Large gag grouper, or grays, earn top bragging rights.

Oculina coral reefs are a unique feature in the area, mostly between 200 and 300 feet of water, about 25 miles offshore. Composed of fragile, branching deepwater corals, the reef system ranges from 60 to 100 feet high in some spots. These particular coral formations have not been observed anywhere else in the continental United States. Stretching from Fort Pierce to Daytona Beach, the Oculina reef contains a complete ecosystem with thousands of various marine animals ranging from worms to crabs to shrimp to fish. Over 70 species of fish frequent the reef, including various grouper (gag, scamp, snowy, speckled hind, red and warsaw), snapper (red, vermilion, mangrove and lane), amberjack, bar jacks, triggerfish and porgies. The system is a prime spawning ground for gag and scamp grouper. South of Port Canaveral, much of the Oculina region has been closed to trawling, anchoring and all manner of bottom fishing, partly to offset years of abuse, and partly to protect some delicate research projects in the area.

In its northernmost reaches between Port Canaveral and Ponce Inlet, the Oculina reef begins to diminish in size and has no protection. The signature spikes of the now-intermittent reef are referred to as “The Cones” by anglers out of Canaveral and as “The Steeples” by anglers out of Ponce. Like ledges along the continental shelf, these spikes are fish magnets because of the food chain present.

Ocean currents in this area contribute to outstanding bottom fishing. In South Florida, the Gulf Stream flows northward, paralleling the coastline. In Central Florida, the Stream encounters a cape jutting out just north of Port Canaveral and the fast-flowing river in the sea is deflected to the northeast. A look at Florida’s coastline north of the cape shows that it pulls away toward the northwest. With the Gulf Stream and coastline suddenly moving away from one another, a bit of an eddy is created in this area. Objects previously suspended in the water column and which had been pushed along by the stream’s strong currents can now settle to the bottom in this eddy. Small baitfish and other marine creatures get a respite in the slower currents and have a much easier time maintaining their position near the various types of structure found in the area. The decreased offshore currents north of the cape make the area between Port Canaveral and Ponce Inlet unique along Florida’s east coast and enhance what is already prime habitat for bottom fish.

“Bring ‘em up,” Lloyd commanded.

The bite that had been quite strong when we first dropped our lines had started to slow. We had placed three red snapper—releasing a couple of shorts—as well as two back-wrenching amberjack into the fishbox. Because we were fishing in water over 200 feet deep, we carefully vented the under-size snapper before releasing them. We could have probably caught a few more fish if we had stayed longer, but Lloyd had selected a dozen nearby spots from his notebook of numbers and hoped they, too, had bounty on the bottom waiting to be revealed. When the lead had cleared the gunnels and the rods safely stowed, he pushed the throttle forward and we moved to the next site.

Lloyd did a bit of jockeying with the boat as he checked how the 1.2 knots of northerly current and 8 mph of east wind were going to affect our drift. When the boat was properly positioned, we again dropped our lines. Rather than set an anchor in such deep water and then lose valuable time retrieving it if the area was not productive, Lloyd closely monitored the depthfinder and “bumped” the engines into gear from time-to-time, to keep us in position over our target. A gag grouper of about 25 pounds was the first fish to seize our bait. We initially thought the beast was strapped to the structure below as it refused to be moved off the bottom. A deeply bent rod and a strong back finally convinced it otherwise. Later, we landed a smaller gag, several nice red snapper and two more amberjack.

We had similar success at most of the spots we stopped at. On the way back to the dock, we made a final drop at a site that yielded a dozen vermilion snapper and a few triggerfish before they wised up to the small chunks of cutbait we were sending down to them. Tired, with muscles aching from the earlier brawls, we called it a day.

FS