asking people's opinion if it is worthwhile to try out front here. I guess I will go figure it out on my own. The obvious thing to do would be to throw out some trolling lines and just drive around marking some places worth trying and then coming back to drop. I can only stand so much trolling though so I don't know how much effort I will end up putting into it.

I recently switched from a 600w Sitex to a 600w Furuno (I had to buy a DFF1) and honestlyI am not overly impressed with the Furuno. Of course I have been looking at the Sitex for 10 years so Iam a bit used to it. When Iswapped over I went from a transom mount to a B60tilted element through hull so at leastI get a better reading at speed. Maybe with time I will get to liking the Furuno more. It is not that I dislikeit I just readhow it is supposed to be all that and I don't really think I get any better definition with it over the Sitex. At 600wit is not an ideal setup fordeep stuff it is plenty adequate.

It issad that the fishery is out of whack.We catch less and less grouper and more and more snapper but snapper is getting closed way too early. Even diving it is obvious that the snapper population has gotten silly. Of course I don't dive past 100ftso I wouldn't expect to see many gouper anyow.

I don't care for AJ that much so I rarely keep many. Not that long ago, they were just oil rig trash fish (along with cobia) and nowAJs are getting closed down too.

If I give it a try, I'll post a report.


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