Occasionally we Wisconsinites do vacation out of state. Some of us break out the credit card and do a family outing to Disney or just the beach in Florida. Whose to say we can’t combine a little deep sea fishing with our fun park vacationing.

For those of us that have done it, one of the most exciting things is the fact that you never know what’s on the other end of your line until you real it in. There are countless ways to fish the ocean from fishing bridges, parks, and piers to going on a bottom fishing deep sea boat, chartering your own boat and captain for the day or renting a boat and giving it a go on your own. I have done them all, and they all have their own allure.

Most of my experience in ocean fishing came while I served in the United States Air force. I was stationed in Fort Walton Beach Florida and while there, I fished and hunted often. Even now I go down to Florida every other year with my wife and kids on a family vacation. And while down there I can at least sneak in one day of fishing. I have fished both sides of the state and don’t really prefer one or the other. I have had much better luck bottom fishing on the Gulf side but have had more success with deep sea charters on the east side.

My first experience came on a 60 seat bottom fishing boat out of Destin Florida. It was a beautiful morning on the Gulf of Mexico with calm winds and sunny skies. As the boat slowed I peered in the window and saw the captain inspecting the depth finder for visible schools of fish, with what he hoped contained lots of Red Snapper (the preferred bottom feeding fish we were after).

One of the workers on the boat walked around the boat putting handfuls of dead squid pieces on the edge of the railing surrounding the boat. Then another guy put out the fishing rods we were to use. They were heavy duty rods with thick tips set up with large bait casting reels without cast controls. These things were designed for bottom fishing. The reels were wound with 30 pound monofilament line and a large sinker weighing maybe two ounces. Two large hooks were tied in a drop shot style about 24 inches apart.

The boat stopped, and a horn/whistle went off signaling to begin fishing. When the horn went off again it was time to reel up and we would move to another spot.

The squid was cut up in about two square inch pieces. As the line went down you put light pressure on the spool with your thumb so as not to get backlash. If you did, you lost valuable fishing time as you waited for the helper. A back lashed spool with a hundred feet of line out is not good.

As people began catching fish you would hear the workers yell out the species. "red snapper", "mingo snapper", or what ever was being caught. Soon many of the tourists were also yelling it out as they learned the type of fish they caught. By reeling them up from such deep water, their bladders would stick out of their mouths, swollen from the pressure change. It looked like they were chewing gum and blowing bubbles.

We fished in water 100 to 120 feet deep. When your weight hit the bottom you reeled up about a foot or two and when you felt the "bump, bump" you simply lifted up on the rod and started reeling. It was a little bit of a work out to reel these fish up over a hundred feet. I quickly filled my laundry basket with red snapper, white snapper, Mingo snapper, ruby red lips, rock fish and even a two pound flounder. My biggest fish was only two pounds but they averaged around a pound per fish. The quantity and experience is what’s fun about a bottom fishing trip.

I did see some big fish caught. The guy next to me caught a forty pound red grouper with which he won the biggest fish award. Everyone put in five dollars for the prize. On the way back a couple of the workers trolled off the back of the boat and reeled in a twenty five pound Wahoo, which makes a Wisconsin musky look like a gold fish. Almost every fish caught in the ocean has teeth and puts up a tremendous fight.

On the trip back we noticed a black roll in the sky and did run into a storm, but the 70 foot boat handled the four to five foot rollers with out any problem. By the time we got back to the marina the storm was past.

They served food and refreshments on the boat and for 30 to 50 bucks per person it was a great time. Trips usually run half days and your back in plenty of time to have your catch filleted and put on ice or cooked for you in the many restaurants in the harbors.

Occasionally I would take my own tackle and stop below one of the many bridges that cross the bays of the ocean. I would purchase some live shrimp from the local bait shop, stick a hook through the tail (the toughest part of the shrimp) and cast it off the side of the bridge. You have to keep the shrimp up off the bottom or they will dig into the bottom and hide.

Catches were usually white trout, speckled trout, black grouper and catfish. The weirdest thing I reeled up off a bridge was a two foot long eel. This thing looked nasty. A fellow fisherman on the bridge told me it was a silver dollar eel and were great eating. It had an alligator looking head with a mouth full of teeth. I cut the line and said goodbye.

Another easy and cheap place to fish is off the many "fishing piers" that Florida provides anglers. One such pier in Fort Walton Beach Florida is over two football fields long. You can bring your own equipment or rent rods and reels.

I have also caught Spanish mackerel, blue sail catfish, pin fish, small sharks (30-40lbs) and a giant angel fish that had to go three pounds from these piers. The only thing about the pier fishing is, depending on your tackle, you have a long way to reel these fish up and catching more then a five pounder usually requires a long apologetic walk fighting the fish all the way down the pier to where you can climb down to the beach to land your fish. This is what we had to do when we hooked our sharks. Still most fish can be hoisted up to the pier. It makes for an interesting morning or evening. Just listening and watching the locals is fun but as long as you’re walking out on the pier grab a rod and give it a try.

I’ve fished in Florida’s state parks from bays that border the ocean. Some of these areas have rivers or creeks flowing into the water creating what’s called brackish water. Half salt water and half fresh water. Just off the shore I have caught lots of palm sized pin fish (a bluegill like saltwater fish). Just worms and a hook are all that’s required. Renting a canoe will let you travel up these rivers and creeks catching your share of bream (a brown colored bluegill looking pan fish), catfish and pickerel pike.

There are also boats available for rent in these large bays that border the ocean. Once I rented a 20 foot Boston whaler with a 90 hp evinrude and had a great time cruising the big protected water. Although we didn’t catch any fish, for about a hundred bucks we had an awesome boat ride.

I have also rented pontoon boats and bass boats in Florida. The possibilities for fishing are endless.

Once we talked to a couple locals along the coast and they told us the red fish were really biting off the jetties. They even told us what they were hitting on. We returned a little later that day and caught some nice redfish. This is just from driving around and looking for other guys fishing. Don’t be afraid to talk to the local fisherman.

Of coarse the ultimate Florida fishing experience is chartering your own boat and going out after big game fish. Mackerel, dolphin, barracuda, marlin and swordfish all provide a tremendous fight. Even the smaller game fish are great fun. The cost is anywhere from $450-$650 for a half a day trip or $700-$1000 for a full day. Remember your paying for the captain, first-mate, bait, use of equipment and gas. The cost is a little pricy but dollar for dollar you really get your moneys worth on these trips.

I have gone down to the marinas and watched the boats come in. I see what everyone’s been catching and talk directly to the captains and their clients. Then I usually book the trip. I have had great luck with their openings, not being from the area, this seems to put my mind at ease rather then looking at some pictures on the internet.

The last time we went to Florida we chartered a boat out of Cocoa Beach. My two sons Cory and Sean both ended up getting sick. The water was real rough. We did manage to catch a couple nice Kings (king mackerel) one of them over thirty pounds, and some barracuda but they didn’t feel better until they got back on shore. I had to laugh as the younger of the two brothers was teasing the older one as he was throwing up over the side, then after a sandwich he to succumb to the heaving. While taking his turn throwing up over the side he quietly said to his brother, "I’m sorry for making fun of you".

Years ago on my honeymoon my lovely new bride had to sit up by the captain feeling sick as the first mate and I caught all the fish. "You ok up there honey"? I asked my half gagging wife. "Uh, yeh, I, guess", she said. Although she didn’t throw up she felt like crap most of the time.

By all means if you even suspect you might get sea sick, take Dramamine or a substitute. Don’t let what could be a great memory turn sour. Don’t forget food and beverages for your trip including water. Sunglasses, sunscreen and chap stick are a necessity.

I’d love to try the southern Florida fishing for species such as bone fish and tarpon. And don’t forget Florida’s fresh water fishing for Bass. If you’re not up to the ocean adventure for about $200 you can get a guided Florida bass trip. For the big bass you’ll likely be throwing out big 12 inch shiners as bait.

So next time the wife or husband says "hey how about a trip to Florida". Be sure to go. And include plans for fishing.