Gulf of Mexico Sportfishing

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Happy Hooker One Charters (TM)
If you love Sportfishing at it's best, just plain fun on beautiful waters, Sunsets that make you Ooohhh and Aaaahhh, Big Sportfish that will make your heart jump into your mouth, Great fun stories you can tell your children, grandchildren, and brag about when you go home, make a reservation with us now for your coming vacation or adventure trip. No one can justly brag that they bring home huge fish every trip, but our percentages are very high, and our record of fishing Florida for the past twenty some years speaks for itself. We will do everything possible to see that you enjoy every part of your day on the water with us.
Our local fish include Blackfin Tuna, Kingfish, Dolphin, Wahoo, Great Barracuda, Occasional Sailfish, Cobia, Amberjack, Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Carboritta, Jewfish, Mangrove Snapper, Lane Snapper, American Red Snapper, Tarpon, Blacktip Shark, Bull Shark, Great Hammerheads, Blacknose Shark, Permit, and many other smaller species.

Types Of Fishing

  • ANCHORED BOTTOM FISHING & FREELINE- When bottom fishing on anchor, a number of great edible fish can be expected. Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Carbaritta Grouper, Lane Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, American Red Snapper, Blue Porgy, Black Sea Bass, Triggerfish, and Amberjack to mention a few. On eight hour plus trips several more can be added. We have proven that there are a number of fish missed by most fishermen by not freelining and chuming while bottom fishing. During different seasons, we also freeline for Kingfish, Dolphin, Cobia, Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, Little Tuny, Great Barracuda, Blacktip, Blacknose, Bull, and Great Hammerhead Shark. Our mates always chum, and we have been very successful in bringing in that extra exotic trophy fish (which is many times the thrill of the day), by simply adding freelining to the standard bottom fishing.
    • TROLLING WITH OUTRIGGERS & DOWNRIGGERS- When trolling the Gulf of Mexico, we start with flatline trolling several different sizes and styles of popular hard baits. Outriggers are then used to set the table for hungry fish on the top of the water column. The baits are usually soft heads, acrylic heads, and other types of skirted baits using attached Bal-e-hoo, Sardines, Bonitta bellies, or other types of wiggling enticements. These are usually fished about 75 to 100 feet behind the boat and organized to ride the top of one wave and submerge through two waves. Kingfish, Little Tuny, Great Barracuda, Dolphin, Wahoo, Sailfish, and Blackfin Tuna are among the prime fish that can be expected to charge baits fished in this manner. When the fish are very low in the water column, and don't seem to want to come to the top, we can also use our downriggers to feed them lower in the water column or entice them to the top for a nice dinner. Trolling on eight to twelve hour trips, about 30 to 40 mile out in the Gulf is like fishing Hawaii, The water coming off the engines turns as white as new snow, and the water is an unexplainable, gorgeous, blue. You can see 80 foot down or better, and you will not want to come in. We have trouble sometimes getting people to come back in. The fish are wild out there. And you never know what you'll get sometimes.
  • DRIFT BOTTOM & FREELINE FISHING- This type of fishing is simular to on anchor bottom fishing, but sometimes the bottom currents go dead and you must improvise to get the fish to bite. Also, many great fishing areas do not have large reefs, big drop-offs, or sunken boats. The bottom is many times limestone with coral growing on it. This makes for a great drift area because it holds a lot of spread out bait, it is not congested enough for divers to kill all the big fish, drifting it presents a bait to a lot of small groups of large fish, and some of them will usually eat. Also when the bait fish are not on top, freelining and chuming at the same time you are fishing the bottom will usually put you within smelling distance of some great exotic trophy fish.
    • SLOW TROLLING LIVE BAITS- This type of fishing is a great way to entice trophy Kingfish and other exotic fish when they are feeding on the top. Outriggers are usually used to spread the baits out as they are slowly pulled near the top of the water. Many times the fish will sky rocket on these baits.
    • SIGHT CASTING- Sight casting is the method usually used to place a bait in front of a fish you can actually see, such as Tarpon, Shark, Cobia, Great Barracuda, Dolphin, Little Tuny, and sometimes Permit. It is very exciting to see a great fish take your bait.
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