# What am I doing wrong?



## cnote (Jun 6, 2011)

I'm frustrated and could use a little advice. After coming to Destin several times a year for several years, I'm starting to get the Bay fishing down. But I'm still new to gulf fishing and it is quite a learning curve for me. 

So I launched about 7a in my Revo from Crystal Beach for my first trip to Miss Louise. I was hoping for some snapper but would be happy with just about anything. I trolled a bucktail jig on my spinning rod with 20# braid and a 30# fluoro leader (I already had the braid thus the 20#). Nothing

There was another boat anchored up when I got there. I dropped that bucktail and worked it high speed, low speed, and jigging up and down, but got nothing. I tipped it with cut squid. Nothing.

I then tied a egg sinker followed by barrel swivel, leader, and 3/0 hook and Gulp shrimp and sent it to the bottom. I would let it hit bottom then just drift over what appeared to be tons of activity on the sonar. Sometimes I would slow work it up the water column. Nothing

Finally, a tied on a Gulp shrimp on without the egg sinker and just let it freeline. Nothing. I threw a Gulp Jerk Shad on a fast retrieve. Nothing. 

I then threw a Gotcha a few times and still nothing. I trolled the Gotcha home. Nothing. 

I tried to get some frozen cigar minnows last night, but Wally world was out of them. I also looked for a sibiki rod and no luck there either. 

I know live bait would help immensely, but there is a huge convenience factor with the Gulps and bucktails since i'm here on vacation and acquiring and keeping bait alive is tough. If it means catching fish, then I guess I'll have to figure it out though. 

So where am I going wrong? Any advice is greatly appreciated.


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## LUNDY (Aug 23, 2012)

lots of questions here man, as for trolling you should try a king rig with a duster and cigar minnows or hard tails if you can catch them. live is always better but frozen does the trick. keep that bucktail jig ready as something to throw on bait being busted, and jigging on the wrecks/reefs, tip it with cigar minnow. 

as for bottom bumping i like to use the egg sinker, swivel, leader at least 65 pounds and 3 to 4 ft long, with a 5/0-7/0 circle hook. drop it to the bottom and just reel up a few ft. cigar minnow, cut bait, hard tails, menhaden. bait options are endless. 

as for using gulps in the gulf. i usually dont do it unless im looking for flounder. and this time a year its kinda pointless.

and just remember live bait is better, but frozen is gonna work. live bait has been hard to come by this year for all of us. i hope this helps a little


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## LUNDY (Aug 23, 2012)

oh and when trolling look for any activity on the water bait balls, birds diving all good signs for fish


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## rfh21 (May 17, 2012)

Gotcha is a great lure for throwing to activity but not the best for trolling. Like Lundy said, buy a king rig or make one and some frozen bait. Local cigar minnows are best but I've done well with killer bee Ballyhoo as well. Hit up a tackle shop instead of walmart too. You might pay a little more but they will be knowledgable and carry quality stuff, much better frozen bait as well. 

Also you don't need a sabiki rod to fish a sabiki, just a regular rod does fine. You just have to accept that sabiki's are a one trip use thing.


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## Blake R. (Mar 17, 2009)

+1 to everything said above. A tackle shop should have some frozen cigs, if not mullet, menhaden and Pogies will all work as well.


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## bbarton13 (May 4, 2009)

Also try a different wreck, the miss Louise is a very popular spot since its close to the beach, and it attracts alot of divers. It gets alot of pressure, check to the west and out a little farther for the big cluster of reefs. Troll a king rig with a live cigar minnow, thread fin, hard tail, or frozen cigar minnows or ballyhoo. You can also troll lures but makes sure they will have some kind of swimming action while trolling, rattles help too.

Live bait does help alot but when you find a bottom spot thats is lit up with fish you can throw anything down there and catch a snapper! The buck tail jig works great when they are fired up. I also bring frozen cigs and frozen cigs for trolling and bottom fishing just incase live bait is hard to find. Also cut bonita works great for bottom fishing!

Check link below for a map of the wrecks in destin, The red square full of spots is a great spot to fish and its not far from the miss Louise.
http://fishingdestinguide.com/gpsSTATEWATERSEAST.html


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## joeyheaf (Jul 5, 2011)

Another suggestion is if you're going to troll for kings you might want to think about using mono instead of braided line...a relatively small king will break braided line because it doesn't stretch enough to handle the fast runs. 

As everyone else said, snapper will bite anything when they're active but sometimes simple is better...cut squid/cig minnow on a carolina style rig is an easy and effective bait.


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## BlaineAtk (Jun 8, 2010)

Wirelessly posted

Another thing for trolling, since live is tough for you given the circumstances, get some stretch 25's (pink, purple, red head white body)!!!!!


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## ul412al (Oct 2, 2007)

...but be dang careful reeling them in, they will jump in your face in a nanosecond



BlaineAtk said:


> Wirelessly posted
> 
> Another thing for trolling, since live is tough for you given the circumstances, get some stretch 25's (pink, purple, red head white body)!!!!!


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## chaps (Aug 31, 2009)

Yep hit the pyramids off destin for some snaps and live bait always works if they are around


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## cnote (Jun 6, 2011)

Great! Thank you all for the help. Those Gulps work so well for me in the Bay that I just assumed they'd work on anything. I'll pick up some supplies including frozen minnows at Half Hitch. They've always been helpful. Thanks again!


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## cnote (Jun 6, 2011)

Also, can anyone confirm the existence of the "Miramar FAD" that I see on the destin fishing guide website- here? It is right off the beach from where we stay.


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## bbarton13 (May 4, 2009)

fyi - most fads which is a Fish aggregating device( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_aggregating_device ) are made out of tarps and they dont last to long, storms will tear them up or move them. They are also illegal so the coast guard or fwc could find them and destroy them. It could be still out there, cobia love them.


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## almo100 (Mar 1, 2013)

For bottom fishing the close shallow spots there are two mentalities, anchor and fish all day hoping for the bite or drop and go.

There are a ton of spots out there so I am the drop and go type mentality. I get on a spot, give it about 3 drops and if there is not bite I move on.

If you anchor you can always get chum and mix it with sand to make sand balls with chum and drop them to the bottom to get the frenzy going.

For trolling, I know chumming and chunking helps a lot.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

You can catch bait easily enough while on the reef. Try dropping a sabiki (tipped with squid tentacles) down to the structure. You can catch em as you need em, so no real need for a livewell. Pretty much anything you catch with the sabiki, you can use for bait. Just don't brag about using the little red ones (they're the best) lol.


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## eyc0r (Sep 20, 2012)

yakavelli said:


> just don't brag about using the little red ones (they're the best) lol.


lmao!


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## Lexcore (May 5, 2012)

Yakavelli said:


> You can catch bait easily enough while on the reef. Try dropping a sabiki (tipped with squid tentacles) down to the structure. You can catch em as you need em, so no real need for a livewell. Pretty much anything you catch with the sabiki, you can use for bait. Just don't brag about using the little red ones (they're the best) lol.


You mean ruby is her/his name and red is they favorite color :thumbsup:


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## bbarton13 (May 4, 2009)

try using a sabiki just past the second sand bar at daybreak!


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## eyc0r (Sep 20, 2012)

bbarton13 said:


> try using a sabiki just past the second sand bar at daybreak!


Sabiki rig was the only thing that caught fish for me in the surf out there haha... Bays were a different story though


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## saltwater redneck (Aug 8, 2011)

ul412al said:


> ...but be dang careful reeling them in, they will jump in your face in a nanosecond


sure will i took one in the neck last year.:blink:


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## jbs_bama (May 24, 2010)

If you want to go cheap, pick up a speck rig and troll it off the sandbar just offshore. You can pick up hardtails, spanish, bluefish, and whatever else. Also, casting a gotcha or really any shinny bass plug will pick something up.


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## cbump (Jun 8, 2011)

I have been in Panama City Beach since the 4th also and the seas have been terrible the entire time. Haven't even had a day I would consider going offshore.


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## love2fly (May 15, 2013)

Cnote,

I sent you a pm.


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## love2fly (May 15, 2013)

Im down in Destin fishing the gulf. Live bait is hard to get right now and not a lot of kings. I did get a good shark this morning.


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