I live in Tampa so i would like to go out in the Gulf of Mexico for a trip. You have to go out far to get any real depth in water so I am concerned because it would be a solo mission and usually im in a boat with a couple of friends. If anyone goes around here, how far out do you typically go and how many miles do you do round trip?

P.S. i'm very new to this so i'm just trying to gain some knowledge through the experience of others. So i appreciate all the help i can get

When I ride, I do at least 50 miles or so whether it's ocean or bay riding. I am limited to about 80-100 miles depending on how I am with the throttle. Tomorrow I'll use one of my GPS programs to log how many miles I actually go trolling, etc.

Do you always go with someone or solo. I am the only one of my friends who has a ski, my friends have boats, But that's why i like it because i don't have to rely on them to get out, but i don't want to get stuck either. I have a lot of spots marked within 25 miles so that's the farthest id probably go.

Fishkilla wrote:Do you always go with someone or solo. I am the only one of my friends who has a ski, my friends have boats, But that's why i like it because i don't have to rely on them to get out, but i don't want to get stuck either. I have a lot of spots marked within 25 miles so that's the farthest id probably go.

Rule #1 never go Solo if you are going offshore... All you need to do is suck up a bag or a rope in the water and you're at the mercy of the current. Of course bring some simple tools in a water tight bag and a rope strong enough to tow too...

Also don't forget vhs radio, cell phone, navigation aids like a chart plotter, compass, signal flares, and you might want to look into seatow. I know it sound like allot of overkill but you can never be too safe in my book. In the excitement of landing fish its easy to get turned around and loose your bearing. If fog moves in unexpectedly having gps chart plotted can be very handy. Also a compass in case you loose electronics cause they do fail. Know your heading leaving port and a compass can get you back in the right direction. I can go on and on but I wont just don't want to read a story about a buddy lost at sea. Or the recovery of somebodies family member good luck.

I am going to adding a lot of those items to my supply list. I have a GPS and a emergency kit that has the compass and flares in it. I definitely want to get a vhf radio. I'll be building up my collection very quickly. For now i guess i'll be sticking to some spots in the bay and trolling along the coast. Thanks for the advice.

shamrock Kid wrote:Also don't forget vhs radio, cell phone, navigation aids like a chart plotter, compass, signal flares, and you might want to look into seatow. I know it sound like allot of overkill but you can never be too safe in my book. In the excitement of landing fish its easy to get turned around and loose your bearing. If fog moves in unexpectedly having gps chart plotted can be very handy. Also a compass in case you loose electronics cause they do fail. Know your heading leaving port and a compass can get you back in the right direction. I can go on and on but I wont just don't want to read a story about a buddy lost at sea. Or the recovery of somebodies family member good luck.

That sounds like the grocery list I went shopping for when I rode the ski to Bimini.

Against my better judgement, I went fishing alone this morning.

One friend txt me last night that he couldn't make it, another on the way to the ramp that they couldn't make, both of those were legit reasons, what annoyed me was the third person was not at the ramp when it was time to go, so I left. I had woken up with the feeling that I was getting sick, but said what the hell and continued on my day. Went out for about an hour and a half and started getting dizzy and weak and said that's it (plus didn't land anything) so on my way in, I see the other guy, I was kinda pissed because he doesn't call or txt saying he's going to be late.

End Rant...

Tried the #1 size planer and worked well, what was a pain was the long ass leader after the planer and making sure nothing got tangled. All in all, I managed to get everything going, unfortunately nothing was hitting while I was out there.

At least you got out. Sorry you didn't hook up with anything. Hope you get to feeling better.

shamrock Kid wrote:At least you got out. Sorry you didn't hook up with anything. Hope you get to feeling better.

Yeah, I slept pretty much all day once I got home. I am going to brave it again in the morning. I added a stinger hook to a couple of skirts.

We'll see if it helps.