Go Offshore for Plenty of Fish in the Fall and Winter
John E. Phillips 11.29.14
I thought I was strong until a black grouper holding on an underwater reef during December took my bait and tried to prove that it was stronger than me. But that night, after the 35-pound grouper had been cleaned, I took some of that grouper to a restaurant and had it prepared three delicious ways: blackened, grilled, and pan fried.
During the fall and winter months, ice, snow, high winds, and bad weather keep many anglers at home. However, you’ll find some of the finest saltwater fishing imaginable on the Upper Gulf of Mexico Coast then. From the Florida Panhandle over to the Texas coast, anglers will be catching grouper, snapper, triggerfish, and amberjacks that fight hard and are delicious to eat. Although red snapper season is closed, a large variety of other snapper that are easy to catch and good to eat, including vermilion snapper, lane snapper, gray snapper, and white pogies, commonly called white snapper, are available. Grouper fishing at this time of year for black and red grouper, scamp, and Warsaw brings many anglers out of their warm houses and cold weather into the sunshine of the Southern states.
If you move further offshore to one of the many deep-water oil rigs, you’ll find yellowfin and blackfin tuna as well as cobia, king mackerel, marlin, and grouper ready and willing to bite all fall and winter. Oftentimes the temperatures are warm enough to fish in a short sleeve t-shirt, wearing only a light jacket.
Many anglers don’t go offshore fishing during the fall and winter because they don’t want to miss their favorite football teams’ games on television. But numbers of charter boat captains have installed satellite television on board. Anglers can watch and listen to the games while they’re fishing, and/or relax in the cabin salon area while the boat moves from one fishing spot to the other. Also during football season, finding a top captain who’s willing to take you offshore fishing is easier than locating a captain during the spring and summer. Hotel and motel prices are usually drastically reduced, and you won’t have to wait in line at some of the finest restaurants to get a table.
Anglers generally can fight and catch enough offshore fish to provide plenty of saltwater fish dinners until spring arrives. The yellowfin tuna in the winter will weigh 50 to 150 pounds each; the blackfin tuna eight to 20 pounds; the gag grouper (this season is open until December 3rd) from 12 to 50 pounds or more; scamp 5 to 15 pounds; and the Warsaw grouper 20 to 100 pounds or more.
Another new type of wintertime fishing that anglers have discovered is deep water fishing for tilefish, yellowedge, and snowy grouper—and some fish you’ll have to look up in a fish dictionary to discover their names. These fish live below 400 feet from the surface and are often caught at 600 to 800 feet deep. Anglers use electric reels to get their lines down to the bottom and to help bring their fish back to the surface. To catch and eat some fun-fighting, delicious saltwater fish throughout the winter until springtime, now’s the time to plan a trip to the Upper Gulf of Mexico Coast.
Check out John Phillips’ eBooks for more info on offshore Gulf fishing and delicious recipes.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
