During a recent trip with Capt. Randy Rochelle, Ray Hervey and Vance Tice, this trio of seasoned Gulf Coast grouper veterans demonstrated the ins and outs of trolling for shallow-water gags. We worked the waters inside the Skyway Bridge. That’s right—inside Tampa Bay. Using 4-ounce bucktail jigs adorned with curly plastic tails, we boated half a dozen gags in about two hours, with the biggest fish pushing the 12-pound mark.

Look closely, although black grouper resemble gags, their markings are different.

Rochelle, Tice and Hervey worked the edges of the cut limestone channel with the jigs deployed deep via downriggers. Almost every time we marked a small rockpile or hump, the rod would pop up from the bowed position signaling yet another gag intent on gobbling the slow-trolled leadheads. I have to admit I was amazed, considering the ease of this type of fishing. Gathering some grouper fillets is almost a sure bet for trollers hitting it during the appropriate season in the Tampa area.

“We get fantastic action for inshore gags from October through late December. Sometimes the bite lasts through January and February, if we get a mild winter,” Rochelle said.

This characteristic cool-weather grouper fishing occurs not only in Tampa Bay. Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota Bay and many limestone reefs skirting Gulf Coast beaches offer excellent gag grouper trolling possibilities. Reefs adjacent to Indian Rocks Beach came highly recommended.

“During June and July these fish spread out, often moving to offshore grounds located 15 to 30 miles out,” Tice added.

Big Bend fishermen also tap the Gulf Coast gag bite. Capt. Mike Winn utilizes both livebait and trolling approaches when targeting grouper in his home waters.

“My first choice of baits in the spring and summer is live pinfish, followed by frozen threadfin herring and squid. For tackle I use a 4- to 8-ounce lead, depending on depth and current, above a swivel with an 80-pound leader that measures four feet long. For hooks, go with the 6/0 and 7/0 sizes,” Winn explained.

Winn switches gears when water temp drops. “With the scarcity of bait in the winter months, gags are much more likely to chase down a trolled plug. Trolling can be very effective and it’s a great way to find new bottom-fishing spots. Rebel Jawbreakers, Magnum Rapalas, MirrOlure CD 18s and Mann’s Stretch 25 and 30 series are all good. But, keep a variety on hand. Grouper do show a definite preference from day to day,” he said. “For trolling I like a 7-foot rod coupled with a levelwind reel spooled with 60-pound mono.”

Another method gaining popularity on the Gulf Coast is sight fishing for gags. The technique involves chumming gags to the boat on the extensive offshore grassflats, drawing the fish within range of fly casters or light-tackle enthusiasts. Or, when the water is clear enough, anglers punch in GPS or loran numbers for scattered rock and grass patches in the 12- to 25-foot depths. It’s fast and furious fishing with limits coming almost daily for anglers using bucktail and plastic-tail jigs. Some guys even reportedly catch ’em on topwaters, eliciting tremendous surface strikes you wouldn’t normally expect from bottom-hugging grouper.

East Coast anglers face different, yet somewhat similar circumstances. Gag grouper here also move inshore during the cooler months. However, the bulk of the population remains beyond the inlets. Many of the best spots for hanging into a full-blown gag lie in the nearshore waters, around the 60-foot depth. Summertime finds the fish moving offshore with reefs and wrecks in 100 to 140 feet of water getting the nod from serious grouper gropers. The 21-fathom ledges off Jacksonville and St. Augustine along with the 23- and 28-fathom ledges from Daytona south can be exceptionally productive for mid-summer live baiters. Deep jigs will account for a few grouper during this time. But, if you’re serious about hanging a freight train, stick with livies.

While many hotspots stretch from inshore to offshore along both Florida coasts, there’s a secret to learn, one most grouper fishermen usually keep tucked neatly under their hats. The best grouper fishing doesn’t always happen on big, well-defined structure. Often the hottest bites occur on mini-numbers, i.e. areas of slight relief. Ledges of one to three feet usually hold the big boys. If you find one, keep the numbers to yourself and you should be able to work it time and time again.

Gag grouper display another peculiarity. They are protogynous hermaphrodites, beginning life as females and later changing into dominant males. The change takes a minimum of 10 years according to biologists, sometimes more. And, when grouper gather to spawn, it’s these males that are first in line at feeding time. These are the 40-plus-pound brutes you hear about—like the fish that slammed me on my first grouper trip. Fisheries managers now realize their importance and are taking the necessary steps to protect them from overfishing. Protect these spawners and it’s likely we’ll see grouper for generations to come. Exploit them and the pool will soon dry up. It’s our job to safeguard this resource.

It’s November and the weather’s cooling down. Gags are moving in, establishing winter residence and beckoning bottom bumpers. Want to really find out if grouper are as powerful as folks claim? Pull out your best grouper groper rod, hammer down the drag and prepare to hold on. The time’s right to stretch your line and judge for yourself.

FS