4 Easy Tips for Grouper Fishing

Here are four basics to learn when Grouper fishing. 

1. Fish your baits right on the bottom. Keep your line tight, but leave the weight on your line on the bottom — regardless of whether you’re fishing live or dead bait like a bonita strip. Grouper live on the bottom and are holding up in either rocks or wrecks. By keeping your bait on the bottom, you’ll have it right in front of the grouper’s face where the fish can eat it.  
2. Don’t jerk or lift the rod when the grouper takes the bait. Reel as fast as you can to set the hook, and take up the slack. As soon as the grouper is hooked-up and the rod is bowed, then use the rod to lift the fish out of the hole or up off the bottom. Next reel down really fast, and lift the grouper up again with the rod.  
3. Be sure not to lift the grouper with the rod once you get the fish 20 feet or so up off the bottom. Switch from lifting and winding to steadily reeling. Since a big grouper will make several more runs to try and get back into the bottom, you may tear the fish free from the hook if you try and lift the rod tip. Don’t reel when the grouper is pulling off drag. Let the reel and the bowed rod fight the grouper.  
4. Gaff a grouper in the mouth. Not only is this the safest place to gaff the grouper so you don’t lose the fish, but you also won’t damage nearly as much meat. Make sure you leave the fish laying in the water. Don’t attempt to pick the grouper’s head up with the rod. Let the mate gaff the fish and bring it onboard.

Amberjack Tactics

Here’s a great Amberjack article I found a while back:  

We were about 36 miles south of the mouth of the Empire Canal. The water around the oil platform at Mississippi Canyon Block 310 was gin clear as the bright vapor lights illuminated our surroundings.  As the boat approached the rig for hookup, a large cluster of fish displayed on the screen of the fishfinder at the depth of 100 ft. From the surface to the 100 ft. mark there seemed to be nothing else in between.  Previous fishing reports had said amberjack were being taken in this area, and we were prepared with heavy tackle and plenty of cut bait and lures to find out for ourselves.Chunks of cut porgies were chummed overboard followed by baited lines that were jigged right at the depth of the fish showing on the screen. Solid action started to develop as a hard strike had one deep-sea pole bent in almost half. Amberjacks, sometimes called AJ’s by locals, are one fish that has not yet seen the fate of being overfished. In fact, they abound off Louisiana’s coast near reefs, wrecks, rigs and near the outer edge of the continental shelf. The smaller ones, under 8 lbs., will congregate in tight schools, while the older ones form loose groups. The really big fellows, 100 lbs. or more, are generally loners. 

The Mississippi Canyon rigs where we were fishing is one such place you may encounter a monstrous size fish. The depth in this area is between 360-500 ft. and you don’t have to travel much further for the depth to drop to over a thousand feet. This is indeed big-fish country for deep-sea quarry. Frequently, AJ’s are incidentally caught while fishing for other species like tuna, sharks or barracuda. You’ll not have many anglers in Louisiana tell you they went specifically on an amberjack fishing trip, since many anglers know little about the species. My first experience with AJ’s came when our jigging for blackfin tuna went sour. Nonetheless, while fishing we began to get hard strikes with powerful runs and initially thought it to be blackfin, but the line would run toward the rig, a dead give away that it wasn’t tuna; they run away from structure. Besides that, the fights were short-lived when compared to blackfin skirmishes. Thenceforth, settling for AJ became a welcoming event. After years of becoming familiar with AJ’s, many anglers can recognize, sight unseen, what’s on the other end the line, even when they rudely interrupt other species dominating the water.You’d be surprised the looks you can get when you tell someone fishing next to you what kind of fish he’s hooked even before he gets it in view.  At the Mississippi Canyon rig, that night, action on cut bait was too good, so a decision to try jigging with jig-type lures went into action to make it more of a challenge!  To accommodate, terminal tackle basically consist of a Carolina style rig, where you slide an egg sinker between 5-12 oz. up the fishing line, depending on current, and tie a swivel to the end of the line. A leader section of two or three feet, made of clear mono, is then tied to the other end of the swivel. On the other end of the leader is tied a jig head in the 1/2-2 oz. weight size (hook size 2/0-4/0) and over the hook shank place either a standard or queen sized lure of either a sparkle beetle, cocahoe minnow, shrimp tail or curly-tail grub. Proven colors are smoke, yellow, or chartreuse. 

This sliding sinker/lure method allows for the use of smaller, less expensive lures to be used such as those employed for speck and redfishing They have proven to be even more effective at times than the larger, heavier sized lures used freeline.The reason for this is because the smaller lures when jigged will dart upward through the water faster and with less drag making it more enticing. The large egg sinker ahead of the lure will further cause an aerating effect and noise that also incites strikes.AJ’s have no sharp teeth and 25 lb. mono is all that’s needed for leader material. Longer and heavier mono may be needed if fishing abrasive structure. AJ’s are powerful fish and seem to know what to do when an unwary angler hooks up with them like running straight into the nearest barnacle-infested structure. For Louisiana offshore fishermen, that’s usually a rig with a lot of twisted cables and pipe-leg structures below. That’s why even with the use of heavy mono and tackle it can be a futile game. You can thus appreciate the method of using heavier tackle and less expensive lures when tackling these beasts in their favorite territory. Fortunately, that night we never hooked one that was strong enough to overcome our tackle to the point that we were unable to turn them from the line-severing rig legs. However, it does take a bit of fast acting skill to maneuver the fish away from the structure as soon as he strikes. If medium tackle was used we would have no doubt lost some fish even though they many were under 20 lbs. each. I remember one of the toughest battles with one AJ that I have ever had while night fishing at S.P. Block 93. Soon after casting out a rather unorthodox combo a small Tuna Clone baited with a large live cocahoe minnow the 30 lb. mono erupted from the large spinning reel with reckless abandonment. At first I didn’t know what the heck I had hooked. After giving it my best shot, I decided to give the pole up to someone of more youthful vigor. After he finished battling it, the 60 lb. AJ was heaved aboard with much effort. 

Steve Shook, a notable professional guide fisherman of Fourchon, Louisiana, caught on to AJ’s and their habits some years back when speckled trout charter trips didn’t fair well. On calm spring days he would head his fishing boat south of  Belle Pass until he reached Gulf water 200 or more feet in depth. Using his fishfinder he would circle the rigs until he located a large cluster of fish, usually 75-100 ft. below the surface. He then equipped his crew with medium-action fishing gear, rigged with 15-30 lb. mono, and shrimptail jigs rigged Carolina style or feather jigs in the 16 oz. size, and the action was on. AJ’s don’t usually venture into water less than 100 feet in depth and the largest ones stay exclusively in deeper water, sometimes over 600 ft. Here’s a species that is either at a specific spot schooling or they are not there at all. That’s why a number of different boat crews can be fishing the same structure, with the same bait, at the same depth, but only one of them experiencing consistent action. Their schooling habits sometimes are so tight they concentrate in one cluster and they’ll show up on the graph the same way.The amberjack is no doubt a powerful fish; not so much as a fast, long distance runner, but more like a powerful short sprinter who runs straight down before heading into cover.AJ’s may at times be coerced to the near surface from deeper depths with lures and chumming. Once brought there, a hooked fish left in the water will keep others in the vicinity for easier pickin’s. Going after a big AJ takes a little more patience than it does seeking the more abundant smaller specimens. The bigger ones are frequently below their schooling smaller cousins and live baits are required with the use of a deep-sea rod and reel. AJ’s off the Louisiana coast are more abundant than in other Gulf coast waters, possibly due to the fact that they don’t have as much fishing pressure here as in other places that have commercialized them. Another drawing factor might be the structural habitat that the many oil platforms provide for the species. 

The amberjack is not to be confused with the jack crevalle, even though it, too, is in the family of jack fish. One noticeable difference is that the crevalle’s body is distinctly blunter than the amberjack. However, the coloring seems to cause the name confusion because the crevalle has yellow coloring throughout its lower body and tail section something not present in the amberjack. Hence, one may misapply the name AMBERjack to the jack crevalle. A sure clue for identifying to the jack crevalle is the dark spot at the upper edge of the gill cover; the amberjack has none. Even though an experienced angler who has caught both species can clearly distinguish between the two, there’s usually a problem when it comes to distinguishing the subtle difference between the greater amberjack and the lesser amberjack. The main difference between the two amberjacks is the greater amberjack is longer than the lesser amberjack. In fact, the greater amberjack is four times longer than it is deep (side height); while the lesser amberjack is only about 3-1/2 times longer than deep, not counting the fins. If a ruler and calculator aren’t handy and you really want to know, lift up the gill and count the finger shaped projections from the first gill. If it’s a greater amberjack there are about 20 of these; in the lesser amberjack there are about 25.  The amberjack, unlike its cousin the jack crevalle, is a very tasty fish of firm white meat. This makes for excellent grilling, especially if marinated first. Some local restaurants in the New Orleans area have recently begun to offer AJ on the menu and one such restaurant even uses the name of the fish as its trade mark. As more and more anglers begin to find out about this exciting fish, they’ll take much more delight when having to settle for AJ.

Pistachio Encrusted Amberjack

Brandon’s Pistachio Encrusted Amberjack

(A+)With a butter wine sauce, served with Mushroom Infused Couscous on a Bed of Feta Spinach. 

Cobia can also be used in place of Amberjack, but keep the filets relatively thin (1 inch or less) due to the density of the meat.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-4 Amberjack Filets
• 2/3 Cups Olive Oil
• 1 Stick butter
• 1 ¼ Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 ½ Cups White Wine
• 1 Large Shallot
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• Thyme
• 1 Cup Pistachios finely chopped into meal
• 1 Cup Flour
• Salt/Pepper
• Mushrooms (2/3 small container chopped
• 1 ½ package fresh Baby Spinach (salad sized bags)
• 1 Cup Couscous
• ½ Package Feta Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

In sauce pan, sauté 2 Tbs. shallot and 2 cloves garlic in 2 Tbs. Olive Oil and 1 Tbs. butter until translucent.  Add Mushrooms and pinch of Thyme.  Let sauté for 2 minutes and add ¼ cups White Wine.  Let reduce to almost evaporated.   

Meanwhile melt 2 Tbs. butter in sauté pan and sauté 1 Tbs. shallot and 2 Tbs. garlic until translucent.  Add spinach and let simmer on low heat with ¼ to ½ cup wine.  

In third pan, heat ½ cups olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken stock to mushroom pan and heat to boiling. 

Dredge amberjack filets in flour/pistachio mixture and place into hot pan with olive oil.  Turn after 4 minutes and then sauté on bottom and sides.  Meanwhile, add couscous to mushroom/stock mixture, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. To create the sauce, melt 2 Tbs. butter in sauce pan, add 1 tsp. shallots, 1 clove garlic and sauté until translucent.  Add 1/3 cup wine and reduce to 1/3 volume. When fish is done, cover and remove from heat. Add feta to spinach and allow to cook until heated and cheese has started to melt. Thicken sauce with 4 Tbs. butter and swirl until thickened. To serve, add couscous to plate, create bed of spinach, place amberjack filet on top and spoon sauce over fish and around spinach  Serves 2-4 

 

Comments:

A++ Would definitely make again

Snapper Creole

Brandon’s Snapper Creole (A)

 Red Snapper with tangy tomato creole sauce 

 INGREDIENTS

 

•  2-4 Red Snapper Filets
• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
• ½ Onion Chopped
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Italian Seasoning
• Red Pepper flakes
• Salt/Pepper
• 3 Roasted Red Peppers chopped (from Jar)
• 2 Tbs. Capers (rinsed)
• 2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes (from carton)
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 Cup Rice 

 

INSTRUCTIONS In sauce pan, sauté onion and garlic until translucent.  Add herbs, pepper and salt to taste.  Add roasted peppers, tomatoes and capers.  Sauté 2-4 minutes.  Add chicken stock and simmer until liquid is reduced to one third the amount.  Add fish filets to the bottom of pan, and cover with sauce.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Add butter to sauce and swirl until incorporated.  Serve fish with sauce over bed of rice. 

Serves 2-4 

Other suggestions:Add white wine to sauce before adding tomato sauce. Add lemon to sauce 

Comments:A. Very Good!Would definitely make againThe roasted red peppers make the dish!  

Baja ’05

Belinda and I went to Baja in July, 2005.  It was absolutely amazing, and there was a ton to learn about the peninsula as well as the fishing–which by the way was incredible.

We rented a car (a must when fishing at the East Cape) and headed for Los Barrilles, Baja on July 18, 2005.  We got to our hotel, Playa Del Sol, just in time to watch the boats coming in from the day’s fishing.

 

The boats came in around 3 pm and the successful ones were loaded with flags representing the fish that were caught.  We sat at the bar and listened to the stories and got mentally ready for two days of baja fishing.

The Easy Way to Catch Vermillion Snapper (Beeliners)

Often when travelling offshore out of Freeport or Galveston, Texas, on a Party Boat or a charter, and fishing for Red Snapper, you start hearing people on the boat bringing up Beeliners.  When your regular Red Snapper drops are not catching snapper, and you see Vermillions coming up, it’s time to change your rig, and start catching some fish. 

When I make bottom drop rigs, and I always make at least five per trip, I will make two sizes rigs to catch most species of fish that are commonly at the bottom of the sea (including snapper and grouper).  The large rig consists of a 100-200 lb. test line that has three hook loops and a loop on the bottom for a weight attached to a heavy swivel.  The large rig will work for any snapper and grouper and will occassionally bring in some ling (cobia), amerberjack and even sharks.  However, when it comes to catching snapper and beeliners, I will always use this smaller rig, as it you can use different hooks to catch either snapper or beeliners.  The smaller rig is made with 60 lb. monofilament with a medium-sized swivel and five hook loops and a loop at the bottom for a weight (usually a 20 oz. lead weight).  I use 50-60 lb. test line, as you can use just about any sized hook needed to catch the fish that you find at the bottom.

Beeliners have smaller mouths than snapper and need much smaller hooks to catch then regularly.  Smaller hooks are also great for catching Triggerfish and other reef fish.  I always keep a couple of 60 lb. 5 drops rigs in my bag that are pre-rigged with small hooks for occassions when you find a beeliner hole.  The hooks you will need for a beeliner rig are the smallest circle hooks you can find (1/0 or 2/0 Mustads work great) with large eyes large enough to fit through the hooks loops of the rigs.  Any line higher than 60 lb. will not fit through these tiny hooks.  However, I use 50-60 lb. test as you want to make sure you use the largest diameter of line for these multi-rigs that you can in order to ensure its strength and not break when you have 2-4 fish on your line.

When you hear that beeliners are coming up, switch your rig to the beeliner rig that has the small hooks.  Attach it to your snap and start fishing.  You will find that you will bring up tons of beeliners and will often catch Triggers at the same time.

One more simple tip I left out is to make sure you use squid as bait for beeliner rigs and cut the bait into very small pieces using a knife.  I often precut a cup full of tiny squid pieces on the way out to a spot, as you will use a ton of it when reef fishing. 

Captains sometimes moan about fishermen using five drops due to the fact that they often get tangled up with others’ line and they are really difficult to untangle without cutting.  With this in mind, please make sure to practice some common sense when deploying your beeliner killers.  Make sure to fish on the side of the boat that has the current, as you will really piss the deck hands off if your rig gets tagled with those on the other side.  Also, when you place your rig into the watch, pay attention to where the other lines are.  Start your drop out and away from the other lines in the watch, and you can avoid the dreaded line twist.  The others on the boat will silently thank you for it.

If you use the small five drops on beeliner, you might even come up with an Oceanliner or two.

Bent Poles & No Bananas!

August 3, 2006 – The Blue Fin Trip – 1st Bi-Annual No Bananas Invitational

We have a chartered trip going out of Freeport on August 3rd on The Blue Fin, a Capt’n Elliott’s boat.

Here’s a link to the boat:

http://www.deep-sea-fishing.com/blue.html

Trip Upade: 8/4/2006

The Blue Fin trip is now over, and we all had a blast.  This might even turn into a bi-annual event.  I submit it should be the “Bi-Annual No Bananas Inivitational.” 

We ended up with 12 on the boat, which included: Me, Bryan, my Dad and my brother and a friend of his, Tim, David, Marc, Matt, Nathan, Randy and Anthony.  At 5:35, he headed out from the dock toward the jetties and got to the jetties just before 6 a.m.  The seas were 2-4 feet, and everyone was excited out of the shoot.

We headed first for Salvadore Ridge where we found a pretty descent herd of Amberjacks.  Three were boated, including one for me, while a few others caught Rainbow Runners.  After half an hour or so, they turned off, and we move to a Beeliner honey hole.  As soon as we got there, we started catching Vermillion Snapper with most on the boat boating at least 10. We stayed at the honey hole for at least an hour and a half and ended up with over 40 really nicely sized Beeliners.  A few “Oceanliners” were even caught.

From there, we headed towards the Tall Rock formation where we found a nice Red Snapper hole that boated us at least 30 keepers and a few other species of fish as well.  Dave, Bryan and I landed some really nice King,  my Dad caught a gaggle of Snappers, and Nathan caught an impressive Ling.  After hitting another hole with more snapper, king and beeliners, we headed for some Shrimp Boats in the area.

At around 2:30, we pulled up to the first shrimp boat and changed from our bottom rigs to live bait and free line rigs.  We all put poles in and got nothing, so we headed to the second set of two shimpers that were anchored nearby.  As soon as the chum was thrown and the lines hit the water, the fish were ON! We started seeing Ling and Dolphin around the boat, but it seemed that most got caught on the Bonita that were swarming the baits.  Matt had the first dolphin in his line, and it was jumping out of the water, showing all of us how amazing those fish are.  I told Matt to keep the dolphin in the water, as more are likely to come close to see what all of the commotion is.  However, I didn’t specify that the fish should be kept in the water close to the boat, and his fish finally got off. 

A quick side note: when a dolphin is caught, reel it in as close to the boat as possible but keeping it in the water to bring other dolphins around.  Then, you can just toss a bait to the others and can catch a few more.

After a couple of minutes the poles bent and a dolphin was on Marc’s line.  Marc boated his first mahi and immediately had a Ling on his line as soon as his bait hit the water again.  Matt got a nice Amberjack and Marc landed his first Ling.  A few others got a few fish as well, with Tim catching a large king.  We wanted to make another drift run from the shrimpers, but it was time to go.

All in all, everyone had a great time, and we up with quite a catch.  Here’s the final tally:

• 40 Beeliners
• 30-40 Snappers
• 8 Kingfish
• 5 Amberjack
• 4 Rainbow Runners
• 2 Ling (Cobia)
• 1 Dolphin

Here are some after trip pics!

Click here for the BIG PICTURE of the motley group of fishermen

About the Boat

The Blue Fin was an awesome boat for chartering, as it’s got plenty of room inside for most people and has a descent sized vbirth that will sleep 4.  The boat is immaculately clean, has a large live well, and a good sized fish box that can hold a ton of fish.  Everyone on the trip thought the boat was awesome, and Monty did a great job as Captain, and Raul kicked ass as a deck hand.

About the Fish

Here are some ID pics of the fish caught:

Vermillion Snapper (over 40 keepers)

Red Snapper (30-40 keepers)

Amberjack (5 keepers)

Ranbow Runner (4 keepers)

Kingfish (8 keepers)

Ling / Cobia (2 keepers)

Dolphin / Mahi Mahi (1 keeper)

Gray Triggerfish (1 caught and released)