# Tilefish?



## OutKast (Nov 11, 2008)

So...where do you catch these tilefish...Ive never tried, but have heard...800-1200'; mud; several hooks w/ fresh cut bait; 5-8 lbs lead; but I would like to know where to start looking...anywhere along the drop off of Texas? I'm not looking for your secret fishing spot, I'm just wanting some basic information...in the area of tequilla, geyer bank, off falcon???please help with any information you would be willing to divulge.
Thanks


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## z3zman (Jul 23, 2008)

You got the right ingredients except squids...The spot is Hilltop...For the exact coordinates, I have to check the stars consolation again next time I am there...


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## cobia 254 cc (Jun 10, 2006)

We have caught them everywhere we stop in 750-1000 foot out by falcon. Usually drop 4 times with a 5 hook grouper rig, and get 8-12 and move on. Use cut bait and squid and cant tell one is better than another.

Rig 1 pound at the swivel with a light, then the 5 hook rig and then a 2 pound weight on the bottom. This lets the rig lay on the bottom.


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## cgmorgan06 (Aug 30, 2008)

cobia 254 cc said:


> We have caught them everywhere we stop in 750-1000 foot out by falcon. Usually drop 4 times with a 5 hook grouper rig, and get 8-12 and move on. Use cut bait and squid and cant tell one is better than another.
> 
> Rig 1 pound at the swivel with a light, then the 5 hook rig and then a 2 pound weight on the bottom. This lets the rig lay on the bottom.


What kind of lights are you using?

And where can someone find 1 to 2 pound weights? Or are you making them yourself?


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## jt2hunt (May 13, 2006)

window weights


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## cobia 254 cc (Jun 10, 2006)

Here are the lights we use.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2100FT-LED-...044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab043c03c

http://www.bluemarlinchronicles.com/water_activated_deep_drop_diamond_strobe_light.htm

Both types work well and we have never lost one, except the time a porpoise grabbed one of squids and broke us off.

As for weights I make our own. Lead is 70 cents at the scrap yard, molds are 30 bucks or so.


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## Konan (Jul 13, 2009)

*Tile*

LP lights are sick....

look on craigs list for lead.


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## aggieangler09 (Apr 11, 2009)

We have caught alot of them without lights. We use anything we have. As long as there is some form if light you should be good. If you want to catch alot of them worry about the structure your fishing on more than your light setup


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## Lagniappe2008 (Jan 20, 2008)

*tile rig*

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f33/catch-all-101-make-your-own-tile-grouper-rig-64910/

Here is a link I found on the web that shows how to make a tile fishing rig. Looks pretty much like what the guys on this board are describing.


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## RSN (Jul 5, 2010)

There's probably more tiles out there than snapper, don't over-analyze it. I'm pretty sure they would eat stink-bait made for catfish if you tried it. Start a few miles south of cerveza, you'll find em


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

We used cut blackfin tuna with circle hooks on a bicycle rig back in 1983 in 1200 feet of water, that's how I caught the state record that lasted more than 20 years...No lights back then. Photo at:

http://seafavorites.com/tilefish/golden-tilefish


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## teckersley (May 25, 2004)

I am certainly not the expert on tilefish. However,I have caught my fair share including the current state and water body record blueline tile. I have much more success with some sort of light whether it is glow in the dark jig or light on squid bait. By much more I mean 10 to 1. Anything is possible but my rigs always have light of some sort.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Trouthappy said:


> We used cut blackfin tuna with circle hooks on a bicycle rig back in 1983 in 1200 feet of water, that's how I caught the state record that lasted more than 20 years...No lights back then. http://seafavorites.com/tilefish/golden-tilefish


Very nice bandit rig sir, and a nice catch too. Most tile fishers do not use lights or glow sticks but I don't see as it would hurt. The Yanks don't use them that I know - and they have more tiles and bigger ones than we do.


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## Bottom-Feeder (Jun 29, 2010)

Konan said:


> LP lights are sick....
> 
> look on craigs list for lead.


Nice! You guys have so much information. Incredible.


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## Bottom-Feeder (Jun 29, 2010)

We have been out to Tequila and Geyer Bank but had never try to catch tile fish. We didn't know the trick then. How does it taste? How do you prepare it, other than deep fry?


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## B_Reid (Aug 7, 2011)

Made some a few weeks ago. Brazed on some melted butter with taragon. broiled it and for the last few minutes added on some parmasean cheese. It was great.


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## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

mcsaltwater has a tile leader that is badass... we use any oilyfish[king leftovers-smacks-not sure it matters..]


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## capt4fish (Dec 4, 2004)

Bottom-Feeder said:


> We have been out to Tequila and Geyer Bank but had never try to catch tile fish. We didn't know the trick then. How does it taste? How do you prepare it, other than deep fry?


Tequila is on the shallow side for tiles, go to the hilltops and drop there for golden tiles.

Geyer has some blue line tiles on the edges in deeper water (500 ft or more), but the golden tiles seem to be in 800 to 1350 which is as deep as we've caught them.

I suggest always using a light. There are a number on the market that are inexpensive. It takes more time to get to the bottom with 4 lbs of weight than it does to get a tile bite, usually less than a minute. Without a light, it takes MUCH longer to get a bite in my experience.

Tilefish can be prepared anyway you like. The only way to screw it up is to overcook it. I believe it much better than snapper, and some grouper.

Tight Lines,

Kenneth


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## Konan (Jul 13, 2009)

Bottom-Feeder said:


> Nice! You guys have so much information. Incredible.


I can help you catch perch if you want?


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## topwatrout (Aug 25, 2009)

Konan was that a coonpop in the background of the tilefish picture?


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## Konan (Jul 13, 2009)

topwatrout said:


> Konan was that a coonpop in the background of the tilefish picture?


Never know when you might see a tarpon roll.

Modified **** pop with breakaway circle hook indeed.


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## EndTuition (May 24, 2004)

What type of reel is needed ? I guess you have to have a lot of line capacity, and electric I bet is almost mandatory. The electric reels I've seen are all based on Penn 114H style reels, to get the needed line capacity, do you use a lighter test than normal ? Would 40lb braid work ?


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

EndTuition said:


> What type of reel is needed ? I guess you have to have a lot of line capacity, and electric I bet is almost mandatory. The electric reels I've seen are all based on Penn 114H style reels, to get the needed line capacity, do you use a lighter test than normal ? Would 40lb braid work ?


I use a Penn 114H with a bolt on motor from Fishwinch.com, I was able to get close to 1500 yards of 100# test braid on it.Works great so far.Lots of torque and absolutely silent operation on motor, you will need source for 15 amp 12 volt power, pulls too many amps for a battery pack. 40# braid will work, but I've had it cut off easy when crossed with another braided line while bringing in fish, so far no cut offs with 100 lb braid. -Mike


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## Elgatoloco (Feb 9, 2008)

The weight on the top and bottom makes a big diff. IMO. I use 6 pounds usually 2 at the top and 4 bottom. You are thinking too much about it you just need to go get them its that EASY.


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## FISHIN COUG (Sep 28, 2004)

*Mercury Levels*

A coworker of mine got onto some GOOD tile fishing last year & was giving me quite a bit of tile on a weekly basis. Well...had another buddy of mine tell me I shouldn't be eating it 3-4 times a week as I had been due to Mercury levels. Just fyi...some of the highest levels of mercury in tile fish are from the GOM residents:

http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/...ogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm

*Table 1. Fish and Shellfish With Highest Levels of Mercury **SPECIES*
*MERCURY CONCENTRATION (PPM)*
*NO. OF
SAMPLES*
*SOURCE OF DATA*
*MEAN*
*MEDIAN*
*STDEV*
*MIN*
*MAX*
MACKEREL KING0.730N/AN/A0.2301.670213GULF OF MEXICO REPORT 2000SHARK0.9790.8110.626ND4.540356FDA 1990-2007SWORDFISH0.9950.8700.539ND3.220636FDA 1990-2010TILEFISH (Gulf of Mexico)1.450N/AN/A0.6503.73060NMFS REPORT 1978


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Yep, tilefish has some of he highest mercury levels of any fish in the ocean, half again the average mercury in a shark or swordfish, and *TWICE* that of smoker king mackerel.

Sure does taste good tho'. Just don't feed it to no babies.

To tell the truth, I suck at tilefishin' the few times I did it. I caught the ugliest son of a gun fish you ever saw, and certainly nothing cute like a Queen Snapper or Longtail Bass. Poor Sammy. I'd crank in another fish by hand, all the way to the top and near wore out, you see color, and everyone on the boat the boat starts laughing. Hey at least I ain't making up no stories about it. Just ain't got no luck with them sumbeaches.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Tilefish grow very slowly in cold water, that's why they're easily fished out by the longliners, who have to leave for a few years before returning. A few recreational boats don't seem to have an ill effect on making a few deep drops on an area, however. 

As for mercury in kingfish, I'm including a short chapter on mercury in bigger kingfish in my updated Kingfish Bible, hopefully ready in early December, with about 8 new chapters. I'll see if I can find a chart on mercury in kingfish compared to size, though that probably varies from one fish to another. I know one thing, we stopped eating kings bigger than 15 pounds about 25 years ago. Killing a big one is a complete waste, except in a tournament, and following that you can donate chunks of that fish to people who don't have a boat and perhaps don't get much mercury from eating fish. And who don't have small kids....


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Catch a few tiles for the novelty of it, just don't eat too many fillets. They do taste like lumpy lobster meat...


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Looks like tilefish are the worst of all species for mercury levels. The average level was 1.45 for tilefish, 1.00 for swordfish, .73 for kingfish and .96 for shark. And those 4 species are always the worst for mercury. If you've been eating a lot of tilefish, you might want to be tested and I hope you don't have small kids.

http://www.mercury-poison.com/fish_list.htm


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## Day0ne (Jan 14, 2006)

Several things to notice. One, the tilefish was only 60 samples, Two, it was done in 1978 (33 years ago) and Three, it was from NMFS. Why doesn't TPWD have an advisory on them if they are so bad?


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## Day0ne (Jan 14, 2006)

A little more info:

Tilefish are at the top of the FDA's list of mercury containing fish. This is based on a 1978 study of a few fish from a single location in the Gulf of Mexico. Tilefish do not at all fit the profile for high mercury fish. The test results are either an abberation or simply defective. The FDA's own 2002 figures for Atlantic tilefish show low mercury - 0.144 ppm, well within safe limits. I suspect the Pacific tilefish, Ocean Whitefish, would be similar or lower.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Probably have to follow the money trail on that one, TP&W keeps getting their budget cut. Seems like a half dozen or more 2Cooler boats, up and down the Texas coast, could catch 30 or more tilefish in a weekend and overnight tissue samples to Austin. I've seen a professor at Lamar U. cook fish samples to ash in the lab after we just caught them in 1982, and run them through the machine (spectrometer?) We got mercury levels on roadside bass and bream in only a few hours...It shouldn't take some well-funded study. I could ask Shannon Tompkins if he knows someone at TP&W who might be interested in that. Or even Lamar, for that matter...My friend at the Beaumont Enterprise might know if a professor there still does that sort of work.



Day0ne said:


> Several things to notice. One, the tilefish was only 60 samples, Two, it was done in 1978 (33 years ago) and Three, it was from NMFS. Why doesn't TPWD have an advisory on them if they are so bad?


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

I agree that some data is old, although there are some more recent studies. As most studies will say, methylmercury increases in about any seafood with its age in years, since large, older fish will accumulate more in fatty and bloodline tissues. Oily or fatty fish may have more mercury than non-fatty white fish, too. Therefore, there would be a huge difference between a small tilefish and an older, very large "trophy" tilefish. Same for tuna, bluefish, etc.

The one that puzzles scientists was dolphinfish, also called Mah-Mahi. Those have almost zero mercury. The thinking is that because they grow so fast, and rarely live more than about 3-4 years, they don't have time to accumulate such toxins. Plus, they're good eating.

By the way, ciguatera is the same way, although that toxin comes from coral reef areas such as Flower Mound. The larger, older grouper from those kinds of coral reefs, for example, could be loaded with cig. And mercury. In the Caribbean, the locals do not eat large barracuda because it can kill you.

p.s., I also heard that you can remove a lot of the mercury in fish with large bloodlines, as that is where mercury can concentrate, such as trimming king mackerel really good. The area around the belly meat should also be avoided. I think the mercury tests were based on a sample of the whole fish, not just the good meat.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Here's what Shannon says. Sounds like 2coolers will have to test a batch of tilefish, if they have concerns. Not sure if the lab guys at Lamar still test fish, I'll find out. From Shannon:

I don't know who does seafood sampling for toxins or contaminants. TPWD
doesn't. Texas Department of State Health Services is responsible for
seafood safety. But they have no standardized, regular sampling of
seafood. They sample only when they suspect something is wrong - things
like testing oysters during red tide events, etc. I know they do not regularly or 
even irregularly test catches of finfish from the Gulf.


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## Day0ne (Jan 14, 2006)

Swells said:


> By the way, ciguatera is the same way, although that toxin comes from coral reef areas such as Flower Mound.


Flower Mound, TX has ciguatera and coral reefs? Does this mean the fish in Grapevine Lake are unsafe to eat? The horror of it all. Sorry Sam, couldn't resist

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=flowe...code_result&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEsQ8gEwAg


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Whups! Flower ... ugh ... Gardens? Isn't that over by the big Bass Pro shop on 290? 

As to tilefish and other species thought to be high in mercury or Ethyl Methyl Death, us old farts don't have much to worry about. It's mainly pregnant mothers and children under less than 5 who should limit consumption of fish, even canned tuna. 

White fish such as flounder, speck trout, and stuff like that (even store bought salmon) is much better for the babies.


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## Richgoose (Mar 17, 2010)

chuck richey said:


> mcsaltwater has a tile leader that is badass... we use any oilyfish[king leftovers-smacks-not sure it matters..]


Is this still available? I couldn't find it on the website.


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Lagniappe2008 said:


> http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f33/catch-all-101-make-your-own-tile-grouper-rig-64910/
> 
> Here is a link I found on the web that shows how to make a tile fishing rig. Looks pretty much like what the guys on this board are describing.




Yep, I reckon that's my rig all right.

Catch


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Lagniappe2008 said:


> http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f33/catch-all-101-make-your-own-tile-grouper-rig-64910/
> 
> Here is a link I found on the web that shows how to make a tile fishing rig. Looks pretty much like what the guys on this board are describing.












Yep, I reckon that's my rig all right.

Catch


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Day0ne said:


> A little more info:
> 
> *Tilefish are at the top of the FDA's list of mercury containing fish.* This is based on a 1978 study of a few fish from a single location in the Gulf of Mexico. Tilefish do not at all fit the profile for high mercury fish. The test results are either an abberation or simply defective. The FDA's own 2002 figures for Atlantic tilefish show low mercury - 0.144 ppm, well within safe limits. I suspect the Pacific tilefish, Ocean Whitefish, would be similar or lower.


*I love this stuff.* *The whole "fish are bad to eat" meme is a scam.* Any time you see the Gummint, or even worse, some radical Enviro Industry group weighing in on fish contamination, y'all need to keep in mind HOW these fish are being tested.

A few years back, I used to work in the seafood industry. A bunch of Enviro Industry scumbags were going about claiming that Bluefish and Striped Bass were full of PCB's, heavy metals, etc. So the local charterboat & partyboat association paid to have them tested by an independent laboratory. But here's the wrinkle - the association stipulated that only skinless fillets were to be tested. _You see, the Gummint testing method is to take the entire fish and grind it up in a BassOMatic 2000, testing the resultant slurry._ The association knew that the Gummint testing method was slanted and unrealistic.

*What were the test results? The skinned fillets tested ZERO. That's right; ZERO.* *Get bent, Enviro Industry.*

Mark/ Catch-All
Pres., 100 Fathom Fishing Club


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Now let's deal with Gulf of Mexico Golden Tilefish. I remember reading on some Gulf university's marine research website that Golden Tilefish that were caught near older oil production platforms tested for elevated levels of mercury and heavy metals. _Keep in mind, this was using the Gummint testing protocol again._ Remember, slanted unrealistic test. :rybka:

But a separate test of Golden Tiles that were caught away from rigs on natural bottom tested.......ZERO. Even with the Gummint's BassOMatic 2000 test protocol.....tested ZERO.

The study went on to say that newer rigs produce far less pollutants. On the order of a thousand times less pollutants. For comparison, that means PPB Parts Per Billion, not PPM Parts Per Million.

So here's how the Gummint rigged the test in favor of the doomsayers in the Enviro Industry.
-catch fish only at older rigs where bottom sediments are high in heavy metals
-use a slanted unrealistic testing method that uses the whole fish, not just the fillets.

I mistrust the lying sackweasels at the Gummint NMFS so much that I would have no problem eating Tilefish, Grouper and Snapper caught off older rigs! Fillet, skin and cut out the belly meat and I'd bet even those fish test clean & uncontaminated.

Mark/ Catch-All
Pres., 100 Fathom Fishing Club


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

I hear ya Capt. Mark but nobody spends a lot of money on that these days, since it expensive and money started to become scarce during the Bush years because he was tired of all them hippies testing stuff. Many of the methyl mercury numbers could be quite old. 

I have read some grad student work where they looked at heavy metals in red snapper and they do seem higher near the rigs. The problem with that story is that tilefish don't hang out by rigs, but rather hang out by muddy caves in very deep water like well over 400 feet. 

I am sure that if you sample enough, like certainly over 30 from a few different areas, you're going to find some tilefish that are very low in methyl mercury and some quite high. You calculate the average of the samples you have with a "plus or minus" and that's all you can do. 

Got about 20 grand, we can get started tomorrow. You got electric reels or bicycle rigs? I'm an old fart and ain't cranking them retards up by hand ya know! :cheers:


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Never heard of tilefish around an oil rig. Tiles like sloping, muddy bottom where they dig burrows. Do they even *build* Gulf platforms on sloping bottom?


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Swells said:


> I hear ya Capt. Mark but nobody spends a lot of money on that these days, *since it is expensive and money started to become scarce during the Bush years* because he was tired of all them hippies testing stuff. Many of the methyl mercury numbers could be quite old.


*....and it's gotten far worse during the Obama Administration where former EDF Environmental Defense Fund Vice-Chairman and current NOAA/ NMFS Director Jane Lubechenko has taken tens of millions of taxpayer dollars legislated to go to NMFS research and illegally diverted it to the Enviro Industry's Catch Shares ponzi scheme. *


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Trouthappy said:


> Never heard of tilefish around an oil rig. Tiles like sloping, muddy bottom where they dig burrows. Do they even *build* Gulf platforms on sloping bottom?


I have fished a bunch of rigs off Venice that are built on sloping bottom. Maybe our GTile depths have different structure than your Tiley Towns off Texas.

I'm originally from SE Fla where the conditions at the local Tiley Towns are much different than here in the Gulf.

*-SE Fla:* the Tiley Towns have bottom that is not sloping at all but is mud bottom (clayish marl actually) and we're catching them in up to 6kts of current. The GTiles build burrows that resemble a prairie-dog mound in the midst of a shallow bomb-crater. Takes skill & patience and time on the water to catch them in those conditions.

*-Off Alabammy & Mississippi:* the Tiley Towns don't have soft mud bottom. It's more of a soft-packed gravel bottom. They don't build burrows but instead, sort-of wash out a shallow depression. But then again the GTiles don 't have the raging current to contend with like they have off SE Fla.

*-Off Louisiana:* the bottom is clayish and the bottom is sloping (but not crazy vertical like it is off Norfolk Va on upwards to Massachusetts, along the Continental Shelf). The GTiles nest in burrows.

*-Off Texas:* Beats me.  I've never fished for GTiles off there. I can talk to some of my 100FFC members who do.

*Catch*


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## Lippy (Mar 22, 2011)

cobia 254 cc said:


> We have caught them everywhere we stop in 750-1000 foot out by falcon. Usually drop 4 times with a 5 hook grouper rig, and get 8-12 and move on. Use cut bait and squid and cant tell one is better than another.
> 
> Rig 1 pound at the swivel with a light, then the 5 hook rig and then a 2 pound weight on the bottom. This lets the rig lay on the bottom.


So the rig lays flat and drags along the bottom as you drift?


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

Lippy - actually it's more like you are "pogo-sticking" the rig along the bottom.

Laydown Rigs with top and bottom weights are a necessity when fishing for Tiles in any current or winddrift that pushes your boat more than 1.0 kts SOG speed-over-ground. But frankly if it's less than 1.0 kt, and it almost always is here in the Gulf, you can get away with not using a top weight at the swivel.

But you would still pogo-stick that puppy. I've seen guys who prefer to keep letting more and More and MORE line out to keep contact with the bottom. Eventually they have so much line out that it looks like they are trawlin' fer skrimpses. :spineyes: They take forever to haul back:hairout:, usually without any fish:rotfl:, and find that all their baits have been robbed. Meanwhile, I'm doing 2-3 drops for every one drop they are doing.

*The most important trick I learned from an ol' rod-n-reel commercial Tile fisherman is to keep the line coming off the rodtip as vertical as possible. If you gotta bump the motors in & out of gear and do some steering to accomplish that, then thats what ya gotta do.*

Catch


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## JB Offshore (Jul 6, 2011)

Here is a pic of one of the bigger ones we caught.


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## Catch-All (Oct 6, 2009)

BCH - yep, now that's what I'm talking about! Really nice GTile!

Congrats,
Catch


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## CHA CHING (May 21, 2004)

Just like Bobby said with the rig. two weights, one on top and one on bottom. (of the leader)
5/0 circles. Size of the weight depends on the wind and current.
We have caught them in 750ft, 68 miles from Matagorda Jettys.


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