BigBendFishing.Net

If a fisherman tells you that this is the absolute best way to catch a particular fish or the guaranteed way for fishing success, he is probably selling you a bunch of nonsense. You have every right to demand proof. Pics or it didn’t happen. So, I’ve got pictures that prove the truth of what I am going to tell you.

The secret to catching red grouper is to fish for red snapper.

This method works best when the fisheries management folks proclaim that red grouper are underpopulated and close the season months early. The specific spots you will want to fish are the same spots that you would fish for red snapper. Conveniently, you also will want to use the same baits and rigs that you would use for red snapper. Do this and you will catch a lot of red grouper, I guarantee it.

Yesterday, in fishing from 88’ to 102’, water temp. 87°, there were supposed to be a lot of red snapper here:







Instead of catching red snapper, we caught, vented, and released these and many others like them:





Despite all the grouper, some of my fishing spots had numerous hook-shy mangroves and red snapper that couldn’t seem to beat the grouper to our baits:









Our baits from yesterday’s trip consisted of a little of everything. Our live bait was cigar minnows, pinfish, and sandperch. Our dead bait was frozen LY’s, squid strips, and whole squid. Our rigs consisted of 3-way swivel bottom rigs and knocker rigs. We had some baits right on the bottom and some well up in the water column. Everything we put down pulled up red grouper. The one red snapper that made it home was caught in one of our shallower spots.

Check back in a few days and I may have figured out how to upload a few videos by then.


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Looks like that'll be the same story when gag season opens in September too

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doomtrpr_z71 wrote: July 24th, 2024, 7:42 pm Looks like that'll be the same story when gag season opens in September too

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LOL

Who has the squid strips? I haven’t found anyone selling them lately.

Last time I went out of mash sands Rocky's had them and crumbs didn't

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flatsbroke22 wrote: July 24th, 2024, 8:11 pm Who has the squid strips? I haven’t found anyone selling them lately.

We got our squid strips at Crum’s. They stay on the hook much better than whole squid.

Slight clarification….. in the 4th pic down from the top, those are big gags, the one that are endangered.
3rd pic down has a nice RG in the front to the left, others are gags.
Gags are like that everywhere

boomhauer wrote: July 25th, 2024, 11:26 am Slight clarification….. in the 4th pic down from the top, those are big gags, the one that are endangered.
3rd pic down has a nice RG in the front to the left, others are gags.
Gags are like that everywhere

I figured that some of the grouper were gags, but the distant fish are so far away that I can't see the colors or the tell-tail white spots of the red grouper. The silhouettes of both fish are very similar to my eyes.

Great pics...hopefully the gags will be there in September and the weather is nice!

We grew up diving the murk at Crystal River where 6 ft vis was good…. So we got used to silhouettes….
The RG are taller and shorter…. Behave differently….

Gags usually need Xanax….. always on edge.
RG all are way chill.

Love the pics though …. Very representative… Gaga and RG hugging bottom, mango and RS buzzing around.
Very unusual to see that many gags on a RG/RS hard bottom spot….
Keep that one a

Cool post and great pics both under and above water. As a poor ole Ga boy 200+ miles from where I love to fish( just not often enough) I really appreciate these posts. Can sorta live vicariously!

Saltydawg wrote: July 26th, 2024, 5:16 pm Cool post and great pics both under and above water. As a poor ole Ga boy 200+ miles from where I love to fish( just not often enough) I really appreciate these posts. Can sorta live vicariously!

Thanks, Saltydawg. I look forward to seeing your post after your next outing.