Hello fellow anglers, this is Capt. Jason Shingler. The PCF staff works hard to help bring anglers together and offer information and tactics to benefit the fishing community. As a professional guide in Panama City and a staff member, I am happy and honored to share my experience and knowledge with anyone that it will benefit. We decided Grouper would be a good topic this month. I specialize in inshore and near coastal grouper fishing. My apologies if this post is a little long, but fishing is a serious topic to me and I dont mind detailing to ensure success. I will start with THE RIG- I use a double knocker rig in which I tie a swivel to the main line then 1 ft of 80lb mono, slide a bead on, then the lead, another bead, tie another swivel,then about 4ft of 50 to 80lb fluorocarbon, then a 5/0 to 10/0 black chrome wide mouth circle hook. Its important to match hook size with the bait size. You want some hook barb exposed to ensure hookset. Its also important to consider depth and current when choosing lead weight. Keeping the lead straight down is essential to avoid hang ups and tangles. I usually use between 4 and 10 ounces , depending on conditions. THE BAIT- Live bait favorites are Menhaden, Sand perch [squirrelfish], Pilchards, and Cigar minnows. Cut bait- Freshly caught non frozen is my favorite by far! Bonito strips 10 to 12 and Blue runners fileted or butterflied. People thought I was crazy dropping a 12 inch bonito strip in the bay, until that 30 gag surfaced. Dont be afraid to fish BIG! LOCATIONS AND FISHING METODS- I wont broadcast numbers but I can tell you look for isolated deeper structure in the bay, and offshore ,get some numbers if you dont have any. I like to drift the low relief structures for gags to cover area, if I catch one , I waypoint it on the machine, then zoom in to 50 feet and keep working that area. Gotta be more careful on high relief structures to avoid hang ups. I work the edges , not drifting , but holding the boat just outside of the structure. Remember Grouper are usually ambush predators. They hide in holes and along structures , then shoot out , grab your bait and shoot back! I suggest 50lb equipment or greater and a tight drag . 90% of the battle is in the 1st 5 seconds. Once you get her off the bottom , you can loosen up the drag some and take it easy, [unless there are sharks around], in that case CRANK HARD ALL THE WAY UP!! I hope this helps some of you . I do realize there are many other pros out there and many other methods that are as good or better. I am just trying to help the ones that might appreciate it. Thanks and Fish on!!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 18:21:03 +0000
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