AJ ’ s Many Ways
It ’ s often a case of who-has-whom with deep muscle aches still reminding you of the brutal encounter days later . It ’ s often a second-by-second struggle to see whose resolve falters first and if you ’ re not up for this brutal street fight , don ’ t go amberjack fishing .
On the other hand , if you ’ re into a tackle-testing , arm-stretching opportunity to earn respect points , and if you ’ re cool with the concept of extended engagements with a seemingly inexhaustible opponent — and , if you enjoy firm , mild filets made for the grill , smoker and blacking skillet , then this is your deal . Where to Look
Capt . Jesse Mayer , who runs out of Johns Pass on Florida ’ s central Gulf Coast , primarily looks for amberjack over deep water wrecks , but he and others also find these powerful fish patrolling deep water reefs and springs . Structure-oriented fish , AJs tend to hover over the hard stuff and pick off whatever forage that crosses their radar .
Running out of Venice Marina , Hunter Caballero , of Paradise Outfitters , prefers the 250- to 800-foot range and targets natural bottom , wrecks , fish havens and natural bottom features like the Midnight Lump off Southwest Pass . Day to day , though , it ’ s hard to beat the northern Gulf ’ s forest of oil and natural gas rigs .
Emergent structures are easy to find with a block chart and line-ofsight , but Caballero suggests looking for the retired “ cut-off ” rigs whose topside structures have long departed , with only the submerged legs remaining . Hurricanes have also sent several rigs into impromptu retirement ; but planned or unplanned , the resulting “ reefs ” are pure AJ heaven .
“ They ’ re still marked on your GPS but they might be 100 byby David A . Brown
Besting the Bullies of the Deep
yards away ,” Caballero said of the displaced rigs . “ You can still find them , but they just don ’ t get as much pressure .” Au Natural
As Mayer notes , amberjack are not complicated creatures ; they see a meal , they eat the meal . Therefore , dropping live baits such as blue runners , pinfish , grunts , croakers , mullet and threadfin herring typically is a straight course to rod bending bliss .
Caballero agrees and knowing the propensity for tempting AJ ’ s of 50-plus pounds , he gears up with stout 7 1 / 2-foot rods with Penn 30 wide reels carrying 200-pound braided line . Plenty of backbone , a stubborn drag system , line that ’ ll resist the rough surfaces of amberjack abode — that ’ s what you need to tame these beasts .
For the terminal tackle , Caballero keeps it simple and efficient : 5 feet of 200-pound monofilament leader , a 10 / 0-12 / 0 circle hook and 24 ounces of lead to deliver a frantic live bait into the danger zone .
“ You can fish dead bait , but a live bait is going to get hit in two seconds , as opposed to waiting five minutes for the fish to eat a dead bait ,” Caballero said .
Wherever amberjack live , barracuda can be the bane of live-bait fishing , as these aggressive interlopers delight in ambushing meals meant for targets below their higher patrol level . Solution : Deploy live baits on downriggers 50- 100 yards from the site and troll them under the toothy crew .
Fun With the Fakers Complementing the livies , you ’ ll also find amberjack more than willing to attack artificial baits . Options include : Jigs : Mayer employs specialized jigging rods made for the
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Blade style jigs worked erratically through the water column are a guaranteed AJ attractor . Heavy fly tackle can offer some impressive strikes and memorable battles . ( Capt . Jesse Mayer ( L ) and Capt . Bill Miller ) Photos by author .
6 G U L F C O A S T F I S H E R M A N W W W . G U L F F I S H I N G . C O M