Come summertime when the wind and the water calms down, do you think my 18 1/2 ft. scout could make it to some kinda of ofshore fishing spot?What are some close rigs or wrecks that yall would recomend?

-THANKS

It's never going into the Gulf that's the problem...it's always coming home that will bite you in the @$$. Especially, in a small boat such as yours.

Never forget that and you should be up for some enjoyable trips.

You need to supply us with a little more info about where you plan on fishing out of before you will get any coherent responses on tips or areas.

For a small boat make sure you cross your t's and dot your i's. VHF radio and GPS are a must. Check all your safety gear such as life jackets, throwable flotation devices, multiple fire extinguishers, flare kit, etc. Prepare a ditch bag with bottled water, flares, snack foods, and preferrably a VHF radio and handheld GPS.

I'm not trying to scare you away, I'm trying to prepare you. Now days boats are built better than ever which gives people a false sense of security. It's the things you can't plan for that you need to be prepared for such as a holing of your hull due to submerged objects, fire, or capsizing. Those three things will put you in the water faster than anything else which leaves no time for preperation. Life jackets, ditch bag...splash.

Pick your days and gradually work your way out to your comfort zone. Know the limits of your rig and be prepared and you'll be fine.

In general, the offshore structure/fishing gets better closer in the further south you go.

Thanks baitfish,

The boat does have a radio and a gps. I will be sure to check all equipment.THanks for the reminder.

I will be heading out off Galveston if you know of any area close to there..

thanks again.

if you go very far out, make sure that you have plenty of beer. haha. just be careful and take plenty of bait and dont forget a cell phone. if you go alone, let someone know when you are leaving and when you plan to be back. and never leave without a pfd. anything you want to keep dry,id/fishing license, vacuum seal it. good luck and best of luck. i caught a big red at thanksgiving and dying to do it again

Can't help you too much out of Galveston. Your best bet is probably to fish for sharks/tarpon/reds/jacks behind shrimp boats if there are any close in.

Ditto Baitfish. A good idea would also be to post on TFF the day you leave where your going, how far out, for how long, and then reply back when you make it in. I saw alot of 18' bass boats at the close rigs(5-7 miles out) out of port A last summer. I thought I was crazy going in a 22' CC ! I have now gotten good at picking the right days and going with buddy boats if possible. I have gone out 30 miles in my 22' CC bayboat. I would wait until the summer when the sea's are calmer and the blue water heads in closer to shore. There will also be alot of other boats out on the water just in case you do have any problems. As far as close structure check the TPWD website for gps #'s to some reefs close in, or just head to some of the rigs you can see from shore. They also sell maps with gps #'s like the Hilton map or Rik Jacobsen's book (redsnapperfishing.com).

On the smooth days its the pop up storms that can get you quick. Wind can kick up the seas from 0 foot to 3 feet in just minutes then your in serious trouble. Weather is not predictable as most think we went out in 0 foot seas and came back 4 hours later in 6 feet. I would just crew with friends. Be careful things get ugly quick in the blue. Buddy boats are a pluss

I regulary go out to the "12 mile rigs" in a 17/18" center console.I take 173% heading from the tip of the South Jetty.It takes about 15/20 minutes to get to the 2 rigs there.I catch Kings,Sharks, Dorado.Spanish Mackeral,ect.My boat holds 40 Gallons of gas.I always think like this 1/3rd gas out,i/3 gas trolling,i/3 gas back,i/3 gas safety.I have been broken down out there 2 times.Both times had a friend tow me in,I have towed several other boats in for the same reason.Just use common sense,and go with another boat along, for safety.

You have 4/3's of gas? I hope you meant 1/4 if not that might be the reason you broke down. lol

j/k

THanks all for the help.I dont know if if i can find anyone to buddy boat with,but i will have at least 2 other people on board who know what they are doing.I do have a decent gps and VHF radio,plus cell phones.Also have plenty of life jackets and safety equipment. I guess all i can realy do about the boat breaking down is make sure she is in good shape,and prey.

Thanks all

Where will you be heading out of El lago?

Well when spring finaly comes around i will be going out of Galveston.Dont want to screw with winter weather.

Another good thing to carry is a LARGE drift sock and about 100ft of rope. Should you lose power in a storm or rough conditions you can deploy the drift sock off the bow with the 100ft of rope and it will keep your bow into the seas and hopefully prevent you from taking on too much water.

A drift sock is a good thing to have anyway for other things and it comes in handy should you be in a bind.

Oh ok I wil be heading out of north padre island. The packery channel.

Bad math will always leave you screwed........
-B