# Meat Fishing Hardware



## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Generally I go out twice a year along the coast here in Nor Cal to stock the freezer.
Here's what I use for what we call Rock Fishing, similar to Grouper although we've a wide species variety.
Normally fish 30 to 80 feet deep, keep 6 to 15 pound fish, smaller and larger I put back. 

What do you guys use?


----------



## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Usually only do it when I'm accompanying someone for article research, but will be doing it more often in retirement. That looks like standard arsenal for grouper, snapper, amberjack in the northern Gulf, along with live and dead baits.


----------



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

When we're looking for big hungry fish in the 'glades (between the state's rules and the Park's rules you won't exactly be filling a fish box - but that's entirely okay with me...) we switch to live or dead bait with a very simple rig... 

With heavier rods we set up with a rod's length of 80lb mono (or 60lb for a bit lighter leader) and the terminal end is a simple knocker rig (a single hook) with an egg sinker sliding on the leader all the way down to the hook... More than 90% of the time the hook is only an Eagle Claw #85 5/0... and we've brought more than one fish up to and well over 100lbs to my skiff with only 20 or 30lb braid (not counting sharks, sawfish, or rays which get much, much bigger... )... The size of the sinker solely determined by the depth we're fishing and whatever current is present.... And occasionally I'm deliberately using a sinker that's a bit on the light side if I want the bait moving along the bottom a bit... 

If at all possible I want fresh caught livebait (lady fish and others that we either catch with hook and line or net...) or fresh dead if we're using cutbait (I want that cut bait to actually be kicking when we cut it to use as a bottom bait..). Never, repeat never, any frozen bait - unless we have no other choice... 

Most of my anglers aren't meat fishermen at all... Some will keep a fish or two for the table - but everyone loves hanging on for dear life with a big fish (a really big fish... ) on the other end... and we always do our best to release any big fish not destined for the table in good order...


----------

