For the divers who ventured off-shore to escape the public for the small group of a friend or two for spearfishing the Gulf of Mexico has blessed the divers with good below water conditions. In the past several weeks when the seas have been calm, like a lake, the water clarity has been very good. This past week the visibility in 60 feet has been top to bottom. In depths, less than 50 feet, hogfish and mangrove snappers are holding strong. The deeper our divers ventured from shore, less and less hogfish were spotted. Gag grouper is closed to harvest, so those who want grouper for table fare had to venture past 80 feet to find keeper red grouper. Some red grouper in keeper size category were taken on the pipeline in depths past 80. Larger red grouper are still hovering over pot holes and limestone ledges in depths out to 150 feet. The water temperatures this week in 60 feet were 74 degrees on the surface and 68 to 69 degrees at the bottom. These temperatures are close to the sweet spot of 72 degrees. Moving in with the warmer water are multiple intensities of cobia. Some over 50 pounds were speared this past week. Cobia are being found on the normal hot spots like wrecks and man-made concrete reefs but be ready when diving limestone ledges as some nice cobia have even been spotted running up and down these lower-profile ledges.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
- Captains Corner, Gorta - March 23, 2024
- Dave Zalewski - March 12, 2024
