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Grouper Fishing Simplified - Where, When, Baits, And What To Look For?

Discussion in 'Offshore Fishing Reports (R)' started by Nautical Gator, Aug 21, 2018.

  1. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Fishing Report By

    Thanks I try to post as much knowledge as i know, with the hopes that more members will get out and catch more fish so that they will share more of there adventure with us. Shush Smiley1::1

    If anyone has any other tips, please share them below. Thanks
     
  2. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Fishing Report By

    Been working hard in tweaking my information and pics, just updated some important info.

    Had to look deep into my files, pics, screen shots, and tackle box, so that I could post them.

    Enjoy.
     
    mkyota1 likes this.
  3. Aluminati

    Aluminati Treasure Hunter

    Here is a tip for those with small boats (say 20' -16') and shorter anchor rope. You will usually not fish more than 3-5 spots in a day (yes I know there are exceptions but) try using a breakaway anchor system. When I had my 20' I bought a large spool of 125 lb mono and put it on an old 6/0 penn bought at an estate sale. make a couple of home made anchors. I used old wheel rotors. concrete with rebar poured in old bleach bottles...whatever. Tie a short length of 1oo lb rope to the end of the mono then the anchor. Sometimes I will tie some old hooks and leaders to the anchors. Ugly I know but it works. then just drop and drift until it catches. Tie off to a bow cleat and your are set. When you are ready to move just thrust in reverse and break the anchor off. Go to the next spot and repeat. Yes you need to take 3 or 4 of these homemades with you, but I used to go out to the City Service wreck of the port and hooked up on some large groupers this way. Also used this for yellow tailing in the keys on the reef edge as well. Some will say oh you are polluting the reef. I say no, if you use a traditional anchor you will actually destroy more coral trying to get the anchor to dig vs just my way. The anchor you leave just then becomes more structure for corals to grow on as it is inert material. Very low tech, very cheap and it works once you get the hang of doing it this way. Its alot easier to spool back some mono than a rope with 15 or 20 lbs on the end of it! The grouper do not care how much you spent on your fancy anchor system either................... If the seas start to pick up, you may break off prematurely, but in a small boat thats about the time to start heading in anyways.
     
  4. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Fishing Report By

    That may work inshore, but out of Ponce inlet and the Cape, the Red Grouper and Gag Grouper will be out far and in deep water.
     
  5. Aluminati

    Aluminati Treasure Hunter

    The City Service Wreck I mentioned is off Port Canaveral in over 200' almost due East of the port. Thats pretty deep, not electric reel deep, but pretty darn deep. the party boats do not fish that deep if they do its rarely. Ive used this method on the Cones as well in 200-300 feet. its not the best thing there is for sure, but for those with small boats on a budget it works I have caught quite a few gags of the port this way. Sam your boat is certainly too heavy for this method and would break off too easily.
     
  6. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Fishing Report By

    Interesting, that 125 lb mono would hold a boat...

    Electric reels are not just for deep dropping, I use them for Grouper in 180 ft, because they get the grouper out and up a lot faster then by cranking... they usually don't give the grouper any time to get into the rocks.

    I guess this may work for general structure anchoring, but I'm not sure it will work on targeting ledge drop offs especially at the fathoms, if you are waiting for it to grip, won't the stern of the boat be way past the ledge drop off? It sometimes takes me several drops of the anchor to get on target.

    Maybe you should post a pic of it so that others could get an idea of what it looks like.
     
  7. Aluminati

    Aluminati Treasure Hunter

    I didnt say my method was for perfect targeting. Not for larger boats. I think I was pretty clear on that. This is for the weekend warrior with a 16-20 sea worthy boat in nothing more than 2-4 foot seas that doesn't have 600 feet of anchor rope with winch or a GPS controled guidance system. I used this back in the day that high tech was using my loran with a paper roll bottom recorder to find a wreck or reef. In the example, the City Service wreck is over 400 feet long so if you can catch onto a wreck like this, exactness may give you an edge, but you will still have a shot at these fish as long as you can stay on it. Now trying to target a honey hole ledge outcrop along the 21 fathom curve this method would be pure luck and a traditional anchor will definitely increase your catch rate. Be sure,Im not trying to shoot down all your good advise on anchorage, I am just sharing what I did to succeed for those folks whose budget is on the lower edge of the offshore fishing hobby. I do not own an offshore boat anymore because I cant afford it any more. Thats why I go on party boats these days. Love to fish and the Benjamin + that it takes to do so is a few times a year treat. So surf, inlet and backwater is a more doable trip for me these days in any case. Let just call it the " Po Man's Deep Anchor Method"................;)
     
  8. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Fishing Report By

    I was referring to others not me, maybe you can find a photos off of goggle to post?
     
  9. Aluminati

    Aluminati Treasure Hunter

    I will tell you then what started me on this method. I was drifting Pelican Flats reef (110 degrees SE of Port Canaveral) one day in the early 90s mostly catching kings drifting live baits, but I dropped my 80lb grouper rig down just to see if we could land some grouper and/or snapper while on the reef. Sure enough that pole got hung up and after breaking a sweat trying to breakoff I just tied the line off to the bow cleat and we switched to bottom rigs and caught a nice mess of snapper and a couple of gag groupers that day . The rest was history. The 80 lb mono held the boat( 20' center console wellcraft) in place the rest of the day. Seas were barely 2 feet that day, but after that came the ideas on how to do this in the future which caused the idea of a heavier weight than just an 8 oz sinker leader and hook. Thus, using the 125 and a bit weaker rope with a slave anchor came about. Typically I used the concrete and rebar homemade since I was in construction and could bring a few #3 bar cutoffs home whenever I needed some anchors and ready mix bag at home depot was pretty cheap back then. Used it on my boat till I sold it about the time gas was spiking up toward 4 bucks a gallon. I know I beat this topic up so yes I am done now, sorry for belaboring the point, but you did say "interesting: in your reply.
     
  10. Floridays

    Floridays Pirate

    Thanks for the good grouper review and interesting anchoring discussions

    Great refresher. Thanks for all the work
     
  11. Nocatfish

    Nocatfish Seaworthy

    Very interesting stuff Alluminati. I've never made a breakaway/disposable anchor, but it sounds like it might work. It would be great not to have to haul that sucker up from the bottom every time. The only problem I foresee is where do you store all these disposable anchors. Seems that they would take up alot of space on a small boat. Interesting stuff though.
     
    Nautical Gator likes this.
  12. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Fishing Report By

    I'm still not sure what the size is? soda can size or football size... I searched google and only found some wreck rebar anchors like these. But still not sure?


    upload_2018-8-30_6-28-33.png
     
  13. Roadhammer

    Roadhammer Cabin Boy

    I go out of Crystal River most of the time. What West Coast area are you looking at?
     
  14. Roadhammer

    Roadhammer Cabin Boy

    I've been able to use my trolling motor with anchor lock for grouper fishing out of the West Coast. Current might be stronger on the East Coast. The biggest limit I have is when the seas get high enough that the prop starts coming out of the water. However, it is great for shifting your spot while fishing or for exploring without heaving out an anchor every time.
     
  15. Michael P. McDougald

    Michael P. McDougald Junior Member

    Nice info. Look forward to catching my limit!!!
     
  16. Sweep49

    Sweep49 Pirate in the making

    thanks for the great info.
     
  17. Machinejarvis

    Machinejarvis Greenhorn

    Great information on catching grouper and anchoring!
     
  18. BothShores

    BothShores Pirate

    Great information here. Lotta good info. I been fishin for a few mins now and I never heard about running the fish to bow to gain that fast 20 feet of line. Smart. Thats faster than reeling line on a hott fish. Great information. Very informative.
     
  19. Aluminati

    Aluminati Treasure Hunter

    Those are even more fancy than mine Sam, I used old one or two gallon bleach or laundry detergent bottles, cut off the top stick 3 or 4 number 3 bar at an angle out the top and fill with sack crete. In the wellcraft I had , I could store up to 4 of them in the bow storage with the main anchor. I lined the inside of the hold with some 1/2" plywood to keep the bars from damaging the hull in heavier seas. You can take a hanger and twist a double loop in it and cast it with the concrete to tie the 125 mono to it or you can use a heavy duty treaded eye bolt with a washer and nut to do the same if you have that sort of thin layin around. These are one use anchors so cheap and efficient is the ticket. You can really be creative with Mi Giver like solutions. Old car wheel rotors , old paint cans etc. Just needs to be heavy enough to get to the bottom quickly and have enough metal sticking out to foul the bottom considering the direction of pull from the anchor rope. I would rarely say 4 anchors was not enough on a day of bottom fishing out of Canaveral or Ft Pierce. I would say most times 3 was enough.

    Down in the keys off marathon when yellow tailing, I am usually on someone else's boat or a rental boat, so I just bring some extra 10oz sinkers I make myself from scrap lead, string them on a loop of 125 mono and add some rusty old 7/0 hooks from a previous season of trolling to the loop and just use that as I am usually only in 40- 90 feet of water doing that. I have some 125 mono on an old cut off grouper rod (one eyelet long) with an old black penn 6/0 reel. This way once you break off the anchor you can just reel in the line for easy storage. This might work in the deeper bottom off the east coast too, but over 90 feet you may have a hard time hooking up on the bottom spot you really wanted due to the bow and line drag.
     
  20. meccalli

    meccalli Pirate in the making

    With ledges, in your experience do you find more predator fish on the bottom/ relief side or top of the ledge?
     

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