Capt. Tommy Pellegrin fishes different bottom relief features on top of the big Ewing Bank. He has multiple spots marked on his GPS screen, each of which he has found to be productive by previous trial and error.
He has noted some give up more of one species, some more of another.
“I can fish here all day just on my readings and never fish the same spot twice,” Pellegrin said.
People new to Ewing Bank should be willing to try many areas and mark those that are productive. They should also watch their fathometer screen, paying particular attention to any bottom irregularity.
Pellegrin also looks for schools of fish concentrated just above the bottom. All day, he regularly fishes within eyesight of his fathometer screen.
Pellegrin positions the boat so its drift covers the area he wants to fish. Deep water makes anchor-setting and retrieval difficult and time-consuming; allowing the boat to drift is more productive because more area is covered.
If he catches the fish he is looking for, he will drift the spot several times. If not, he quickly moves, either to another of his marked spots or to something that looks promising on the fathometer.