Deep Sea Fishing in the Gulf

[Rick]

Has anyone ever gone on one of those trips? Five years ago, my son and I went on one of them and had a good time and caught quite a few redfish. We went with this http://www.wharfcat.com/ company.

That was the first time we had been. It is a rough day. Ride for three hours out, fish for six, then three hours return. You are definately tired at the end of the day. I see that the cost has really soared. It cost $70.00 then, not it is $100.00 per person.

I'd still like to go again.

I would like to go on one of the tuna trips.

[CenTexDave]

Not here in Texas, but I did a long time ago on the Florida side of the Gulf out of Sarasota. And before that in the Atlantic off of Fort Lauderdale. Caught a kingfish in the Gulf; a sailfish in the Atlantic. Then a few years later my brother and I visited our grandfather who lived in Pompano Beach. He had a good boat for this and we went out virtually every day. Got tired of it. But we caught a ton of mackerel, a shark and a dolphin (not a bottle-nosed one). Good fun.

[Spartan]

Fishing like that is too much like work. I fish relaxation and if I catch a fish or two to put on the table that's just great. I went on one of these boats. Apparently the skippers of the various boats are in competition with each other. The crew would not allow the guests a moment's rest, we had to be either lowering a fresh bait or cranking up a catch. After four hours of that pace I was exhausted and, quite frankly, pissed off. I have never had to work so hard. Relax, for get it. I did enjoy seeing the crew chief get crapped on by a seagull on the way back in though.

[Rick]

The one we went on was nothing at all like that. The crew made sure we had everything we needed. They were there to make sure that we enjoyed ourselves.

They worked their tails off. All the way out, they were prepping the bait, rods, and everything. Then on the way back, they cleaned the boat, thouroughly. They worked very hard.

Dave, that sounds like fun. I would love to go on an Atlantic trip some day.

[CenTexDave]

Rick: We'd go to a sportsmens' shop in Pompano Beach to get bait before going out. They had mounted on the wall the largest blue marlin I ever saw. Weighed in at over 1200 lbs!! We asked them how long it took to reel that baby in, and they told us that when it was first hooked the fish came to the surface, I guess to see what was pulling it in, and they gaffed it then and there!