Page 9 - Palm City Spotlight - August '20

DOUBLE SPACE
Palm City Spotlight, Page 9
Treasure Coast Outdoors

Want Something Different? crabs, shellfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, squid, and
Try Deep Drop Fishing For an occasional fish.
Tom used an electric Daiwa Seaborg 1220MJ reel.
Tilefish! The line he used was a 60-pound braided line. Anything
heavier creates an issue with staying on the bottom due
By Jim Weix to the current. Attached to that was a hook size 7 or 8
I was rather excited circle deep drop rig, a light, and a 6-pound weight. We
when Tom Flynn, of Palm used squid for bait and were careful not to cover the tip
City, asked me to go fishing of the hook.
with him. He had recently On the day that we fished the current was a ripping
been deep dropping for 5 mph. Although we could get the rig to the bottom, the
tilefish and had been quite current made it impossible to keep it there without letting
successful. out a lot of extra line. In this case a better weight would
Tilefish are bottom have been 12 pounds. Since we didn’t have one, we had
feeders and are found in to make do with what we had.
water depths of 250 to The good news is, despite some setbacks, I caught my To make sure I did it right, I went to Offshore Tackle
1,500 feet. They prefer first tilefish! The size won’t set any records but it was and Repair, at 2201 S.E. Indian St., in Stuart. Marty
water temperatures between 49 to 58 degrees. They are big enough to feed four of us. The bad news is that I was Romstadt works there and I knew him from when he
bottom feeders with strong teeth, and feed on shrimp, hooked and proceeded to buy my own equipment. worked at Finest Kind. Along with a long history in the
Treasure Coast fishing scene, Marty is also an expert on
fishing for tilefish.
I bought the Daiwa Seaborg 1220MJ electric reel and
had 60-pound braided line put on. Based upon Marty’s
recommendation, I got an assortment of weights. I also
got an education on circle hooks.
Circle hooks can be roughly divided into two types,
offset and non-offset. The offset refers to the amount of
deviation in the plane of the hook point relative to that
of the shank. Offset means when you lay the hook down
on a table, it won’t lay completely flat. A true non-offset
HarborChase hook will lay perfectly flat on the table. Non-offset will
normally hook your fish at the jaw, while offset circle
hooks are more likely to hook your fish, but it can hook
anywhere. A non-offset would be desired if you are
planning on releasing a fish.
Revel in Refinement Although the Daiwa Seaborg 1220MJ reel will cost
about $1,400, it is well worth it. Along with deep drop
fishing for anything from grouper to swordfish, it can also
be used as a downrigger. Don’t make the mistake that I
once did. I bought a cheap electric reel, with no manual
crank or a way of setting your reel for automatic control.
Editor’s note: Jim Weix is an avid hunter, angler,
conservationist, as well as an outdoor writer.
Jim is included in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s
Hall of Fame, for his work in helping restore thousands
of acres of wetlands. Jim is a broker associate with The
Keyes Company. He can be reached at (772) 341-2941
or by email: jimweix@jimweix.com.
The author caught his first tilefish and is hooked on
deep dropping.

Southern Exposure Technologies
Computer Install/Setup/Repair
(561) 315-0144
getsetgo.annie@gmail.com
* DSL, Broadband,Wireless Install
* Networking, Troubleshooting
* Instruction
* Hardware/Software Installation
* Virus/Spyware/Adware Fix
Immerse yourself in a brand new community that * Cleanup/Maintenance/Backup
* Business Consult/Startup/Move
will enrich your body, mind and soul. * Website Design/Maintenance
Call S.E.T. to install your “new computer, printer
and wireless network”!
STUART GET S.E.T. GO!

REASONABLE HOURLY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY RATES
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES FOR AS LOW AS $50.00 AN HOUR,
ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE RESIDENCES WITH A MINIMUM OF 6 HOURS A MONTH,
OR 2 HOURS A WEEK, OR ON AN AS-NEEDED
BASIS RATE OF $75.00 P/HOUR.
START YOUR NEW YEAR WITH SECURE BACKUPS,
650 NW Fork Road | Stuart, FL 34994 | (772) 763-5746 QUALITY MAINTENANCE, ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND
PERSONABLE ON-SITE SUPPORT!
www.HarborChase.com (561) 315-0144
ALF# pending CALL S.E.T. TODAY FOR YOUR COMPUTER NEEDS!