I'm trying to do some more offshore fishing out of POC. I only go out of POC; I recently got my boat running again. I bought Rik Jacobsen's Guide to Red Snapper Fishing. I'm looking for anyone who regularly fishes the POC area to give any tips on what tackle to use and what spots are yielding the most fish this time of year. I found a rig about 45 miles off that seems to be good for snapper or an occasional grouper. I would like to expand my abilities to catch more than snapper. It seems to me that after reading some of the texas fishing forums that tuna action off of Texas heats up in the winter months. Although I know it would be a much further trip to target tuna, if I knew I could do some damage I would try it. I would also be open to following someone else out in my boat to help chum together. Please e-mail me if anyone can help me out.

Thanks!

None of yall fish POC?

I don't fish POC but snaps are snaps. Rik's book is full of locations off of POC. I'd hit those spots. Double drop rigs with weight on bottom, a squid on one hook and sardine on the other. Drop to bottom and reel up until your just off the bottom. Most big snaps will be holding just off the rig on the up-current side.

Snapper Slappers with a sardine on the hooks works well too. Again, drop to the bottom, jig it a few times. If there's no takers then reel up about 5 turns. Repeat until you git bit or come to the surface. A lot times the fish will hit when you begin to reel.

As for tackle I use a penn 4/0 (113HLW) or Shimano TLD 25 spooled with 50 lb. mono (hi-viz) on 30-80 lb class, 6ft rods. Definitely overkill for snaps but you never know what you'll catch. My leaders are 80 lb clear mono with 6/0 circle hooks.

Depending on the current I may get by with 8 oz of weight or it may need two 16 ouncers.

Lizzy,

I fish out of POC, but I don't go that far off shore, I have a smaller boat than yours. Over labor day weekend, we went south east from the big jetty about 20 miles and ran into a mess of rigs. I could count about 12 rigs within a mile or so of each other. We were catching some nice snapper left and right, but we were throwing them back, since the season was closed. We also caught 3 Groupers, however they were only about 18" so we let them go also.

Gl again.