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I'm pretty pumped about my first offshore fishing trip this weekend. It sounds like we'll be leaving the dock in the wee hours of the morning to sail to/past the continental shelf. Also sounds like mostly trolling. I have no idea what to expect about any part of it. What's the low down?

landscaper wrote:I'm pretty pumped about my first offshore fishing trip this weekend. It sounds like we'll be leaving the dock in the wee hours of the morning to sail to/past the continental shelf. Also sounds like mostly trolling. I have no idea what to expect about any part of it. What's the low down?

Hope you have decent sea legs is about it, otherwise your trip will be miserable. My dad and brother had this problem for years and now they wear some type of bracelet to help from sea sickness. Im just glad i didnt get that gene.

Dont think its cool to stay up a little late the night before around the grill and get a little skint up....you'll regret it. Oh, and pre-hydrate the day before if youve never been out there.

Never have had any motion sickness issues but I plan to take precautions anyway and I was assuming prehydrating was a good idea. What should we expect to catch troing that far out? What will the temps be like before and after daylight?

If fishing for marlin or yellow fin tuna...be polite and let the other fishermen reel them in!

Listen to what the boat hands tell ya...stay hydrated...wear sunscreen on every exposed inch and light soled shoes...have fun

You might ask your doctor for a scopolamine transdermal patch. It will reduce your chances of seasickness. It doesn't cause drowsiness as bad as other options.

as everyone else said. stay hydrated and use sunscreen. i'd also suggest taking bonine before you leave. it will help with seasickness but won't make you drowsy like dramamine. even if you normally don't get seasick i'd recommend taking it as chumming nonstop on a 3 hour boat ride is no fun. have fun. if you get on a big fish and wear a belt and harness try and keep them all as low as possible. your back will thank you. i like a belt that you can get down on the mid thigh and a simple strap style harness that i put right at the top of my butt/lower back. that way your legs are doing most of the work and not your lower back. have fun and take lots of pics. my week long trip can't get here soon enough.

Take a pair of light long pants and long sleeve shirt. The ride out and in, especially if a little sunburnt, can be cool.

If you have thin hair get wear a hat that will block the sun, have good sunglasses and some croakies that will float. If y'all are trolling you must be targeting wahoo, tuna, or maybe some mahi mahi.

Listen to the deck hands and do exactly what they tell you. They do that stuff almost every day and know how to catch and handle the fish. Be sure to take some sort of snack or some sandwiches with you. The chum belly seems to be worse if you have an empty stomach. Keep your eyes on the forward horizon if you start feeling a little woozy and DO NOT go in the cabin for very long!!! That is the most miserable spot on the boat if you get sick! Don't wear any clothes or shoes that you don't want to get stained up. When they gaff a fish and drag it in blood will be going everywhere. If you get in a long fight don't be too proud to let someone else fight it a little while. We fought a shark for 4 hours last summer and it about whipped 4 men.

southernvaughan wrote:Listen to the deck hands and do exactly what they tell you. They do that stuff almost every day and know how to catch and handle the fish. Be sure to take some sort of snack or some sandwiches with you. The chum belly seems to be worse if you have an empty stomach. Keep your eyes on the forward horizon if you start feeling a little woozy and DO NOT go in the cabin for very long!!! That is the most miserable spot on the boat if you get sick! Don't wear any clothes or shoes that you don't want to get stained up. When they gaff a fish and drag it in blood will be going everywhere. If you get in a long fight don't be too proud to let someone else fight it a little while. We fought a shark for 4 hours last summer and it about whipped 4 men.

I'm afraid there is gonna be a LOT of pride swallowing if we get into any fish to speak of. At 40 and 30something, I and another guy are the youngsters going. I have a bum elbow and he has broken ribs. Good chance we will be handing off to my dad who is 67 and the other guy's father in law who is 60ish I guess. Definitely going to be a team effort but should be fun anyhow.

I never had a motion sickness issue until my first off shore trip. Now, I always take a Dramamine the night before, and one the morning of, just for good measure.
Like DDM said, a long sleeve light shirt is a good thing. The Columbia fishing shirts are a good choice here. And though I wont wear them anywhere else outside the house / yard, crocks are great boat shoes.

Sounds like a good trip planned and don't forget the cameras (video and still). Where you guys going out of? Everything mentioned is about everything you need to know. Long as you don't get sick, you will love. Just don't come back home wanting an offshore boat. It's cheaper to just charter one than own one.

MudHog wrote:Sounds like a good trip planned and don't forget the cameras (video and still). Where you guys going out of? Everything mentioned is about everything you need to know. Long as you don't get sick, you will love. Just don't come back home wanting an offshore boat. It's cheaper to just charter one than own one.

Leaving out of Orange Beach. One of the guys we're going with has toyed with the idea of buying a boat for years and has come to the same conclusion. Says he can do SEVERAL charters a year for less than he can buy, maintain, and store a boat.