Deep Drop Fishing in Miami Florida

You can go deep drop fishing anywhere the water is more than a couple of hundred feet deep. But deep drop fishing in Miami Florida is especially enticing because you can do it just a short boat ride from the dock. The Gulf Stream swings in to its closest North American approach along the southeast Florida coast. The result is deep water within a few miles of shore.

Deep drop fishing in Miami Florida is not for the uninitiated or the faint of heart. It takes place well past the edge of the continental shelf, where the ocean is often unruly. Furthermore, it requires specialized equipment to fish on the bottom in 600 feet of water or more, and to winch the fish to the surface.

The main quarry of deep drop fishing in Miami Florida is the golden tilefish. This handsome fish inhabits waters over 500 feet deep. To get down to the bottom requires stout tackle and weights of up to TEN POUNDS. It is also important to have a very good depth finder to locate tilefish-friendly bottom features.

So what should you know about deep drop fishing in Miami Florida? Tilefish make burrows in silt or clay bottom material. Since they tolerate only a very narrow range of temperatures -- between 47 and 53 degrees Fahrenheit, they are generally found around a depth of 600 feet off Florida. A famous tilefish kill occurred in 1882, when the Labrador current brought an unprecedented cold water surge to the mid-Atlantic, and millions of tilefish were observed floating. Deep drop fishing in Miami Florida can be life changing.

Once you've got the right equipment and have found the right spot to fish, all it takes is some fresh cut bait and a little muscle (actually a lot of muscle). Rigs usually employ 3 to 5 hooks and the weight is allowed to drag on the bottom or is cranked up only a few feet. As you’ll see with deep drop fishing in Miami Florida, when a tilefish bites, an angler might want to reel one up -- but it's unlikely he'd be anxious to try a second time.

The electric reel is a godsend for anglers deep drop fishing; it converts a half hour of sweating and cranking to the push of a button. The angler can still feel the fish, but the electric reel does the dirty work.

One other thing with deep drop fishing in Miami Florida: Golden tiles make fine eating. They run between 5 and 20 pounds; the meat is firm and white. Other species that you might catch while deep drop fishing off Miami, Florida include several kinds of grouper and the blackbelly rosefish. This fellow looks -- well; let's just say only rosefish's mother could love it. Weighing only a pound or so, the rosefish is delicious. And after a day of deep drop fishing in Miami, Florida, most anglers will be ready for a hearty meal -- and a good night's sleep.