Deep drop fishing targets prized bottom species in hundreds of feet of water, and Captain Brandon Simmons broke down how to do it like a pro. Brandon runs the Into The Blue at Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys, where he chases snowy grouper, tilefish, queen snapper, and barrelfish. He explained the five-hook chicken rig he uses for multi-species drops, how to read mud versus rock through your rod tip instead of your electronics, and why scrolling back through your sounder's history can reveal spots you have been running over for years.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen to the episode now.
Brandon uses a five-hook chicken rig with at least 150-pound test mainline, 8 to 9/0 circle hooks, and whole squid as the catch-all setup. For queen snapper specifically he drops to an 80 to 100-pound leader with slightly longer leaders, around 8 to 10 inches instead of 5. He runs 5 to 8-pound stick leads depending on current strength.
Whole squid is the universal bait for deep dropping and works for all target species, including snowy grouper, tilefish, queen snapper, and barrelfish. Brandon uses whole squid on his five-hook rigs for every deep drop mission.
Brandon uses 5 to 8-pound stick leads, with 5 to 6 pounds being ideal in normal current. If you need more than 8 pounds, the current is too strong and you will have trouble getting good hookups on the bottom.
Deep drop fishing is a year-round fishery in the Florida Keys. Brandon has not noticed seasons significantly affecting the fish in deep water, which makes it a reliable option any time conditions allow you to get offshore, and a good backup when dolphin or tuna fishing slows.
Barrel fish have big, thick white fillets similar to grouper and are considered by Brandon to be some of the best eating fish in the ocean. Despite the extraordinary amount of slime they produce when you bring them up, the meat quality rivals any reef fish.
Golden tilefish live exclusively in mud bottoms where they dig holes, while blue line tilefish prefer rocky structure. Brandon says he has never caught a golden tile in a rocky spot, because they are always in the mud, which is why reading bottom composition matters so much.
Brandon's approach to deep dropping is exactly what makes these conversations valuable, because he gives you the actual tactics he uses every day as a working charter captain. I wanted him back on because the stuff about feeling bottom composition through your rod tip is something most anglers never learn, and it is critical for putting your bait in front of the right species. His point about smaller, less obvious ledges producing better because they are not getting pounded is the kind of insight that only comes from time on the water.
Brandon's approach centers on reading subtle bottom changes most anglers cruise right over. He looks for humps where the depth jumps from 850 feet on the outside to 750 feet on top, nearly 100 feet of relief that holds snowy grouper, tilefish, and queen snapper. Some of his best spots show barely 10 to 15 feet of relief and are almost invisible on the screen, and they produce because they are not getting hammered by every boat. Hear his full strategy for fishing both obvious and subtle structure in the episode.
Here is where Brandon drops knowledge most anglers do not have: you cannot reliably tell mud from rock on your electronics, but you can feel it through your rod. When the lead hits rock it pounds and bangs and the rod tip shakes, but over mud the lead almost sucks down and then pops back up quickly. It matters because different species prefer different bottoms, golden tilefish in mud, blue line tilefish and snowy grouper on rock. Listen to him match bottom type to target species.
Watch the full episode or listen now to hear the rest.
Both of us agree barrel fish might be the best eating fish in the deep, with thick white fillets that rival grouper, but they produce a staggering amount of slime when you bring them up. Brandon described it as Ghostbusters slime covering the whole fish, and clients who hug them end up with four feet of drooping slime hanging off. I compared it to a skunk's defense mechanism. Neither of us fully understands why, but the lesson is clear: do not hug a barrel fish. Hear the full story.
Brandon revealed how he has found most of his spots in the last four years: scrolling back through his sounder's history. Modern Lowrance and Simrad units let you scroll back up to two miles to see bottom you ran over while focused on something else, like looking for birds or flying kites. Later he scrolls back, spots a mark he completely missed in real time, marks it, and returns the next day to find muttons or a loaded hump. Hear how to use the history function to find unmarked spots.
The day after this one, I kept thinking about his point that the smaller, less obvious ledges produce better because they are not getting pounded. It makes total sense, because those fish are getting hit with lead weights and pressure constantly on the big obvious marks.
And that barrel fish slime discussion is just wild. I have experienced it firsthand, and it is one of the strangest things in fishing, but those fish are incredible on the table. If you want to add deep dropping to your offshore arsenal, this one is packed with practical information you can use immediately. Give it a listen.
Listen to the entire conversation here.
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Captain Brandon Simmons operates the charter boat Into The Blue at Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys. As a full-time charter captain, he specializes in deep drop fishing for snowy grouper, tilefish, queen snapper, and barrelfish, while also running offshore trips for sailfish, mahi-mahi, and tuna. Brandon has spent years building an extensive collection of deep water marks and has become an expert in reading bottom structure through both electronics and feel. You can book a trip with him through Hawks Cay Resort.
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