Go Fish for 6/17/12 by Capt. Bill Miller

   Long range deep water fishing trips are possible this time of year as the weather slips into a normal east in the morning and westerly sea breeze in the afternoon.

  The “Fishing with Bill Miller.com” film crew took full advantage of the weather and went with Capt. Travis Palladino on a long range trip 100 miles out into the Gulf. Our target was a deep water structure Palladino knew to hold giant red snapper.

   The fish finder told us that fish were there and our Boston mackerel baits dropped to the bottom confirmed it. We used electric reels and a pound of lead was needed to get to the bottom. As soon as our line stopped going out we waited 5 seconds and pushed the button. Giant red snapper all over 20 pounds put up a good fight in 300 feet of water but after a while they finally surfaced.

   Also included in the catch were lots gag grouper to 25 pounds and amberjack to 80 pounds all of which had to be vented and released.  Capt. Billy Miller, Jeffrey Brown and Jeremy Brown joined me on this father and son fishing  trip. Both of the Brown’s caught monster snapper, grouper and amberjack on their first ever long range trip.

   24 ounce butterfly jigs on special light jigging rods with 50 pound braided line also produced very well on the big bottom dwellers. The jigging was a hand crank operation and from 300 feet it was best left to the younger crowd.

   Capt. Eddie Harrington reports that Greg LaChance and A.J. Helnyk both landed multiple tarpon from the Redington Pier. Other tarpon anglers were scoring as well using pumpkin seeds and big green backs for bait.

   Deep water expert Billy Caldwell made a long range trip from Boca Grande and caught big red snapper, scamp, gag grouper and amberjack. The high light of the trip was a 55 pound true black grouper wrestled to the top by Capt. Robbie Hehenberger.

   Tarpon fishing along the gulf beaches was very good this week. Luke Helms and Andy Maida fishing with Capt. Billy Miller jumped 6 and landed 2 silver kings during a morning fishing trip using greenbacks for bait.