Capt. Brent Gaskill
The Tampa Bay Times
Light duty bottom fishing is always a part of my arsenal when fishing the bay and near shore waters of the gulf. By “light” I mean spinning tackle in the 10 to 15 pound-test range. This keeps the action from white grunts, sea bass, flounder, and mangrove snapper fun. The gag grouper season opens on June 1st, however, which will require beefing up the tackle selection to score a tasty fresh fillet. Even then, I don’t go as heavy as many of the deeper water offshore grouper-diggers do. My charter service grouper outfits consist of 3/0 conventional reels loaded with 40 pound-test mono, on a balanced 7 foot rod. The terminal end is rigged with a 2-3 ounce egg sinker, 50 pound leader, and a 5/0 hook. With that being said, having the perfect rod and reel combo is worthless if you’re not in the right location. Anchor setting and boat position is critical when fishing for gag grouper. Being a boat length off the spot could be the difference in getting bites or not. If you’re not sure where to begin, trolling is an excellent way to find productive grouper spots. Gag grouper must be 24 inches with a bag limit of 2 per person.
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