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Step Up Your Setup: One Angler Feels Bigger is Way Better

Offshore Fishing: Moving up to a bigger rig, for bigger water and bigger fish.

Step Up Your Setup: One Angler Feels Bigger is Way Better
The Dusky 33 Tournament features a ventilated stepped hull helping with full economy and speed.

Mike Kmiotek knew it was time. Owning a 27-footer for seven years, he could hear the voice of JAWS’ Chief Brody urging, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Provide a more comfortable ride for charter fishing clients. Have longer range on runs to the hottest bites. Expanded storage. Greater rod carrying capacity. Easier family excursions to the Bahamas. All were viable reasons for Kmiotek to upgrade to a larger, more fishable, center console.

Like many Florida boat owners, Kmiotek, of Port St. Lucie, researched his options for months. He sea-trialed several models to better understand nuances in a potential boat’s performance. He calculated increased fuel burn and costs. He learned about upgrades to his boat’s electronics package. After making his decision, he saved up for that final deposit on his latest dream.

Two anglers celebrate catching a blackfin tuna.
Target acquired. It’s going to be seared tuna for dinner later. This chunky blackfin hit a small trolled feather.

Same As the Old Boss

Kmiotek opted for the 33 Dusky Tournament powered by twin 350 Suzuki outboards. A considerable step-up in size, power, seaworthiness and fishability from the 27 Dusky. He charters No Idle Hands out of St. Lucie Inlet on days when he’s not working as an instructional captain at Chapman School of Seamanship. Several times a month, he steers clients to bluewater pursuits of mahi mahi, sailfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, various snapper, grouper, cobia and amberjack, among other species. He said the sea bottom off Stuart provides a wide variety of fishing options whether live reef, artificial, shipwreck, sea mounts or Gulf Stream currents and eddies alike.

“In the 33, I can fish more effectively. The larger boat handles rougher seas which increases the number of times per year I can get offshore,” Kmiotek told Florida Sportsman. “You also can more effectively troll more rods. I can fish two or three extra rods without getting all the lines tangled.”

Kmiotek configured the new No Idle Hands for flexibility above all. His first choice is live baiting, so the 33 comes complete with 34 rodholders in the gunnel alone. Once you add in the rodholders on the T-top, behind the leaning post, along the transom and lining both sides of the oversized above deck fish coffin forward of the console, there are close to 60 rodholders on board. Plus, he has ample under-gunnel rod storage. That allows Kmiotek to be prepared for anything including switching gears, if needed, from jig fishing to trolling to kite fishing to deep-dropping.

“People not familiar with fishing may not understand how having all those rodholders helps, but I’m constantly moving rods. I always have a backup plan to the backup plan,” he said.

Kmiotek chose the tournament edition in both the 27 and the 33 meaning those models did not include the forward seating available from Dusky. For him, that worked perfectly making the boat even more fishable. Anglers battling a greyhounding fish can walk around the entire boat if needed and gain line while the boat chases forward.

Fisherman fighting a hooked tuna at the side of the boat.
The fishability of the 33 Dusky has helped Mike Kmiotek chase his favorite targets.

As for storage on longer trips like runs across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, Kmiotek said there are numerous in-deck hatches and other available compartments for extra tackle, safety gear, anchors and food if needed. Last summer, Kmiotek comfortably crossed to the island nation with four adults and four children aboard to spend a week fishing and diving.

“You can do that trip in the 27, but the 33 offers more of an insurance policy. We deep-dropped for silky and queen snappers and trolled for wahoo and mahi mahi,” he said.

When it comes to fishing his home waters off Stuart, Kmiotek adapts to what the area has to offer. His program is set up in a way that maximizes bites.

“I don’t have a first mate and most of my fishing is live bait fishing. I’ll use the kingfish-style rodholders on the T-top and stagger the lines. I put the first one way back and put the next one in the rodholder on the port side. Then I’ll go back to the starboard side and run the line back through a flat-line release clip attached to the transom cleat. The fourth line is deployed only 20 feet behind the boat. That enables me to still make sharp turns without getting lines entangled,” Kmiotek explained.

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His standard trolling configuration involves “targeted” fishing, he said. A likely fishing trip has him running 15 miles out to Push Button Hill at first light because he has a chance to catch blackfin tuna—which like low light conditions—on small feathers. On the way out, he scouts for weedlines or other debris floating in the currents. If it’s slow, or he boats a couple tunas, he’ll set up his charter with slow-pitch jigging rods to generate action. Kmiotek said sometimes the jigging produces vermilion snapper, mutton snapper, amberjacks, grouper and even wahoo.

Five images showing offshore fishing from a boat.
Clockwise from top left: The above deck fish coffin offers easy access. Reel down, lift up. Kmiotek fillets a few tuna dinners. Ballyhoo for when live bait is scarce. Top-mounted rodholders act like mini-outriggers.

“Jig fishing is my favorite type of fishing. I got introduced to it before it got really popular in Florida. Jigging is crazy. A lizard fish will hit the same jig that a wahoo will hit so you just never know,” he said.

One thing Kmiotek likes about Stuart is how there is so much structure.

“I can play connect the dots and set up over a variety of reef systems. I can fish for muttons and cuberas along the Loran Tower Ledge. I can run the alley between the Six Mile Reef and Eight Mile Reef where I can catch kingfish, wahoo, sailfish, mahi and cobia,” he said.

Kmiotek’s 33 is powered by twin 350 Suzukis, a significant step-up from the twin 250s that powered his 27. He said the 33 is a “soft riding and very dry boat.” He decided to go with Dusky Marine, a factory direct custom builder since 1967, so that he could incorporate features he wanted to in his new boat. Kmiotek knew it would lengthen the amount of time before he received delivery, but the trade-off of getting a custom-built boat was worth it to him.

Three photos of the inside an offshore fishing boat.
Upper left: Twin 350 HP Suzukis power the 33 Dusky. Lower left: Helm station shown on the 33 Dusky offers plenty of space for chart plotters, joystick and controls. Right: The early bird gets the blackfin tuna. Off Florida, they often are running currents well out of sight of land.

The Dusky 33 Tournament is a fully composite ventilated stepped hull providing that smooth ride Kmiotek likes. The fiberglass Dusky Drive outboard bracket doubles as a platform for swimming or diving. Dusky offers a variety of power options for this model including diesel inboards and a variety of outboard brands.

“When you get ready to make a move like this, it’s important to do your homework,” he explained. “Look at as many photos and videos as you can, research all the options a manufacturer offers, go on as many sea trials as you need to. Builders can offer just about anything now.

“I put so much thought into my decision before I chose to build a new boat and send in my deposit. You have to like the kind of people you’re dealing with. You can go there and talk to them and see all the different options they have,” he said. “If you’re like me, during a build, you’ll email the manufacturer several times. I changed my mind a few times after they started the build. The people there were so easy to work with.”

Kmiotek had his new boat built during the pandemic which lengthened the build time somewhat. He received delivery in December 2022 and hasn’t looked back since.

So what about the boat’s name. Kmiotek said it comes from his previous career as a trauma nurse and it easily applies to an offshore fishing trip. Whether in an operating room or on a center console miles from land, No Idle Hands is a philosophy that serves a person well because there is always something to keep a person active.

“In the medical field, assisting on trauma cases, keep it moving; there’s always something to do,” he said. “While offshore fishing, you can be cleaning the boat, keeping things organized, checking baits or make sure lines aren’t tangled. Stay busy.”

Another thing Kmiotek recommends, when the time is right, don’t be afraid to step up.




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