Short trips and sunny days make up most of the late summer headboat trips. Here’s what you need to stay comfortable and keep catching at the rail.
Grundens Deck Hand Hoodie
Providing full protection from the late-summer sun, the Grundens Deck Hand Hoodie also incorporates COOLCORE fabric, that cools you down when you start sweating. The Deck Hand Hoodie dries quickly and has 4-way stretch fabric to allow for full range of motion.
Small Metal Jigs
With water temperatures at their peak, you never know what you might come across on a late-August, early-September headboat trip. Bonito, albies, and Spanish mackerel all show up over the reefs and ridges this month, and sometimes just outside the inlets. Having a spinning rod rigged up with a slender, long-casting metal—like the Daddy Mac Albie/Bonito Jig will have you ready to act when a school of these speedsters pops up within casting range of the rail.
Bait Knife
Late summer bottom-fishing trips, whether targeting fluke, sea bass, ling, or groundfish, have plenty of bycatch such as bluefish, sea robins, bergalls, and chub mackerel. Using a sturdy, foldable bait knife—like the Bubba Blade Lucky Lew to carve up these incidental catches result in more and bigger fish because no matter what the target, fresh bait is always best.
Grundens Stormlight Jacket
Never be caught without a rain jacket on deck. The Grundens Stormlight Jacket is easily packed, and comfortably lightweight to keep fishermen dry but not overheated, when a late-summer rainstorm tries to dampen the trip. The waterproof jacket has 4-way stretch, to leave plenty of flexibility to set the hook or wave down the mate for the gaff.
Sunscreen and Sunglasses
Necessary on every trip, regardless of time of year.
Small, Strong Hooks
Many reefs load up with triggerfish in late-summer, and while these hard-fighting, great tasting fish aren’t too particular about what they’ll eat, their small, buck-toothed mouths can make them tricky to hook. Use a heavy-gauge, small gap hook, like the 1/0 VMC 9260 live bait to hook and hold onto triggerfish.