Give this day saving, box-filling side hustle a deep drop shot on future tuna trips.
The offshore pursuit of Northeast tilefish has become more popular in recent years. As with any other expanding fishery, the technology and innovation in tackle has made it a bit easier and more enjoyable to drop 5 pounds of bottom weight and several baited hooks “chicken rig” style 400 feet or more along flat, muddy offshore bottom in hopes of dragging up a triple-header of tasty tiles. Of course, thinner-diameter braided lines have been the game-changer in just about all pioneering talk on tackle, but rods and reels come into play as well, as are folks willing to share details about getting into this expanding offshore fishery.
That said, often the best place to start is a trip to your local tackle shop for directions and advice. The late Dave Arbeitman from the Reel Seat in Brielle, NJ was one of the pioneers in recreational tilefishing, and he once tackled the gear selection angle in The Fisherman several years ago. “The first thing you must decide is whether you want to go with a manual reel (my personal choice) or an electric reel,” Arbeitman advised, further explaining how high speed reels (over 5:1 gear ratio) are simply not strong enough for this type of deep drop fishing.
“While they are very fast, they are not very strong when it comes to reeling in a 30- or 40-pound fish coupled with 2- to 4-pound sinkers from 300 to 800 feet down,” said Arbeitman. “My personal tilefish reels are either 4:1 or 4.5:1. I have tried both higher gear ratios and lower gear ratios and these are what work best for me,” he added.
Dave did a lot of “meat fishing” on the offshore grounds prior to his 2020 passing, and worked equally hard to get new folks into the recreational tilefishery. He went on to explain his preference for lever drag reels because of the improved drag strength. “A 40-pound golden tilefish will rip drag after being hooked and will most likely try to go back into its burrow on the sea bottom,” he wrote.
For inshore or midrange anglers, the immediate similarities between blackfish and tilefish in terms of wresting big fish away from the bottom are clear. But it’s also very much like fluke fishing, drifting the bottom and waiting for a tap. Most golden and blueline tilefish encountered in the depths are only a couple to a few pounds, but a behemoth is always a possibility. It’s tiring work at the end of, or during an offshore tuna trip at halftime, but if you have the right numbers through your intel network it can provide some box-fillers to ensure success at the canyons.
While attending the ICAST show in July, the “deep-drop” fishery must be gaining in popularity based on the new gear entries. Obviously, the thought of baiting, dropping, and cranking back 500 feet may be as tiring as actually doing it; that’s why many major reel manufacturers have continually upgraded their electric reel offerings from season to season. Daiwa released their all new Seaborg1800M-RJ with one-finger operation and a Power Leaver allowing for instant, variable speed, and power adjustment without having to take the other hand off the rod. Boasting 110 pounds of drag, this reel is clearly capable of doing quick work on the tilefish grounds and can also be used in the deep drop swordfishery as well.
With electric or “power assist” reels it has always required a separate power source, which typically means carrying a separate battery aboard with cables dangling along the gunnel. The folks at PENN earned overall Best in Show honors at the event for their new Fathom Electric reel, the first electric reel with an integrated, rechargeable battery. That new PENN will hit local retail outlets sometime this month.
Another “cordless” entry to the deep drop world comes by way of the E-Rod Jigging & Bottom rods from Dominion Rods of Florida. Using LifePO4 cells coupled with Dominion’s custom battery management system, the E-Rod is essentially a self-powered electric reel platform in the battery-butt that can mount to any existing rod using a #2 or #4 ferrule, eliminating the need for 12-volt battery setup and power cables at your feet.
Of course, as meat fishing at the edge has increased in popularity, new management rules have followed. Private vessels targeting blueline or golden tilefish north of Virginia must first get recreational tilefish permit from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office and to submit electronic vessel trip reports within 24 hours of any trip.
