I usually go deep sea fishing from Orange Beach, Alabama. A six hour trip is usually just right for me. The boat might travel up to an hour and half before it stops to drop the first lines. The trip back might take the same amount of time. That leaves 3 hours to catch fish and I've never been yet that I didn't catch a mess of fish. Longer trips are certainly available if you want more time on the water. There are even overnight and two day trips that you can book.

The things that you should bring on the trip are an ice chest with drinks and something to tide you over until dinner. You can bring what you want, but I prefer very light snacks. I don't like eating heavy food on a fishing boat - which brings up another matter. If you are prone to motion sickness make sure you take some medication before your trip, or even better ask your doctor for a prescription for some motion sickness patches (they fit behind the ear). The patches work great for me. And don't forget sunscreen.

Another good idea is to check the weather forecast and try to pick a day with fairly gentle seas and light winds. If the weather is going to be just plain lousy during your entire vacation, it would probably be a good idea to try it again next vacation. Being at sea during bad weather is not a lot of fun.

I have been deep sea fishing several different ways, but if it is just my wife and I, we prefer to book a boat that accomodates six fisherman. I only have to pay for two because the marina (or whoever does the charter's bookings) gathers up the other four for the trip.

If you've never been deep sea fishing, the deck hand will give you instructions, but you will have to do some actual fishing before you totally catch on.

Most people who deep sea fish only occasionally want to be reasonably assured that they are going to catch some fish. The best way to accomplish this is to charter a boat who's goal is to catch something - regardless. Most of the time this is accomplished by bottom fishing for whatever is biting best over some of your boat captain's favorite artificial reefs.

From Orange Beach, the bottom fishing favorite is red snapper. Other fish that are commonly caught bottom fishing are grouper, amberjack, redfish, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, and white snapper. Some of those fish are going to fight more than you can probably imagine.

If you or somebody with you is squeamish about baiting a hook or taking fish off, the deck hand will help you out. I would try to do as much as you can for yourself though, because it adds to the fishing experience.

When your boat arrives at the dock after a fun day of fishing, all you have to do is get off the boat. Let the deck hand know if you want to take some pictures with your fish. Some marinas have areas where you can pose with your catch and the captain under one of their signs.

The deck hand will carry your fish to the cleaning station and do all the cleaning. He will wrap them and bag them in ice. It is customary to tip the deck hand 15% of the price of the charter. The captain does not expect a tip.

If you vacation at the beach and have never been deep sea fishing, try it at least once. You will probably make it a regular part of your beach vacations.