Note: As I write this, the gag grouper is currently misclassified on Epinions as a “black sea bass”.

Although there are more than a dozen varieties of grouper found in the Gulf of Mexico, Gag grouper, along with red grouper, probably account for about 95% of the grouper caught off of west Florida. By far, the gags are the most popular and in this review, I hope to explain why. Out of 10 of my fishing trips, 9 will be for grouper.

Gag Grouper, Gray Grouper, Black Grouper, Grass Grouper, Copper Belly…

As if the number and variety of saltwater fish weren’t confusing enough, it seems that almost any common species is known by a dozen names or more. The gag grouper is no exception. Although the gag grouper is commonly referred to by several other names, the correct name is “gag grouper”. Black grouper are a different species entirely and not nearly as common in the Gulf of Mexico. Gray grouper is slang. Still, I find myself frequently calling them “blacks” to distinguish them from “red” grouper, the other common grouper found here along the gulf coast of Florida.

Although gag grouper are a reef fish, generally found around ledges, wrecks and reefs, small juvenile gags are commonly found on inshore grass flats where they are thought to hide out until large enough to venture offshore in search of a reefy looking home. This has earned the fish the name of “grass grouper” and they commonly have a green tint during this phase. The really big gags, around 30 pounds or so, develop a dark coppery tint to their bellies leading to their nickname of “copper bellies”.

If anyone has additional names, please feel free to post them as a comment!

About the Fish

Gags are a moderately sized grouper generally reaching 38 to 40 inches in length and about 50 pounds. The record here in Florida is just over 71 pounds. I’ve never caught one over 20 pounds and have only occasionally seen larger fish while scuba diving.

Gags have a very classic “fish shaped” body and look very much like the predator they are. They have somewhat large heads and mouths in proportion to their bodies, though not to the ridiculous extent seen in the red grouper. The fish is usually a light olive gray-green color with darker blotches sometimes referred to as “lip-prints”. The gag grouper is a mundanely colored fish and has the ability to change shades. I have observed them swim from a rocky ledge and stop over the sandy bottom, changing in shade to match the lighter colored sand. The mottled lip print pattern helps them to blend into the background making them very difficult to see.

The definition of “legal size” is very dynamic here in Florida and varies with location, i.e. State Waters/Federal Waters and Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean. Fisheries management seems to be as much politics as anything else and the current legal size for Federal Waters in the Gulf of Mexico (9+ miles offshore) has recently been increased to 22 inches. This is slated to increase to 24 inches over the next year or so. In State Waters of the Gulf of Mexico the limit is still 20 inches, but is expected to soon be changed to match the Federal limits. In the State Waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Monroe county (the Florida Keys), the current size limit is already set at 24 inches. It’s all very confusing, but I do try to keep up with the regulations.

Gags, and grouper in general, are excellent on the table. They have a flaky white meat, perfect for frying and blackening. Grilling, at least on an open grill, can be difficult due to the tendency of the meat to flake apart. I use a fish basket for grilling. It makes the fish easier to turn and prevents it from falling apart. My favorite preparation method is to coat the fillets with blackening spices and cook it in a hot skillet with a little olive oil.

Where to Look?

Gags do like rocky structure, but don’t seem to be particularly fond of coral reefs. They are more commonly found around ledges, wrecks, rock piles and similar types of bottom (bottom that has a noticeable vertical relief). A good portion of the population is somewhat migratory, spending the summer months in deeper offshore waters and migrating towards the coast in the winter. During the summer, most legal sized gags are caught offshore in 80 feet of water or more. Once the first cold fronts start passing through, it seems that the nearshore reefs, ledges and rock piles in 30 feet of water start holding good numbers of legal sized gags.

The hot months of summer are a more difficult time to reliably find and catch legal sized gags, at least for me. Either the fish have moved out to much deeper water, requiring a longer run to reach them, or they have become very scattered. The Florida Middlegrounds, some 75 to 100 miles offshore, are my favorite summer grouper area.

The winter and spring months, November through May, have always been much more productive. The fish are generally ganged up and have moved into the shallower, nearshore waters. Rock piles, reefs and ledges that were nearly barren in the summer become the winter home for schools of nice sized gags. So long as there is acceptable vertical relief to the bottom, gags will happily locate there.

Small ledges and isolated rock piles have been much more productive for me than the larger ledges and well known artificial reefs. I don’t think this is because the fish prefer them, but more likely because the locations of the bigger ledges and artificial reefs are generally well known to anglers. With more fishing pressure, the number and quality of the fish will always decline. Small ledges, isolated reefs and rock piles and harder for anglers to find and less well known. Less pressure equals more fish. It pays to spend some time looking for new spots. My best grouper spots are small short ledges (less than 50 feet long and with only a foot or so of relief) and isolated rock piles (generally smaller than a car). These are not easy spots to find!

Grouper Tackle

By and large, wimpy tackle has no place in grouper fishing. This is particularly true for gag grouper. Gags love structure and use it both offensively (ambushing prey) and defensively (hiding from threats). They do not generally stray to far from cover and seldom rise far off the bottom to take a bait. You are going to be fishing right down on the bottom and right next to (or on) a ledge, wreck or rock. You are going to get hung up and when you hook a gag, he is going to try to “rock up”. Gags will dive headfirst into a hole or crevice in the reef and flare and lock their gills, making them nearly immovable or “rocked up”. You definitely want heavy tackle to catch a gag! Let’s go through the list…

Rods

Although there are other alternatives, most grouper fishing consists of bottom fishing (soaking live/dead bait straight down on the bottom). The rod you select should be capable of handling 30 to 50 pound test line with substantial backbone for a 6 ounce or larger sinker. I prefer at least a 6-1/2 foot rod and 7 feet is better. I have an 8 foot rod, but it seems to be overkill and is very uncomfortable to use. The rod should be designed to handle standard reels, not a spinning reel. Think of the rod as a crowbar used to pry fish off the bottom and you won’t be far wrong. Just be sure it’s not too big and heavy, you’ll be holding it all day! These sorts of rods are commonly referred to as boat rods.

Reels

I have used a number of different reels for grouper fishing. If you keep in mind that bottom fishing for grouper doesn’t require casting, you fish straight down with heavy line, and that you need a lot of torque, not a high speed retrieve, you will quickly narrow down the selection. You want a winch!

Penn makes a number of excellent saltwater reels that work well for grouper. These include the Penn Senators (models 113 and 114) and the heavy Penn level winds (models 309, 330GTI, 340GTI and 345GTI). There are other makers of quality reels, but Penn seems to be the standard choice and are very reasonably priced. My personal preference runs to the level winds, particularly the 330GTI and 340GTI.

Line

At a minimum, use 30-pound test. I used to fish a lot with what I called my “ultra-light” grouper rig, which consisted of a 330GTI loaded with 30-pound monofilament. It was a lot of fun, but the larger grouper often were lost. Most “grouper diggers”, as we call ourselves, use 50 or 60 pound line.

If there is one secret that I have found for grouper fishing, it is the newer “superbraid” fishing lines. These braided lines are available under a number of trade names such as Spiderwire, Powerline and Spectra. They are extremely strong, thin and have almost no stretch. They are also very expensive, generally 6 times the cost of mono. I think they are worth every penny and here’s why. A common grouper scenario is fishing straight down in 60 feet of water. Mono, particularly when wet, has substantial stretching qualities…on the order of 10 to 15%. That works out to almost 10 feet of stretch! When a big grouper hammers your bait and heads for his hole, he has a 10-foot head start, which you can ill afford to give him. Superbraids have less than 2% stretch. In the same scenario, that grouper has less than 2-feet on his side.

Another benefit of reduced stretch is a dramatic increase in sensitivity. Signals are transmitted through the superbraids much better than through mono. You can feel the sinker hit bottom and tell if it hit rock or sand. You can feel the antics of your live bait and it will become much more agitated as a large grouper approaches. As Ben Franklin once said, “Forewarned is forearmed!”

The thinner diameter of superbraids allow you to use a lighter sinker. The line is less affected by current and a lighter sinker helps to increase sensitivity even further. The thinner diameter can also be a little dangerous when you try to pull the line with your hands. While mono can slip and cut you, superbraids are like scalpels. They cut quick, fast and deep. Do not attempt to free a stuck line by pulling it with your hands and never ever wrap it around your hand or any part of your body. Instead, when you hang up on the bottom, point the rod at the snag and reel tight, wrap a couple of turns around the reel to keep the drag from slipping and use the rod to pull the line free or break off.

Bottom Rigs

There are probably dozens of different ways to rig up for bottom fishing, but the most common method is to place an appropriately sized egg sinker on the main line, followed by small plastic bead and then tie on a swivel. The bead helps to protect the knot from damage by the heavy sinker. Tie a 4 to 6 foot leader to the swivel and place your hook on the leader.

Sinkers vary in size depending upon the water depth and amount of current. Now that I am using superbraids, I generally use a 4-oz sinker, occasionally going up to 6-oz in deeper water with more current. If you are using mono, particularly 60 pound test or more, you will need to carry some 8 and 10-oz sinkers to fish the same water.

Leader size also varies and I try to use the lightest I think I can get away with. You need to use fairly heavy mono since you will be fishing structure that will abrade and nick the leader. My most common size is 50 to 60 pound test, but I carry 80 for times when I find some really aggressive big fish and 40 for when the water gets really clear. Gags aren’t terribly leader shy, but 60-pound leader is pretty visible in clear water. Dropping to 40 sometimes helps.

Hooks should be large, heavy wire models. Common hooks include O’Shaughnessy models such as the Mustad 3407 in 6/0 to 9/0 sizes. Heavy bait hooks in similar sizes such as the Mustad 9174 are also popular. The Gamakatsu live bait hooks are a premium hook at a premium price, but do work very well. I tend to lose a lot of rigs on the bottom and avoid high priced hooks.

I have recently started using circle hooks and they seem to perform very well. Circle hook sizes are very different depending upon the maker. I have been using the Eagle Claw L197G (size 5/0) and L2004G (7/0). Circle hooks are used differently than a standard hook. You don’t try to set to hook, but just start reeling in the fish when he bites. They are designed to slide along the fish’s mouth and grab onto the lip. They do seem to work and my number of gut hooked grouper has dropped significantly.

Bait

Gag grouper are one of the top predators on the reef and while they have a penchant for live bait, they are not above slurping down a frozen sardine or chunk of cut mullet. Dead baits are the staple of the grouper digging crowd. The most common frozen baits that you can buy at the bait shop are sardines and squid. For that reason alone (availability), they are probably the two top baits used for grouper, but almost any dead bait will work.

Live baits are my favorites for gags. I always try to catch a livewell full of sardines, sand perch, pinfish and other small (hand-sized) baits before I run out to the reef and anchor up. I generally use a sabiki rig to catch my livies. A sabiki rig is a series of small gold hooks on a leader with a sinker at the end. Dropped to the bottom and jigged up and down, a number of baitfish will gladly hook themselves on the sabiki in an effort to volunteer to go grouper fishing! A few dozen baits are all you need and you can often catch more while anchored over the reef.

Artificial lures are not commonly used for grouper, but I have caught them on large jigs. Trolling during the winter with large deep running minnow plugs, such as the Mann Stretch 25+ and 30+ can also be very productive. Downriggers or planers can be used with some of the larger shallow running minnow lures such as the Bomber Long A. The 7-inch Long A in gold and black has been a very productive lure for me.

STEEEERIKE!

Gags will occasionally hit a bait very softly, just sucking and chewing on it while not moving away. Generally though, the hit is like a freight train as the fish darts up, grabs the bait and then tries to run off to his hidey hole. Keep the drag set very tight. I have had my knuckles banged off the gunwales of the boat several times when big gags have caught me not paying attention. You really need to be alert and ready while fishing for gags. If allowed to run, a gag will often make it back to his hole, greatly reducing your chances of landing him. If you can just move that fish up 10 feet or so, his swim bladder will start to expand and dramatically reduce his ability to fight. That first 10 feet is easier said than done! They don’t have blistering runs or fancy maneuvers, but gags can pull at a level that is incomparable to their size. They are true bulldogs.

Should you find yourself “rocked up” and the fish seems to have gotten the better of you, here is a trick you should try. Release line and remove all pressure from the fish. Leave the line completely slack for a slow count of 10, but watch the line closely. Once you reach 10, or if the line should suddenly start to move, crank down fast and pull for all you are worth! When you release tension on the line, the grouper will often swim back out of his hole giving you a second chance to catch him. Make the best of it because third chances are rare indeed.

Boatside Tactics

Once a gag has been brought to the surface, the fight is over. They don’t equalize well and bringing the fish up from more than 30 feet of water results in an expansion of the swim bladder. If you don’t plan to keep the fish, avoid gaffing him. I usually don’t gaff any grouper less than about 10 pounds in size. Just grab the leader and swing him aboard.

Deep water fish will have their stomachs protruding from their mouth, the result of decompression of the swim bladder. This is not the swim bladder, so don’t puncture it to deflate it! If you do a lot of deep water fishing, you might consider carrying a hypodermic needle to deflate fish you want to release. Carefully insert the needle just behind the pectoral fin and let the bladder deflate. This will greatly increase the fish’s chance for survival. If you don’t have a needle, or don’t wish to carry one (and I don’t blame you) try to release the fish head down with a little push. This often allows them to swim back to the bottom on their own. I usually don’t have any problem releasing fish this way when caught in water less than 80 feet.

Proper Care of Your Catch

Grouper are one of my favorite fish to eat. I am very fond of fried grouper sandwiches. The meat is very white and the fish don’t need to be bled. Proper care helps make a great fish even better and you need to ice them down quickly. Hot weather can spoil fish rapidly. I often give away fillets and frequently get comments on how much better they taste compared to market bought fish. I believe this is due to the extra care I take of the fish. I carry a lot of ice on the boat and each fish is carefully placed on ice as it is caught. Fish can be bruised so I handle them carefully and try to pin them in the fish box with the ice to prevent them from thrashing around.



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