Shallow water grouper???

[Hit-n-Miss]

What's the story? If I read correctly you can catch them(gag and red?) in Feb inward of 20 fathoms. What's a fathom? Out of St Marks how far is that? What reefs could you fish?

[reelbad]

What's the story? If I read correctly you can catch them(gag and red?) in Feb inward of 20 fathoms. What's a fathom? Out of St Marks how far is that? What reefs could you fish?

Six feet in a fathom. You can catch grouper in Apalachee bay in the same area that you catch black sea bass and trout in the dead of summer. Troll plugs like the stretch 25 and Rapala CD14 over and around the rock piles just south of the stake line.

[Salty Gator]

I'm pretty sure that is incorrect. Myfwc.com says gags open fed July-oct. a few counties have gags open in state waters in April. A fathom is 6 feet.

[Hit-n-Miss]

I'm pretty sure that is incorrect. Myfwc.com says gags open fed July-oct. a few counties have gags open in state waters in April. A fathom is 6 feet.

Saw it in Woods-n-water. Dont know if it's right. So would Dog Ballard and St Marks reef be less than 20 fathoms then.

[reelbad]

I'm pretty sure that is incorrect. Myfwc.com says gags open fed July-oct. a few counties have gags open in state waters in April. A fathom is 6 feet.

Saw it in Woods-n-water. Dont know if it's right. So would Dog Ballard and St Marks reef be less than 20 fathoms then.

Again, a fathom is six feet. So yes, you would have to go quite a ways to reach 20 fathoms or 120 ft. Hope my math is correct.

[Jumptrout51]

I think Dog Ballard is 21 fathoms. Better not go there.

[MarkM]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Shouldn't be hard to do. But, I think it has more to with state, federal waters line?

[Salty Gator]

From myfwc.com

The following changes have been proposed:

Starting the recreational open season for most state waters on July 1 and ending the season when the federal season is projected to end. The 2013 federal season projection will not be determined until spring of 2013, but will end when the annual catch target is expected to be met, likely sometime in mid-November/early December.
This season will exclude state waters off of Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties including all waters of Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass, including those in Gulf County, and all waters of the Steinhatchee River, including those in Dixie County. This four county region could have an open season of April 1 through June 30. If approved, this area of state waters will be closed to recreational gag grouper harvest for the remainder of the year.

[reelbad]

Go catch a grouper

From myfwc.com

The following changes have been proposed:

Starting the recreational open season for most state waters on July 1 and ending the season when the federal season is projected to end. The 2013 federal season projection will not be determined until spring of 2013, but will end when the annual catch target is expected to be met, likely sometime in mid-November/early December.
This season will exclude state waters off of Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties including all waters of Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass, including those in Gulf County, and all waters of the Steinhatchee River, including those in Dixie County. This four county region could have an open season of April 1 through June 30. If approved, this area of state waters will be closed to recreational gag grouper harvest for the remainder of the year.

Go catch a grouper, have grill on board, cook eat, drink beer, go home.

[bman]

Go catch a grouper
Go catch a grouper, have grill on board, cook eat, drink beer, go home.

No Groupa for a while...

http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/ ... f-grouper/

[Rhettley]

There seems to be some confrushion here.
Fathoms refer to depth, not distance. This time of the year you can catch gag grouper in 3 fathoms (18 foot deep water). They can be stacked pretty heavy on the 30 to 40 foot deep holes (5 to 7 fathoms roughly).
Problem is you can't invite them for a boat ride back home with you. Civiche, a Coleman stove, or a portable grill has crossed my mind...
The red grouper don't seem to move in shallower to the same extent the gags do.