Hey guys, I live in Palmetto, FL and I only fish from shore. I do not have any kind of offshore experience beside when I went out few offshore trips with experienced fishermans
One of my buddy's dad bought a 18.5ft 115hp Johnson single motor with 24 gal fuel tank on a v-hull boat and he wants to start to do some fishing. This boat has live bait well and few installed rod holders.
And also we are planning to take this boat out only when its a calm and Sunny day
The question is, is this boat capable to do any kind of offshore fishing?
If it is, what do we need in order to start to prep?
We don't have a fish finder or anything...we have a boat and rods but no experience...
Any recommendation or suggestion would be deeply appreciated. Like how to locate fish and what kind of equipments, rigs and else we need. We would love to catch some snappers and groupers if that's possible
No experience with boat?
lets see the boat.
If you don't have any experience fish the intercostal for a wile just to hang of how the boat runs. I will suggest a GPS and a dash mounted compass. seriously you can get tuned around easy offshore. GPS sometime fail. Calm and sunny can turn into lighting and nasty and praying you make it to shore.
But its a blast I run a 19 foor bayboat No problem running 20-30 mile off.Is the boat self bailing?
Need better description of the boat. I have a 20' Key west Bay boat and run 20 miles all the time.....but I pick my days. I won't go if the winds are forecast more than 10knots
Burn this into your memory
NEVER GO OFF SHORE WITH A FRONT MOVING THRU.
also find NOAA web sight under buoy. This will give you sea condition reports and buoy's will show what there registering. You can get you weather report here also you need a radio on the boat A marine VHF ship to shore mandatory.
This is the only pic that I could get about the boat
It seems like not bad a boat but like I said neither me nor my friend's dad have experience with offshore fishing.
He told me that he has gone out in the seas for days multiple times because he used to own a sailboat and did all kinds of tournaments and stuffs but thats just sailing you know...Nothing to do with how to find and locate fish I guess... :dots
I can always get the fish finder and if I do, which one would you guys recommend for affordable and decent fish finder?
We're not trying to go out really far just enough you know. Maybe maximum 15-20 miles thats it
