Fishing the Gulf of Mexico Wrecks
Going west from the Keys, you’ll discover wrecks that are populated with such fish species as sharks, cobia, king mackerel, tuna, and the vicious barracuda. Again, the best choice for fishing these wrecks is using live bait, with pilchards, herring, threadfins, crab, and pinfish standing as the avid angler’s favorites. Finding just the right to spot to drop anchor is key as well, something you’ll need an experienced guide like Captain Pepe to accomplish.
When you fish a wreck where you anchor can be key. You need the boat to be just up current from the wreck for the best results.
As you read up above, which species you’ll find lingering among the Gulf wrecks depends on the time of year, although grouper, snapper, and even barracuda can be found no matter the season.
The widest variety of fish seems to occur during the winter months.
While spring brings much sought after species like permit and cobia into these action-packed wreck areas. Kingfish typically prevail in the summer months, but it’s easy to see that there’s amazing fishing to be found near the Gulf wrecks year round.
Famous Gulf Wrecks
Not long after the start of the Second World War, the United States planted a web of minefields at the Gulf’s bottom to ward off invading German subs. While this practice did prove effective to a great extent, it also resulted in the sinking of a great many commercial vessels. This certainly wasn’t the only period when ships sank in the Gulf of Mexico, but the World War II era did produce some of the most famous wreck fishing spots.
A great variety of ships lies sunken at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, with many of them within 15-25 miles off the shores of Key West. These ships, which include everything from freighters and shrimp boats to huge World War II warships sunk by Allied mines or German torpedoes.
Some of the most famous and commonly fished wrecks on the Gulf side are the Edward Luckenbach, The Sturtevant, and the Bosilijka.
Although many of the smaller Gulf wrecks remain nameless, there are a few notable shrimp boats down there, all of which are surrounded by hungry fish waiting to be landed. A few of the best-known sunken Gulf shrimp boats are The Craig, Teaser, and the Cyclops. Stick with a guide like Captain Pepe to discover which is the best to explore while you’re on your personal fishing adventure.