# Fishing natural bottom.



## Big Mack (Feb 21, 2010)

Lately we've been fishing a lot of sunken barges and ships, and now that snapper season is over we want to try some natural bottom for the first time. 

Are there more grouper by natural bottom than the wrecks? We haven't caught any on wrecks and are hoping to get some scamp or any other legal grouper. Are the Edge and the Timber Holes good spots for them? Also, when you do get a hook up on natural bottom do you have to horse them up like you do in wrecks or can you loosen the drag a bit and let them run?


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## Sea Monkey (Dec 26, 2008)

The OLE Pump & Wind.

I prefer to fish Natural Bottom. Most of my personal fish records have come off of Natural Bottom. 

As far as loosening the drag while fishing NB. I say don't do it. The possibility of getting wrecked are great possibilities. I/we have lost some big fish on NB, due to them getting to the bottom. Most of the time you will hook the fish up not far from the bottom, thus giving the advantage oto the fish of not having to go very far to school ya, sort of speak. The fish are smart and know how to elude capture once they get big. I'm getting fried up just thinking about the fish we have lost fishing NB. Its no fun getting taking to the house while fishing with 150lb. test line and getting slammed on the gunnel.Actually it is fun getting slammed, thats what keeps me going back. One thing for sure after getting slammed on the gunnel is that when you do get to go back, the fish that slammed you will be bigger the next time out. There is an EVER present danger of getting schooled while fishing NB. Note my saying at the end of all my posts. 


"GET'EM OFF THE BOTTOM"


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## Chuck K. (Mar 10, 2009)

What is natural bottom?


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Chuck K. said:


> What is natural bottom?


 
Anything structure that is not man made (no wrecks, or chicken coops, etc). 

Things like limestone shelfs, rocks, coral heads are what we call natural bottom. Any hard bottom structure other than the sand desert.


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Here is a video from the gulf coast fishing connection that is a great example of natural bottom in our area.


Here is the link to the thread i borrowed this from
http://www.gulfcoastfishingconnection.com/forums/forum44/thread8966.html#post72592



and here is the video he took

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xnVeygWaD4&feature=player_embedded#at=90


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

Natural bottom is great to fish on.

If you want to get an idea of what natural bottom looks like go around the Paradise Hole and idle along to get used to what you are seeing. There is allot of natural bottom around there and south to south east of there. Learn to see the slightest difference from sand and "natural bottom". You won't see much if any relief or rise on the screen but you will see what allot of us call "broken bottom". You might not even see fish but trust me fish are there.


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