I'm looking for advice on everything about this 12hr offshore trip.I've been one other time had fun used there bait & reels. But I was hoping to try different things to improve my odds of catching different & bigger fish. I was told to make sure to get the back of the boat but is there a certain technique or bait that works better on average than squid stait down.

Hey Moe when are you going? I am wondering the same thing I will be there the 1st week of June.?

I have never been on big E, so don't really know the deal; but, I can tell you what I do on other trips that makes things "different". I was on an 8 hour at Port A this past Friday (all that was going out)....really too short, but went anyway. First drop resulted in lost fish....fight lasted 15 or so minutes and it finally broke my 100# braid....I take my own rigs. Anyway....I go for the one big one and am thrilled I got such a hit...even the 1st mate couldn't turn this fish...so it made my trip. I used to try to get the back of the boat, etc., etc....but have learned there are other places and ways to get the big bite. Don't want to bore you, so I'll quit for now, but there are many offshore tricks.

Probably the first thing to decide is "what do I really want to catch" and am I willing to fish just for that particular one? That will start the ball rolling and realize how to plan for a particular fish...really. You, IMHO, have to have a game plan and several back-up ones before you leave home!!

ssfireman,

What day are you making the trip?? We're scheduled on June 4.

Bring your own tackle and live piggies.

I am looking at the 6 th or 7th of JUne.

I'm going on june 19th. I will be trying to surf fish and maybe pier fish that week also. I'm camping at Galveston state park. Are the beaches there good for fishing? ssfireman/ FWM0103 please post ya'lls results of the trips.

June 7th is the start of the 52 hour trip on the Big E. I will be on that one.

Say Moe, ive done the 12 hr many of time, yes the back of the boat seems to be better, all the wasted bait washing off the back. The key to the big fish i fouund out is, the bigger the bait the bigger the fish. Used squid to catch bait ,then used cut bait for the sows, im talkin3" thick 3to 6" dia cut bait. huge piece of meat, but i got 5 that each went 15#'s or better, snapper.

You should also get them to rig you with a slip weight. You'll feel the bite better.

Thanks for the advice. Bobaloo1 I'm not sure what I'm after. I've been in salt water two other short times. last time we caught a lot of little under size snapper. that was fun but I would like to try for something a little bit bigger. As for the type of fish I saw 10 or 12 different types fish caught on that trip I just don't know if that was that just luck or they were doing something diferrent.

Brad I ask a deck hand if there rods could be changed and he told me that there equipent had to stay the way they rig them.
That brings up the question of if I take my own tackle can my stripper rods work or do I need to get different equipent to take out?

Ratmo I will use bigger bait thanks for that information. The cut bait that you talked about what kind of fish do you try to catch to cut up?

Trust me money talks. If not. Take an sinker and rig yourself. He'll be none the wiser.