how far must I go

[djw79]

Hi,

I'm new to offshore fishing and wanted to know how far I must go out to catch grouper. I grew up fishing at Keaton Beach, but always stayed inshore. i am about to seal the deal on a Nautic Star 1900 OS boat that seems to have a pretty good deep V to it. here's the boat http://www.nauticstarboats.com/index.cf ... duct_ID=67 Is it possible to get out there to do any offshore grouper fishing? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Jumptrout51]

Depends upon time of year and your launch site.
When and where do you want to fish?

[djw79]

I would like to go back to Keaton or Steinhatchee or Carabelle. I have fished all these places as a kid, but haven't been there in about 20 years or so. I'm going to be fishing spring and summer mostly.

[Tom Keels]

The short answer is further in the summer than in the fall.

The long answer involves a lot of factors and is hard to answer without knowing more about your local knowledge and boating skills.

[Jumptrout51]

Not having gone in 20 years and with a new to you boat,stay in the 40 feet or less water until you get your feel back.
In fact with a 19 foot boat,stay in 40 feet or less anyway.

[turtlecat]

Welcome to the forum djw. The knowledge I have learned from this site is well worth becoming a site sponser. Offshore fishing is a game of chess. Many, many variables come into play. First of all Seatow will be a must! Then the vhf radio. A good gps will be nice. I highly recomend a few buddy boat trips with people that can show you the roaps. There are many people on this forum that have way more experience offshore than i do, so whomever else offers advise to you on this site besides me LISTEN. My father owns a 25' gradywhite cuddy. The last time we fished the seas were 3' going out, it was 6' on the way back in. I think my mother decided that day that she didn't care to go back. I was just glad to get back. PM me if you care to contact me and possibly tag along on an offshore trip w us. We usually go out of carabelle. We might even fish a few of uncle JT's holes!

[ufgator1]

I wouldn't even attempt it. If your going to start grouper fishing buy a bigger boat man, dont be a statistic! We see people try it in these types of boats all the time, and all we do is shake our head every time we see them going out. Just my two cents, but buy good insurance @ least and an epirb and spot so someone can find you when you take one over the bow!

[MudDucker]

If you go, go with another boat. I have never heard anyone offshore complain of having too much boat, but I sure have heard folks complain of having too little boat.

[big bend gyrene]

Well... just my .02, Keels gave you a great answer... right time of year (fall, early spring) you don't necessarily have to go out far at all. 10' to 20' put you on some gags. Keels caught a NICE one on my 22' Panga last spring in about 20'. Get's hotter than hades you can still catch shorts in relatively close, but keepers get harder to come by and I've seen guys on here talking about not getting them in 40', going way out to 60'+.

I don't think the boat is NECESSARILY a bad idea... few folks on here go out in smaller skiffs but pick their days wisely, VERY WISELY, and even then most will tell you that they get caught a day or two (or more) a year when they have to run for the hill or put themselves at risk staying out.

As tough as restrictions are getting, buying a big, expensive to run boat to get out deep and keep a fish or two is becoming an increasingly tough financial decision so having a more versatile boat to fish in somewhat shallow waters too isn't necessarily a bad choice... just again, need to be smart, study weather with care, and be prepared to act in advance of storms versus using the "just one more cast" mentality (something we all sometimes have a tough time doing ).

[djw79]

Thanks guys for all the feedback. You all are very helpful. Thanks again.