The Trysler Grounds -- One of the Best Bottom-Fishing Areas Near Pensacola, Florida

EDITOR'S NOTE: Many anglers have viewed the Trysler Grounds, just off Pensacola, Florida's coast, the same as they think about their old, reliable girlfriends. Often young men forget about their old sweethearts -- their first loves and best dates ever -- as soon as a new girl comes to town. We fished the Trysler Grounds recently with Captain George Pfeiffer of Pensacola, captain of the "C.A.T."

The Trysler Grounds provided tremendous bottom fishing for area residents for many years. However, when Alabama anglers and government officials started sinking artificial reefs within the easy range of Pensacola anglers, most Panhandle fishermen forgot about this natural rock bottom in favor of the new reefs. Anglers left their first love -- the Trysler Grounds -- and began to fish over battleships, tanks, bridge rubble, buses, old car bodies and decommissioned troop carriers known as "Liberty Ships."

Today many area residents still overlook the Trysler Grounds as a hot fishing spot, even though year after year -- in good and bad weather -- the Trysler Grounds continue to yield plenty of fish. The reef replenishes itself because it encompasses such a large area. When the water clears up, especially in late summer and early fall, you'll see sportfish holding over the natural rock forming the Trysler Grounds.

"We've caught marlin, sailfish, dolphin and wahoo above the Trysler Grounds when the water is exceptionally clear," Captain Pfeiffer stated.

Most anglers have found March, April and May the most-productive months to fish the Trysler Grounds. Anglers who fish there consistently experience excellent fishing before and after red snapper season. Because this region has a natural bottom, more triggerfish, grouper, scamp and vermilion snapper inhabit this hard bottom than you'll find around the artificial reefs, which tend to hold primarily red snapper.

This past spring, I wanted to find out for myself just how productive the fishing on the Trysler Grounds still was. After one day of fishing this region, I could assure you that the old faithful Trysler Grounds still produced as many -- if not more -- bottom feeders and pelagic species of fish as the area ever had.

My fishing buddies and I discovered plenty of snapper, grouper, triggerfish and even king mackerel. We each fished primarily with a single-hook sow rig, which included a large, egg-shaped sinker up the line with the size of the sinker determined by the current; a 100-pound-barrel swivel tied onto the main line below the sinker; a 3-foot, 30-pound-test monofilament leader tied on to the other end of the barrel swivel; and a No. 2 hook tied to the end of the leader. For bait, we used cut squid, cut and whole cigar minnows and the new Berkley Inshore Power Tubes that resembled small squid and came impregnated with a highly-concentrated fish attractant.

During the last few years, I've used Berkley Power Tubes for about 90% of my bottom fishing. I like them because I can put 10 to 20 of these handy, easy-to-bait tubes in my shirt pocket. Because the tubes float in the water above the bottom and look like natural squid, these Power Tubes present an eye-catching, easy-to-eat meal for any bottom feeder that may lurk nearby. Too, the tough plastic baits remain on the hook longer than natural baits do because the fish don't devour them as quickly. I've caught as many as eight snapper before fishing with only one Power Tube.

On this particular trip, a fish pulled on my line and stretched my string almost every time I dropped my bait to the bottom. Everyone on the boat -- regardless of the bait they used -- caught fish until they had sore arms. Stephanie Mallory and my daughter-in-law, Shanna Phillips, both of Pelham, Alabama, fished on either side of me. Both had blue spots under their arms where the butts of their rods inflicted pressure from the fish fighting on their lines all day long.

For more information about fishing, contact Captain George Pfeiffer at (850) 432-0337 in Pensacola, Florida; call the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce at (800) 874-1234; or visit the website: www.visitpensacola.com.

TOMORROW: More Productive Fishing at the Trysler Grounds