Book an overnight charter this year in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach to earn your hand at catching tuna, wahoo, and Mahi! Learn more about overnight charter experiences.
One of the best aspects of booking an overnight trip on one of Alabama’s great charter boats is you really never know what’s going to be in the icebox when you get back to the dock.
Catching red snapper is great, but no trip into the Gulf of Mexico can compare with an overnight stay in the offshore waters, where an abundance of species is available to anglers. The charters head to the deep-water petroleum rigs or search for a rip that separates blue water from green water on the journey to the rigs.
The floating petroleum rigs attract pelagic fish like tuna and wahoo. Most captains will stop on the way out to catch bait, mainly hardtails, which is great fun on light tackle. Those fish will be used as live bait and as chum to get fish to the surface.
Picking The Right Overnight Charter
One thing about an overnighter is that it’s best to choose a charter boat with plenty of room and bunks below deck to grab a nap. I tell people when I go charter fishing, I do three things – fish, eat and sleep. You’ll need to get a little rest if you haul in a big tuna or greater amberjack.
The bullet-shaped yellowfin is one of the fastest fish in the Gulf, and they feed on anything from squid to sardines to flying fish. If they can catch a flying fish, you know they’re fast.
The charter captain will check the weather and water conditions when they get to the destination and determine what tactics are most likely to work for tuna. They might try slow-trolling with live bait during the daylight if water visibility is good. Then they’ll likely pull near the rig to drop live bait into deeper water to locate the big tuna. During nighttime hours, the crew will probably break out the diamond jigs to drop down and snag a few blackfin tuna, the yellowfin’s smaller cousin.
Some captains love to deploy kite rigs that dangle live bait on the surface to entice the yellowfins to come out of the deep and slam what they think is an easy meal. Although most yellowfins range from 30 to 60 pounds, don’t be surprised if the line starts peeling off the reel and the drag starts screaming. Yellowfins that exceed 100 pounds are fairly common, and a new state record 230-pounder was caught out of Orange Beach just last year.
Again, the overnighter might not just be all about tuna. This year, captains have caught and released blue and white marlin and numerous wahoo. dolphinfish (No, not Flipper) have also been landed during a little high-speed trolling. Most captains also allow time for a little bottom fishing. Anglers may hook grouper, scamp, amberjack or vermilion snapper.
Prepare For a Fresh Fish Feast
Grab a group of friends and fishing buddies and pool your money for a great Gulf fishing experience with an overnight trip. When you get back, you’ll likely have ice chests full of some of the best-eating, freshest fish around.
On overnight trips, charter boats provide all the tackle needed for every type of fishing you will encounter. Talk with the captain to find out what food and other provisions to bring.
Check out all the charter boats available in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and start planning your next overnight trip!
