What do I have to do differently than normal when I go reef fishing in Florida?

When you go reef fishing in Florida you will need different equipment than many other kinds of fishing. First you will need a very stout rod with a great deal of backbone for both setting the hook and fighting the fish. You will be fishing water sometimes that is deep as one hundred feet. A rod that does not have excellent hook setting capacity just will not do under these circumstances. You will also need a stout rod to fight the fish you will catch. If you hook into a large fish such as a Grouper or other saltwater bottom species the first thing it will attempt to do is bust itself in the reef and use the sharp edges of the reef to cut your line. You must immediately upon hooking a fish use the rod to pull the fish several feet towards the surface and away from the reef. Then you can fight the fish without worry of cutting your line. For the reasons mentioned above you will also need a powerful reel with large line capacity. In combination with the stout rod a high powered reel will prevent many break offs and be worth its cost. I like to spool my reels with braided line when reef fishing. Braided line does not stretch which makes is more difficult for a fish to take it into the reef. It also does not cut as easy for the times a fish is able to reach the reef with my line