New To Grouper Fishing

[haliaetus]

Now that I have a boat to get me out to some close reefs/wrecks on calms days (St. Marks/Lanark), I'd like to try fishing for grouper. I've been kayak fishing and fishing out of a Gheenoe for several years so this will all be new to me. Any advice? Recommended sites to start, trolling / live bait recommendations, other, etc.

[SeaBass]

Here's a URL with quite a few public GPS locations that's probably a good place to start. A number of them are only a few miles outside the St. Mark's channel. Good luck!

http://www.bigbendfishing.net/reefs.htm

[haliaetus]

Thanks.

[Jhults11]

Head out of St. Marks past the bird rack to the last buoy. Head southeast to 25+ft and start trolling and watching the bottom machine. When you get a hit or go over some good looking bottom or a rock, stop and fish it with dead bait, frozen stuff..aka lys, cigar minnows, sardines, ect. You dont have to have live pins this time of year. Make sure to mark spots you catch fishon as to have for the future. Troll with stretch +25 made by manns bait company or with rapala cd18's. As for colors, you ll have to test the waters, it just depends on what they are hitting that day. Good luck. Tight lines- JHults11

[haliaetus]

Thanks Jhults. That sounds like a great starting point.

[RC]

I usually take a 165 degree heading from the bird rack and run to 30' to start.

right now it seems the fish are in shallower. Waculla reef, dog ballard and all kinds of rock bottom in between are holding fish. between oar 2k, buoy 24 and the shoals there is lots of good bottom. south of 24 too.

a good trick this time of year if you are looking for new spots is to troll down the stone crab trap lines. They are certainly trying to put those pots near rock and believe me those guys know where the rocks are. just be careful and don't hang your lures up on the crab trap lines. I don't think those guys would appreciate it when a lure loaded with trebles come flying up on their trap puller.