The Tampa Bay Times
The last few weeks have still been productive for spearfishermen for red snappers, gag grouper, hogfish, cobia, mangrove snappers and porgies. The red snappers are still in water deeper than 60’, but the occasional barely legal red snappers can be seen in depths of 60’ or less. Red snappers are prolific in the Gulf of Mexico and fishermen and spearos are both having an easy time landing their daily limit on these snappers. The deeper the spot the bigger the snappers! A few were speared over the past few weeks by our divers that were just over 20 pounds. The red snapper season is still open in the GOM until August 19th, so if you can get out in the depths where these snappers like to live, you should be able to run across some of these delicious fish. The gags are still very plentiful too, this has been a very productive season for gag groupers. Most of the ledges and potholes in depths from 50’ to 130’ have revealed good quantities of gag grouper. Most of our divers have been able to secure the daily bag limit of gag grouper before 9am. Hogfish, mangrove snappers and porgies have rounded out the fish on the hit list for bottom fishermen and divers. Don’t forget to take a jolthead porgy if the shot presents itself. Porgies taste great and the meat is similar to hogfish. Cobia are still found on the wrecks. Just this past weekend two of our divers speared cobia that each weighed-in just over 60 pounds.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
- Captains Corner, Gorta - March 23, 2024
- Dave Zalewski - March 12, 2024
