SNAPPER, GROUPER, AMBERJACK AND KINGFISH OFF LOUISIANA'S GULF COAST

Fishing Rigs For Amberjack

EDITOR'S NOTE: Richard Harris, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, fishes on the Southern Kingfishing Association (SKA) circuit. He runs an R & R Express 32 Donzi ZF that's designed to take rough water at high speeds. He cruises at 42 to 45 miles per hour or runs wide open at 60 miles per hour with His twin Mercury 225 Opti-Max engines. Harris's boat has two speeds -- dead stop and wide-open. I fished with Harris and had a terrific time.

Question: Where are you going to find amberjack?
Harris: We usually start catching amberjack at about 120-feet deep. Again, we fish structure rigs. I have a little wreck I like to fish a lot called Fish Haven Seven, which is a large sunken barge about 50 miles offshore. Again, I jig deeper water using 80-pound-test on some of our stand-up rods. I usually fish 40- to 60-pound-class rods with 80-pound test.

Question: Come down the line with me.
Harris: I have a Penn 45 GLS reel using 80-pound Momois Hi-Catch line. I use an 80-pound swivel with an 80- to 100-pound leader -- usually a short leader for jigging so I can wind it up closer to my pole 2 to 2-1/2 feet max. Amberjack aren't real picky. I'll use a fairly large jig -- 6 ounces maybe larger, depending on water depth. I use a lot of white-and-red, gold-on-gold and some chartreuse colors of jigs for amberjacks. I usually don't tip the jigs with much because that makes them hard to jig erratically. Basically, you have to work the jigs very erratically for an amberjack to hit, and we don't usually put a trailer hook on the rig. Using trailer hooks will actually take away from the jigging action. You can't do a slow jig. You have to pump the jigs on the reel fast and kind of keep them away from the fish.

When amberjacks hit, they'll hit hard. Usually the hook gets set because you're jigging. You have to hold onto your pole and start reeling. If we're fishing a rig, we have to back away from the rig to help keep the fish from cutting the line off on the barnacles.

Question: What is an average day of amberjack fishing?
Harris: Here inshore, you can catch fish as long as your arms will hold up. Usually you'll catch 18 to 25 amberjacks that weigh approximately 30-pounds each. In a little deeper water, you may catch fish in the 40- to 50-pound class. The limit is one per person. I don't typically target amberjack, but we'll catch one or two if we get to them.

Question: What is the best amberjack you ever had?
Harris: I don't know. I never got it to the boat. I've hooked some big ones that never slowed down. I've had 100-pound-test Dacron line that hasn't stopped some. The biggest one we've probably ever caught on this boat weighed 52 pounds.

Question: What are some alternate ways to amberjack fish?
Harris: We run live hardtails hooked through the nose. We use straight 80-pound-test line with a No. 4/0 hook. We hook the bait through the nose and just drop it down with a downrigger and ball to any desired depth -- usually halfway between halfway and 3/4 of the way to the bottom and slow troll over the wrecks. This tactic usually produces amberjack about 90 percent of the time. This way is a little easier on your back. You don't have to work as hard. Just set the pole, and wait for the fish to bite. Jigging in deep water with a heavy jig will wear you out in a hurry.

When the fish starts dragging the line, you have to pick the pole up, which will be hard to get out of the pole holder. Once you pick up the pole, you can start reeling, but it sets the hook itself. You can do the same thing with a Carolina rig. You have to use a heavy weight for the hardtail to go down to the bottom or close to it, and you can produce amberjack the same way.

Question: Do you pick up snapper using this technique too?
Harris: Yes, we've caught a few large snapper using small live hardtails, about 4- to 6-inches long.

To learn more about fishing off Mississippi's Gulf Coast, call (800) WARMEST, or visit www.visitmississippi.org.

TOMORROW: CATCHING BIG LOUISIANA SNAPPER