A great way to spend a vacation
Fishing helps many men relax from their responsibilities. This activity can take a few hours or it can take a few days. Either way, men get a break and get some quality personal time. Sometimes they go deep-sea fishing to make sure they have that quality time.
Deep-sea fishing is the practice of drawing fish from locations in the ocean that are too far below the water for normal fishing trawlers to reach. This type of fishing is the source of many rare and valuable species, such as the marlin, which can only be caught reliably while using this method.
To find out more about deep-sea fishing and what it is, just continue to read our article. it has the information you want to know about in order to see if you would like to try this activity one day. Take a few minutes to see why so many men like to do this activity.
What is deep sea fishing
There are actually two types of deep-sea fishing you can participate in. One is recreational, where you get bragging rights if you land the largest fish. The other is commercial, where you dredge the bottom of the ocean for as many species of fish as your net can hold.
Both can be lucrative especially if the former option is done in a contest. Then catching some large tuna can haul in some big bucks as well, even outside of a tournament.
Recreational deep sea fishing can be seen as a challenge by some men as it pits their muscles against the muscle of the larger fish species. Plus, it can be exciting as you never know what you will hook. Sometimes it can be a shark.
There is always some fascinating element to deep-sea fishing that has men running for those charter boats and spending a day or three on the deep ocean waters. The one thing that deep sea fishing has in common with regular fishing is that it can take hours to hook a good one if you get a bite at all.
How does deep sea fishing work?
The way this style of fishing works is to first charter a large enough boat. It has to be big and powerful to handle the waters out in the unprotected ocean. Plus, you will need room to stow your gear, fishing equipment, and supplies.
Once the boat is ready, you head out into the deep waters. You are getting away from the shallow shoreline because the fish you are after never come that close to shore. You have to go out where they are.
When your boat gets to the spot where you will be fishing, you can release your fishing lures and hooks into the water, or you can spread some bait around to draw the fish closer to the boat. The latter tends to draw a lot of unwanted fish species that can be a bit dangerous if you are not careful.
or you can do what is called trolling. This is where the boat moves forward at a slow rate of speed in hopes that the lures and a bit will catch the eye of different fish species.
Once your hook is in the water, then it is merely a waiting game. You never know which species will take a bite or when they will do it. But when they do, you have to be quick as you could lose the fish very quickly and easily.
How far out is considered deep sea fishing?
A 30 meters depth is considered the lowest boundary for deep-sea fishing. You have to be out over 100 feet of water at least before you can consider yourself deep sea fishing. Most people may go out a lot further as the bigger fish like deeper waters.
The reason that you go out so far is that there are a lot of different species of fish that like swimming in the open waters. They have room to maneuver and lots of space to travel at high speeds when they need to.
While Bay fishing is popular and you can still catch some unique fish species, it is not the same as deep-sea fishing. One reason is that the waters are more peaceful and calmer when you fish in the different bays. You can have a very safe and relaxing time out on the water.
Another term for bay fishing is inshore fishing as you are not that far from the coastline. Also, like deep-sea fishing, you never know what you will catch when a fish suddenly takes your bait.
Oh, and you are 10 20 miles off shore when you go deep-sea fishing. that is a long way to swim if trouble occurs.
How dangerous is deep sea fishing?
The amount of danger is not as great as one would expect. While deep-sea fishing can be filled with risks, if you have a captain and a crew that knows what they are doing and are prepared for almost every bad situation, then it is not that dangerous.
However, with that said, there are some risks that even the captain and his crew cannot prevent. the biggest danger is the weather. If a sudden storm kicks up and the waves get high be prepared to ride out the storm down below in the cabin.
The waves will knock the boat around and can cause damage if the storm is great enough. Then you will be 10 to 20 or more miles from land. If something happens and the boat sinks, you have a long way to go. Those fish you were trying to catch may end up being the pursuer if you are not lucky.
Next, you may find the sun to be a danger as there is nothing stopping it from shining down on you. having the right sunblock will prevent burns as well as sun stroke. Getting burnt or worse is not good as it will take some time to return to shore to get help.
Sea sickness is the last thing you really have to worry about. To combat it, all you need to take is a little Dramamine and you should be fine. Just take it about an hour before you leave the shore to make sure it has time to work.
What can you catch while deep sea fishing?
This list is endless. There are so many different species under the surface of the water, most do not see dry land ever. This does not include all the weird fish species that some deep-sea fishermen have encountered over the years.
There are some main fish species almost every deep-sea fisherman either sees or catches when they spend some time out on the ocean:
- amberjack- usually found around the many different reefs and likes to stay about 250 feet under the water
- cobia- this is a fish species that has a lot of names. Other names include– black kingfish, black salmon, ling, black bonito, crabeater, prodigal son, and lemon fish. This species gets to 6+ feet in length
- dorado or mahi-mahi- they come in very bright colors and are very beautiful to look at. They like the surface and prefer warm waters
- Grouper- a very tasty fish but they like patrolling the bottom of the oceans. The goliath grouper is the largest of this species. Their depth range goes from 30 to 1000 feet
- Blue Marlin- a very beautiful fish that grow to up to 14 feet in length and weigh up to 2000 pounds. While they like the surface as well, their swimming speeds reach 50 mph
- Sailfish- you have to be quick to catch this species as it can swim up to 68 mph. They are the in-between fish as they do not like great depths nor shallow areas. They stop when the light stops.
- Snapper- there are over 110 different snapper varieties and they like to go about 200 feet down or less
- Swordfish- very powerful and they have been known to go down to over 6000 feet beneath the surface.
- Tuna- there is a wide variety of these fish species as well and they like to eat everything. No matter your bait you have a chance to catch one of these big ocean fish species.
Tips to avoid sea sickness
If you go deep-sea fishing, it pays to know what to do when you feel a little queasy. Here are some tips to help you avoid that nuisance illness.
- do not eat a lot of food prior to getting on the boat
- don’t sit below deck for too long at one time. go up and get some fresh air from time to time
- sleep well the night before you are going to leave
- stay hydrated and avoid alcoholic drinks the night before
- bring dry crackers along for the ride
Some final words
Deep-sea fishing is challenging and a lot of fun. Before you go, make sure you study up on what to do and expect. Being prepared will enhance your fun and make sure you have a good time.
Also, make sure to bring some sunscreen, first aid supplies, and plenty of fresh water. You can’t drink the water that surrounds you.
