In the December issue, now on newsstands, I wrote about bluewater fishing in small boats off of southeast Florida. It’s been pretty rough for the past two weeks, but those halcyon days are probably around the corner. Meanwhile, the sailfish are pouring down the coast, and the dolphin bite has been strong. Here are some boat and tackle tips to help make your offshore ventures in small craft safer and more fun.

Small Boat Checklist

Shade is critical if you plan to stay out all day. There are several removable T-tops available, such as the Bimi-T. But since we fly fish so much, we opted for a Mantis by Pro-Techt, which attaches to the console railing (or several other places), and can be tilted according to sun angle to shade the console area.

Comfort isn’t easy to manage offshore in a small boat. We’ve got a padded cooler and a padded forward baitwell cover, but no place to recline. So, we added a marine bean bag, by E-SeaRider, which doubles as a poor man’s fighting chair. When it’s cold and windy, you’ll appreciate a foul-weather suit and rubber, non-slip deck boots.

Safety: If you’re running far offshore in a single-engine boat, bring an EPIRB. The majority of winter sailfish in South Florida are hooked within sight of shore, where a VHF radio will bring help quickly. Maintain your outboard regularly, and make sure you have the requisite number of life vests, flares, fire extinguisher and a whistle. Lots of drinking water is also important. Also, file a float plan with someone you trust, noting where you’re heading and when you should be back. A manual bilge pump is an inexpensive, lightweight accessory that’s a great comfort, should you lose battery power or suddenly take on water in a small boat in choppy seas. Lastly, a collapsible sea anchor comes in handy while drift-fishing--and could save your day if you lose power in a squall.

Tackle Check List

You don’t need heavy sticks. I keep three medium-heavy spinning rods and reels with baitrunner functions on board, as well as two, TLD 20 conventional reels on rods with pretty light tips. Also, always, always keep a rod rigged with a plug or jig that you can cast a mile, in case something busts ahead or to the side your drift. And, keep on light spinner rigged with a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small single hook, so you can dangle a cutbait in front of any schoolie dolphin that may show up.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) now requires all billfish tournament anglers to use circle hooks. They’re a lot kinder to fish. And, live baiting with circle hooks has dramatically increased the onboard batting average. 7/0 hooks have a sufficient gap for billfish, and you can go to an 8/0 if you’re fishing with bigger baits, such as blue runners. Use the smallest swivel possible when fishing with frisky baits, such as runners, or else your line will get horribly twisted. When fishing with greenies or sardines, tie a tournament-legal length of 60- or 80-pound fluorocarbon directly to your double line.

Circle hooks on a fluorocarbon leader will land toothy critters such as kingfish about 30 to 40 percent of the time. Keep a couple of 30-second kingfish rigs handy, but you will find more kingfish and realize you’ve found kingfish if you start out fishing without wire on at least a couple of lines.

Finally, the three things that are really annoying to forget are a dipnet for your live baits, a gaff and a fighting belt. I keep a couple of those plastic cups that fit between the rod and your abdomen onboard, as well as a full-on belt with a back brace for those occasional epic battles.

--Terry Gibson