Off the coast of the Carolinas, spawning takes place in February, and in the Gulf of Mexico, spawning lasts from January through March. During the late fall and early winter, they’ll show up a few miles off the shoreline along with spanish mackerel, kingfish, speckled trout, blacktip and spinner sharks that are chasing the schools of bunker and herring close to the beaches. Use a depth finder to find deep-water rock ledges, artificial reefs and shipwrecks, a gag grouper’s favorite hiding place. Book Your Trip Today! We hope that anglers find our private fishing platform the perfect tool to elevate their fishing experience. He’s catching them year-round, with light tackle, and has had lots of 100-fish days. They are found from Brazil through the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico northward to New England. Many anglers catch lots of gags on spinning and plug tackle, but live bait tends to be the best option. In the past I’ve had sponsorships from Daiwa, Bullbuster, Eagle Claw, and I’m currently helping promote Monsta fishing apparel. The gag grouper (Mycteroperca microlepis) is a drab, mottled gray fish lacking the distinguishing features of other groupers. They are generally caught on the bottom and range from 2 pounds to 60 pounds; larger ones have been caught. If you’ve got a fish pulling back, reel down and lift again to keep your fish headed in towards the boat. Many areas of the Gulf bottom are lined with ledges and rock. Wait five minutes, or watch to see when the line begins to move (whichever comes first). Come fishing with us for: Red & Gag Grouper, Snapper, Hogfish, Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, Amberjack, Tuna & More! Josh reports the gag grouper bite has been great in 10 to 12 feet of water. Gag grouper are a mottled brownish gray in color with irregular square shaped patches on their sides. Atlantic Red Snapper Fishing with Captain Josh Baker. Inshore trout fishing is picking up nicely, with some large fish in just 1 to 3 feet of water. You should be able to find reasonably sized gags there. Juvenile fish take shelter on the inshore glass flats and shoals until they mature. However both recorded their largest gag groupers ever this year and the fish were approximately three weeks and three miles apart. Where Can You Find Gag Grouper? You can find them along the East Coast of the Americas from Brazil through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to as far north as New England. Heavy tackle in the thirty to fifty pound class with conventional reels and boat rods is the standard. Photo courtesy of Capt. Gags are caught using one of two methods. It lacks the streamer-points on the tail fin that scamp (Mycteroperca phenax) and yellowmouth grouper (M. interstitialis) have and lacks yellow coloration around the mouth. They’ll also go for cut bait like squid, octopus, and crabs, though live bait, by far, is the best option. There are times when artificial lures work great for catching grouper, … Coloration varies on gag depending on sex and age. They’ll also go for cut bait like squid, octopus, and crabs, though live bait, by far, is the best option. The Different Approaches to Catching and Fishing for Grouper, Fishing Tips for Catching Mangrove (Grey) Snapper, 11 Flounder Fishing Tips and Methods that Work, Fishing Tips: Catching Vermilion Snapper (Beeliner Fish), Saltwater Fishing Tips for Freshwater Fishing Enthusiasts. They are easy to trick into biting, pull really hard and are great to eat. Fishing Tips and Facts: Grouper fishing from a boat typically involves baits fished near the bottom, with heavy tackle and heavier to bring grouper to the surface. Low season is April to October. Coloration is highly variable in gag and changes with the size of the fish. Huge migrations of gags gather in the winter months in the Gulf of Mexico to spawn. You should be able to find reasonably sized gags there. Grouper (Gag) fishing in Cape Coral varies slightly throughout the year. Contact Us. Start to cautiously reel in all slack to the point that your rod is low to the water and tight to the fish. Fish Live Bait on the Bottom. They like any kind of structure, including ledges and holes, and will take up residence in any object that will hide them. Your email address will not be published. Capt. They’ll still be looking for places to shelter, so searching for large man-made structures close to the coast are a good place to start. Gag grouper can be a blast to catch, and learning how to catch gag grouper is easier than you’d think! They have a large mouth and broad squared-off tail that provides a lot of swimming power. Ron Brooks is an award-winning writer who has written thousands of articles about fishing and published two books. If your fish is able to get rocked up, place your rod in a rod holder and release all pressure on the fish by giving it some slack. Your data and spots are only accessible by you and private by default. Just because the cold weather is bearing down, there’s no need to take a break from setting the hook!. If you’ve got a fish pulling back, reel down and lift again to keep your fish headed in towards the boat. Thousands of guided grouper fishing trips and even more fish caught. Since these fish are so strong on their initial run we use extremely heavy tackle to keep them out of the structure and into your cooler. These are powerful fish when hooked, and heavy gear is required to prevent the fish from taking your line with him into a hole or under a ledge. Though, you can also find a few other ingenious off-the-wall, https://www.facebook.com/finsonthebeachfishing/, https://www.instagram.com/tylerbarnes101/, https://www.facebook.com/tyler.barnes.3538, https://anglr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/blog-featured-image-template.png, https://anglr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-site-large-300x194.png. Schedule A Trip . Gag grouper, or just “gag”, is typically found from North Carolina south to the Yucatan Peninsula. This happy angler shows off her limit of shallow-water gag grouper taken while fishing recently with Capt. Their body has a 2:1 shape – that is they are trice as long as they are deep. Deep trolling large lures or jigs with a strip bait is popular in the Gulf of Mexico. Then use a quick, upward stroke. While most anglers may think that targeting Grouper typically requires a long run offshore to deeper waters, many would be surprised to learn that the Nature Coast of Florida is the epicenter for targeting Gag Grouper in shallow water. Their body has a 2:1 shape – that is they are trice as long as they are deep. Gag are absent in the Caribbean and Bahamas. Lift up… reel down… repeat. The distribution of the gag grouper extends in the western Atlantic from North Carolina, USA (with juveniles occurring as far north as Massachusetts) to Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico; it is rare in Bermuda and absent from the Caribbean and Bahamas. This time of year, the cold fronts push waves of the female gag grouper in shallower and shallower to gorge on plentiful bait numbers and get nice and healthy for their early spring migrations to their spawning aggregations out … Gag Grouper love water temperatures of between 66-78° F. In St Pt Beach, the winter water temperatures are around: November – 74.8° F December – 68.5 ° F January – 66° F Book a Gag Grouper Fishing Charter in St. Pete Beach. Bottom fishing is the best way to catch gag grouper, using live bait, including squid and cigar minnows. Members of the sea basses family, they are shaped much like a freshwater black bass. Trolling lures include Manns +30 giant lures, sometimes used with either wire line or with a trolling weight to gain more depth. You can use a live pinfish, small gray or lane snapper, or live cigar minnow to draw them in quickly. Grouper Fishing Tackle. Stevens’ gag grouper trips range from eight eet of water on flats edges all the way to the middle of the bay. Use a four ounce egg sinker on a 2 ½ foot,  80lb fluorocarbon leader. Keep your rod held low so you can immediately lift it as soon as the fish strikes, turning it away from the rocks. Lower your bait to the bottom, and then reel up a crank or two so that your sinker is elevated and the bait is swimming just off the structure. These large fish are typically caught in the two to 12-pound range, though they can be found up to 20-30 pounds. For Gag Grouper fishing in the Gulf, it’s important to note what county you’re embarking from. U.S. wild-caught gag grouper is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. The best time of year to fish for gag grouper in the shallows would be from October through the end of the season in December, however, they can be caught all year long. Alex and Anthony Ng have been grouper fishing for more than 30 years and aren’t strangers to big fish. How to Catch Gag Grouper: Live Bait and Cut-Bait. Without a doubt gag Grouper is top among favorites for Floridians to eat. To prevent that, keep the drag tightened so it’s almost impossible to pull line off of the spool. Wire line trolling with a feather jig and strip bait is popular in Florida and the Caribbean. A live pinfish, a small gray or lane snapper, or a live cigar minnow will draw almost as fast as the bait gets to the bottom. Most anglers crank the drag on their reel down all the way to prevent the fish from reaching a hole. Many anglers catch lots of gags on spinning and plug tackle, but live bait tends to be the best option. Gag grouper have long, compressed bodies and 11 to 14 rays in the anal fins. A little trick is to find clusters of stone crab traps and you’re likely to find good grouper structure. Gag grouper can be a blast to catch, and learning how to catch gag grouper is easier than you’d think! No license needed, our license covers up to six people fishing on my boat including all applicable fishing license, stamps and permits. Learn More. Spanish mackerel, little tunny and some juvenile … Many anglers crank the drag on their reel down all the way to prevent the fish from reaching a hole. when bottom fishing in much of Florida’s cost, including the Gulf of Mexico. As winter approaches, a massive migration of gags head for the warmer protection of the inner shores, especially within the Gulf of Mexico, to spawn. Mycteroperca microlepis, the gag, gag grouper, velvet rockfish or charcoal belly, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They can be caught on fresh cut bait like mullet or pinfish. Tight lines! Our responsibility. I am also a avid tournament angler in many kayak divisions as well as offshore species. Offshore bottom fishermen tend toward stout rods with 50- and 80-pound-test lines, but such “grouper digging” rigs are strictly necessary only in very deep water. Ed caught and recovered a … A six to seven-foot conventional rod and reel equipped with the 40-pound test is a good place to start, but you’ll probably do fine on 20- to 30-pound test. Even after dark, a grouper in open water is unlikely to feed. We exist to empower anglers through measurement, learning, and collaboration using both data and technology. How to Catch Gag Grouper: Tackle and Gear. At YACHTFISH Fishing Charters, we know all the hotspots for catching Gag Grouper in St. Pete Beach and would … Also, head for rocky ledges and patch reefs in 15-30 feet of water. , blacktip and spinner sharks that are chasing the schools of bunker and herring close to the beaches. There is no closed season. The other method, and the one that is most often used, is just plain old bottom fishing. There have been records of gag seen in Cuba, Bermuda and Brazil; however, they are rare. Gag eggs have to be spawned at the right time and place to ride with ocean currents to estuaries 50 to 100 miles away, where they spend their first months of life. Penn Squall LevelWind. They can be caught on fresh cut bait like mullet or pinfish. Types of Trips; Rates; Crew; Contact; Site Map; 25 Causeway Blvd Clearwater, Florida 33767 (727) 442-3005 . 6/0 will work here, though some tend to opt for a 4/0. Shallow Water Grouper Trips. During the late fall and early winter, they’ll show up a few miles off the shoreline along with. For counties of Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor and Jefferson (in the Panhandle area from Apalachicola to Steinhatchee) there is open season in state waters from April 1 to … Most grouper are caught during the daylight in open water but can be caught after dark around shallower inshore structure. Just because the cold weather is bearing down, there’s no need to take a break from setting the hook!. Eastern boundary of the 4-county gag grouper recreational harvest region. Gag Grouper Fishing Temperatures. You’ll need to have heavy gear with you to prevent the fish from taking your line. They have a large mouth and broad squared-off tail that provides a lot of swimming power. Wait five minutes, or watch to see when the line begins to move (whichever comes first). Mature gags can be found on offshore reefs and wrecks. Gag grouper are biting at the Skyway, along the shipping channel and around some of the bridges. You’re looking for any piece of structure located with nearby access to deep water. When hooked, these are very powerful fish that want nothing more than to run back into a hole or ledge and take you with them. They can be found in ledges and holes and love to populate offshore reefs and shipwrecks. Book Now; Types of Trips; Rates; Crew; Contact ; Help. Sound too good to be true? The longtime Nature Coast fishing guide is going no deeper now than around 10 feet of water for gags like these. Josh Fritz. Grouper are very tasty meals. It has a pattern of markings which resemble the box-shaped spots of the black grouper. Gags can be caught on fresh cut bait, such as mullet or pinfish. There are some mangrove snapper in the same areas, though he hasn’t been targeting them of late. By law, you’re required to use a circle hook when bottom fishing in much of Florida’s cost, including the Gulf of Mexico. The third method for grouper fishing involves trolling, and there are two variations of trolling to use. Gags are the most common grouper on rocky ledges in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. You just need to alter where you’re looking. Josh Fritz; Facebook; Twitter; WhatsApp; SMS; Email; Print; Save; The Fishin' Report: Gag grouper cooperating, making life easier … A heavy leader, sometimes made with leader wire instead on monofilament, with an 8/0 or 9/0 hook is the order of the day. A little trick is to find clusters of. This is where the grouper will run into a hole or under a ledge and spread its gills locking itself in place. Penn is known for producing remarkable and durable reels – and if you’re … Pilchards, grunts, or sand perch are options, as well. It’s important to remember that a grouper is a shy fish that hides and ambushes prey. Book Now. The fish are on the hard, limestone bottom northwest of Hudson and taking live sardines well. We take privacy seriously. Click here for the full course special offer: https://goo.gl/RQSfS9 In this video, Capt. As with many saltwater fish, they do have a sharp edge on their outer gill plates. Ready to book your next fishing charter? As the coastal water temperature drops through the fall and winter, the Florida fishing scene starts to wane a bit, but there’s still plenty of fish to be caught. During most of the year, mature gag grouper like to hide around any type of structure that can give them shelter. Gag grouper are a mottled brownish gray in color with irregular square shaped patches on their sides. Keeper Gag Grouper have to measure 22 inches which is about 5 pounds of fish. Live bait is by far the best bet. Standard grouper tackle usually works just fine. High season is January to March and November to December. Juvenile fish can be found on inshore grass flats and shoals. … They have a tendency to become “rocked up” if allowed. 6/0 will work here, though some tend to opt for a 4/0. Though, you can also find a few other ingenious off-the-wall tricks out there, too. In the Gulf of Mexico, grouper anglers use magnum diving plugs that will go as deep as thirty feet or more. A pair of brothers from N.C. caught their gag grouper of a lifetime several weeks apart in June. Gag grouper fishing is really starting to pick up around the mouth of Tampa Bay and into our near shore waters. When you’re looking for something different to try, cooler weather fishing for gag grouper can liven things up a bit and provide some fun fishing that requires a bit of finesse. Tampa Bay and the West Coast of Florida is home to some of tbe best gag grouper fishing available. Gag, or, as they're referred to by the old school guides, Grey Grouper, are the most widespread member of the grouper family in the Gulf waters and, are, therefore, extensively fished due to their excellent game qualities and delicious meat. You’re looking for any piece of structure located with nearby access to deep water. FLW College Series 2019 Changes: Tournaments During Weekdays? They will also eat squid, octopus, and crabs. Most catches are fish in the five to ten pound range, just over the legal size limits. Live fish or dead cut or whole bait are used. I’m not a average angler I’m part of a fishing community that a large fish is like getting a award. I am currently on the field staff team for Penn Reels from Pure Fishing. Your email address will not be published. You can use a live pinfish, small gray or lane snapper, or live cigar minnow to draw them in quickly. I fish nearly daily. Todd Foucher is a former Tampa Bay Inshore Fishing guide and he’s been absolutely crushing it with inshore gag grouper and snapper. Then use a quick, upward stroke. Large gag are dark brownish-gray above and paler below, with traces of dark wavy markings on the sides. Western boundary of the 4-county gag grouper recreational harvest region. Juveniles range as far north as Massachusetts. Your data, your spots. In the warmer months, offshore anglers will lean towards stouter rods with 50- and 80-pound test lines, but that’s not necessary for the shallower waters during the colder months. https://bullbuster.net/.../how-to/best-recipes-on-the-web-for- Attach your baitfish to the hook just above the anal fins since the supporting structure of the fins adds some security. Fishing is a passion for me. Required fields are marked *. Goliath Grouper Fishing In Florida. Smaller fish are much lighter and have numerous dark brown or charcoal kiss-like marks along the sides. We are seeing some moving around out deep too. Grouper are famously known as Florida’s most delicious fish species and of the seventeen different grouper species that are targeted throughout Florida the gag grouper is the most common variety found inhabiting the waters off the Nature Coast. and you’re likely to find good grouper structure. 4-county gag management zone includes all of Steinhatchee River, including waters in Dixie County, and all of Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass, including waters in Gulf County. Copyright 2018 ANGLR Labs Inc. All Rights Reserved. Plan, record, and relive all while catching more fish. Gags are very aggressive strikers and will fight hard at all depths. Book Now. Start to cautiously reel in all slack to the point that your rod is low to the water and tight to the fish. They’ll still be looking for places to shelter, so searching for large man-made structures close to the coast are a good place to start. An occasional 50-pounder can be landed in the deeper waters, and the world record stands at over 80. Also, head for rocky ledges and patch reefs in 15-30 feet of water. Be Prepared For a Fight When Pursuing Gag Grouper, If your fish is able to get rocked up, place your rod in a rod holder and release all pressure on the fish by giving it some slack. It comes from warmer parts of the West Atlantic, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Gags can grow to more than 70 pounds, but are more common to 25 pounds. He’s got the videos and pictures to prove it! Catch my episode on the ANGLR Tour!