Let’s be honest — there’s nothing physically or technically demanding about deep-dropping off South Florida and the Florida Keys with an electric reel for golden tilefish, yelloweye snapper, queen snapper, snowy grouper, blackbelly rosefish and barrelfish. That being said, deep-dropping is a fun and very efficient way to harvest some of the best tasting seafood on the planet. And anybody who tells you they don’t get excited when they see a huge tilefish, grouper or queen spiraling up out of the depths is lying to you. Just because you’re not turning the reel handle doesn’t mean it isn’t thrilling.

So why don’t more people do it? A couple of reasons. First, it can be intimidating because it’s so different from the kinds of fishing most of us are familiar with. Deep-dropping means fishing with different equipment, in different areas, and much deeper water than other kinds of South Florida offshore fishing. Second, that specialized equipment isn’t cheap. To go deep-dropping even once on your own boat means dropping one to two thousand dollars on a rod and reel for a new kind of fishing you’re not even sure you’ll like.

But it’s actually easier and less costly than you might think. If you’ve been thinking about getting started deep-drop fishing on your own boat, here’s what you need to know.

South Florida Deep Drop Rods, Reels and Line

I personally use Daiwa Tanacom 1200 electric reels, which retail for around $800 (2024 prices). The Tanacom 1200 has plenty of line capacity and drag for anything you’re likely to encounter deep-dropping anywhere around South Florida, the Florida Keys or the Bahamas. The smaller Tanacom 500 and 750 cost a bit less and are fine for smaller fish like yelloweye snapper and rosefish, but the cost difference, in my opinion, isn’t enough to justify the reduced power, line capacity, and drag. Other quality options include the Daiwa Seaborg series and the Shimano Beastmaster series, both of which are significantly more expensive than the Tanacom 1200.

If your boat doesn’t have electric reel outlets, you can use either a typical 12V deep-cycle battery or one of the newer lithium electric reel batteries. Dedicated lithium electric reel batteries run about $300 but are much smaller and easier to use than a regular 12V battery. The Abyss deep drop battery, for example, weighs just 1.6 lbs. and eliminates cords to trip over.

For rods, my hands-down choice is the Gulfstream Customs DDR (starting at $825) with a detachable #2 bent butt, which combines the sensitivity to detect bites from smaller fish and the backbone to confidently bring in even bigger grouper and tilefish. In addition to combining sensitivity and power, a good deep drop rod is fairly long (usually between 6 and 7 feet including the butt) and has a high-quality roller tip. Rollers are not needed for the other guides and just increase cost and likelihood of failure.

For deep-dropping in our area, 50-lb. braided main line is ideal. Heavier, thicker braid means more line drag, causing the line to “scope out” farther and requiring more lead to keep your bait on the bottom. 50-lb. braid allows you to use less weight and have a smaller “presence” on the bottom — which means more bites from spooky fish — but is also more than strong enough for anything you’re likely to hook in our waters.

The bottom line is that you can put together a quality deep-drop outfit that you’ll never “grow out of” for roughly $2,000 or a bit less, including rod, reel and line. For comparison, you could go the cheap route and pay around $1,000, which is tempting. But in my opinion, it makes more sense to invest in quality gear up-front. First, if you find out deep-dropping isn’t for you, the resale on high-quality, name-brand gear is much higher in relation to the initial purchase price than it is on cheap rods and reels. Second, if your cheap-o setup fails after a few seasons, you’ll probably end up buying a better one to replace it. Either way, you’re saving money in the long run by buying quality in the first place and taking care of your gear.

Rigs for Florida Deep-Dropping

Deep-dropping efficiently requires multi-hook rigs, normally consisting of three to six circle hooks on branch lines with snap for a weight at the bottom. You can make your own rigs, but doing it well requires a bench crimping tool, which runs $200 to $300, as well as a supply of high-quality leader material and components. For most recreational anglers, it makes more sense in the long run to purchase rigs rather than make them.

I make my own rigs based on extensive local deep-dropping experience, which has convinced me that simpler and cleaner rigs catch more fish. Do glowing beads, crimp protectors and so on get more bites? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. The fact is that the forage for these species — which live in the range of 250 to 1,200 feet — doesn’t glow. In my view, keeping hardware, weights, and leader diameter to a minimum is the first priority, although glowing components may sometimes help.

For my rigs (which are available for sale through Gulfstream Custom Rod Co.), I use VMC 8382 Nemesis SureSet circle hooks, Momoi monofilament, SPRO Power Swivel combo swivels, VMC snap swivels, high-quality copper crimps, and a bench crimper. The size and number of hooks and the weight of the line depend on the target species. I tie the following rigs for different species:

Yelloweye snapper — Six 4/0 hooks and 150 lb. mono
Queen snapper — Five 4/0 hooks and 150 lb. mono
Barrelfish — Three 8/0 hooks and 150 lb. mono
Golden tilefish — Three 8/0 hooks and 150 lb. mono
Grouper — Four 8/0 hooks and 150 lb. mono

For targeting large grouper in areas that don’t get a lot fishing pressure, like Pulley Ridge and the Bahamas, heavier rigs are the way to go.

For big grouper in lower pressure areas such as the Bahamas and Pulley Ridge, I use 250 lb. instead of 150 lb. mono.

Tie your deep-drop rig directly to the end of your braid main line and clip an appropriately sized stick weight to the bottom of the rig.

In 600 feet of water or more, I normally also add a water-activated diamond light at the top of the rig. Inside of 600, a light isn’t needed and just adds drag.

As with rods and reels, I encourage people to buy quality up front. Deep drop rigs aren’t disposable like sabikis. If you coil them up and rinse them with freshwater after use, then store them out of the sunlight, they can last for multiple seasons. But well-made rigs with top-quality components will last far longer than cheaper rigs and don’t cost that much more.

Weights for Florida Deep-Dropping

Fishing on the bottom in 250 to 1,200 feet of water obviously requires a significant amount of weight, but the goal is to use as little weight as possible to stay in touch with the bottom. The exact amount needed depends on many factors, including wind, current and the size and number of baits on your rig.

I tell people who are just starting out with deep-dropping that 4, 6 and 8-lb. stick weights will cover the vast majority of situations in South Florida and the Keys. If you want to expand your gear, add a 3, 5 and 7. There are situations where 4 lbs., for example, is too light to hold bottom and 6 lbs. will work but is more than you need. If you’re serious about catching fish, having a 5 to be right in the sweet spot can make a difference. A 10 lb. weight can sometimes be useful, but generally speaking, if I have to use 10 lbs. of lead to stay in touch with the bottom, I go fish somewhere else.

Deep-Drop Baits for South Florida and the Keys

For smaller species like yelloweye snapper and blackbelly rosefish, cut squid or fresh bait into roughly 1” bite-size chunks.

One thing to understand about the deep water species in our area is that they’re not especially selective when it comes to bait. Squid is the go-to deep-dropping bait, but various other dead baits will also work. Really anything that’s fresh, bloody and has plenty of scent — such as fresh bonito — is a good bet.

Match the size of your bait to your target species. For blackbelly rosefish and yelloweye snapper, you’ll want to chop your squid into bite-size pieces or cut your fresh bait into roughly 1-inch cubes. For larger species like tilefish, barrelfish and grouper, use a whole squid or a 5-inch by 1-inch strip of bonita or similar fresh-cut bait.

Where to Deep-Drop in South Florida

Like other bottom-oriented fish, the key to finding most deep water species is finding bottom structure. Generally speaking, though, the kind of structure you’re looking for is on a much bigger scale than a patch reef, for example, or four-foot ledge.

Instead, you’re looking for large, abrupt depth changes that indicate underwater mountains, plateaus and ridgetops. The famous Marathon Hump is a perfect example of this, rising from an 850-foot bottom on the upcurrent side to about 500 feet deep and then dropping back to more than 1,100 feet on the downcurrent side. The edges of underwater plateaus, where a large area of shallower water drops suddenly into deeper water, are excellent areas to fish — especially for barrelfish.

Unlike most deep-water species, golden tilefish prefer soft mud bottoms, where they dig burrows to ambush prey.

The exception to this rule is tilefish, aka “mud guppies,” which are found on soft mud bottoms, where they dig out holes to hide and ambush prey. Unfortunately, it’s tough to pick out a muddy bottom on your fishfinder in 800 feet of water, so I like to “test” the bottom with a weight. Weights will actually sink and stick in the kind of mud that tilefish favor. Once your weight hits bottom, try lifting it back up. You should feel extra resistance from the weight stuck in the mud and then feel it pop free.

As far as depths, different species are found in different depth ranges.

Yelloweye snapper — 250 to 400 feet. 700 to 900 feet in the Bahamas. Rarely found north of Ft. Lauderdale.
Snowy grouper — 450 to 900 feet.
Queen snapper — 600 to 800 feet in the middle and lower Keys. 1,000 to 1,400 feet in the Bahamas. Very rare off Florida above Islamorada.
Golden tilefish — 600 to 900 feet.
Blackbelly rosefish — 700 to 1,200 feet.
Barrelfish — 900 to 1,200 feet.

Best Time of Day and Seasons for Florida Deep Dropping

One nice thing about deep-dropping is that the fish bite all day. Any time the sun is up is a good time to deep-drop. In fact, I find that the very best deep-drop bite is often in the middle of the afternoon on bright sunny days — at the times when other kinds of fishing typically slow down.

Wind and current are much bigger factors than time of day. It’s not that fish won’t bite; it’s just that too much wind and/or current can make it very hard to fish. I like the boat to be moving less than 1 mph in relation to the bottom. Sometimes, even using engine power to control the drift, that can be very difficult to do with strong current or wind.

Big queen snappers are most often caught during the fall and winter.

Off South Florida, the current varies seasonally. Summer currents can be very strong, sometimes 4 or 4-1/2 knots on the deep-dropping grounds, which makes it hard to fish effectively. In my experience, October, November and December have the lightest currents. That’s my favorite time of year for deep dropping. It’s also the best time of year for bigger queen snapper in the Keys.

Finally, keep in mind that some of these species are closed for significant parts of the year. Although you can’t completely control what eats your bait, don’t deliberately target closed species. Even with descending devices like the SeaQualizer, fish pulled up from hundreds of feet of water often die on release.

Yelloweye (aka silk) snapper — Open year-round in both Atlantic and Gulf waters.
Snowy grouper — Open only May and June in Atlantic waters, year-round in the Gulf.
Queen snapper — Open year-round in both Atlantic and Gulf waters
Golden tilefish — Variable in federal waters. 2024 season was Jan. 1 to Feb. 29. Open year-round in Florida state waters.
Blackbelly rosefish — Open year-round in Atlantic and Gulf waters.

Release Tools for Deep-Dropping

When bottom fishing in Federal waters, you’re required to have a descending device on board and readily available. I use the SeaQualizer Deep Release model, which can be set to automatically release fish at depths of 100, 200 or 300 feet.

South Florida Deep-Dropping 101