Gag grouper brought up from deeper water. This fish is puffed up and unhappy.

James doesn’t live on a wreck; your best bet is to fish rocks and other natural bottom. While the Gang concentrates on structure southwest of Pensacola, there are plenty of rocks south and southeast as well. A good chart and better bottom machine are critical when plundering deep water from 200 to 320 feet deep. Plotting a route for a 55-mile trip is easy if you just plot a straight line. But our captain didn’t plot a dead-on course. Each trip starts in roughly the same area, but Matt takes a different heading to the grouper rocks each time. Constantly scanning the bottom machine, he makes note of new spots that look promising and often stops on the way in to check them out.

To keep things interesting, we started our trip on a spot that the Gang hadn’t visited in a few years. And, boy, did it pay off. A 200-degree heading this time means he’ll take a 199 or 201 the next. If the folks fishing for a living realize the importance of constantly looking for new spots and exploring, we can all learn from this practice.

If you don’t have a good starting place for your trip, make note of the contour lines on your chart. The tighter these lines are together, the steeper the shelves, ledges and dropoffs. These spots make great stomping grounds for grouper as well as all manner of bottom fish.

You might have noticed the absence of anchoring tips and techniques. Unless you’re in need of a hefty workout, don’t bother. The beauty of this type of fishing is the hunt-and-gather aspect. If after a few drops and drifts over the spot, you don’t produce a solid bite, move on to the next one. Drifting baits often will coax that big fella out of his lair and you just got a better shot at landing him.

I like it when folks ask me, “What’s a good time of year to go grouper fishing?” I can honestly reply, there isn’t a bad month. It’s not as hot in spring and fall, but trips all year have produced 67-, 64-, 56- and 52-pound fish and one month doesn’t work better than any other.

You need to get serious about your gear if you want a chance at landing a trophy gag. We jig with 130-pound braided line and an 80-pound fluorocarbon leader. To handle the task, you’ll need well-built reels with strong drags. High-speed retrieves are awesome when you’re reeling up an 8- or 10-ounce jig a hundred times a day.

For live and dead bait, it’s the same rig generally: 130- or 150-pound braided line on a 6/0-class reel. Tie this to a Caribbean three-way swivel, attaching a 150-pound fluorocarbon leader to the free swivel and take a small piece of light mono and attach to the barrel on the swivel that is attached to your mainline. This rig allows the weight to be in line, while the bait floats down around the weight and avoids twisting your line in such deep water.

Heavy jigs like these are deadly on grouper when fished on braided line.

Hook size depends on the manufacturer, but circle hooks are a must. Sizes 12/0 to 16/0 generally will do. A good rule of thumb is about the size of a half dollar; just make sure it matches the size of your baits. Spiral-wrapped rods, where the guides start out on top near the reel and gradually migrate around the rod until the tip guide is on the underside, are becoming increasingly popular.