You know if you were able to find bait there must be flounder nearby. Scamp Grouper is what is known as the Captains Fish. Good to Eat? For big grouper or amberjack, go with a minimum of 80-pound fluorocarbon, and as heavy as 100-pound test (for goliath grouper, use 180- to 220-pound test). To best understand these regulations it is best to visit the FWC Grouper Regulations page. They simply get a weight, a hook, some line, and perhaps a swivel or two and start tying their favorite knot for all of the connections. Their relatively small size produces silky, sweet, moist, and tender meat. Trolling, Jigging, and bait fishing (live or dead) are all productive methods for catching Grouper. The easiest way to setup a Grouper Rig is to use a simple egg sinker, swivel, and leader on the end of your braided line. Live ballyhoo, pilchard or Spanish sardines also work well. Cruise around the area you'd like to fish and look for schools of … There are other grouper such as yellowfin grouper, Nassau grouper, and scamp that are found in the Bahamas in in deeper water. A whole butterflied fish is the bait of choice for red grouper. Also, jigs can work well, both the traditional style and the new vertical jigs. Best grouper fishing rods and reels. Glow, pink or purple my best … A hooked grouper turns straight for cover, where it can puff out its gills, and lock itself in bottom structure. I love a small pinfish or a small vertical jig around 200-250ft on the ledges for scamp myself, but they can be tricky fish to get chewing. SCAMP One of the smaller groupers in the northern Gulf, the scamp can still reach lengths of 35 inches and weights of more than 20 pounds. I try to up my odds of landing grouper by building leaders that can withstand the line-gnawing reefs. Grouper Fishing Tips: Bottom fishing is the primary way to target grouper. Scamp Grouper Fishing. Just let a Grouper turn his head away from you so that the hook will find its way to the corner of the Grouper's mouth when the line comes tight. Generally, groupers aren't as leader-shy as snappers, plus they're more likely to dive directly into structure and part the leader. Catching your own bait for flounder fishing accomplishes two things: 1. But a problem with grouper fishing (and targeting other species when bottom fishing) is that many anglers don’t put much thought into making their leaders…. That is an old joke among captains down here because the scamp's meat is tender, flaky, juicy and tasty. Nassau grouper are listed as threatened on the Endangered Species List, and it is illegal to target this species. No matter what kind of rig you're using to catch grouper, you'll have the most success with circle hooks. Scamp are found in waters from 75 to 250 feet down, particularly around low-profile reefs. SCAMP GROUPER Description: Light gray or brown with reddish brown spots on the sides that tend to be grouped into lines; some yellow around the corners of the mouth.Spawns in late spring undergoes sex transformation from female to male as it becomes older. Scamp grouper are typically deeper caught species but once you get past 150-200ft or right around it you start to have the best chance for some nice scamp grouper action. Trolling lures include Manns +30 giant lures, sometimes used with either wire line or with a trolling weight to gain more depth. Florida Bottomfishing for Snapper and Grouper . ! Known for their hardnosed fights, gag grouper, red grouper, scamp, and black grouper will put the ultimate test on your tackle with powerful bursts of energy in attempt to get back inside their structure or hole and break you off. Florida grouper fishing for species such as Red Grouper and Scamp Grouper is open year round for harvest in state waters, federal waters have separate season dates. Successful grouper anglers tailor their rigs and baits to the conditions, and around the Florida coastline, that means widely differing depths, bottom type and currents. Scamp Grouper are just as partial to jigs as live or dead bait. https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/best-way-to-cook-grouper-recipes Pulling up a grouper from more than 200 feet is just one part of what makes catching a grouper so rewarding. Scamp Grouper (Mycteroperca phenax) represent a prize in the bag limit of all bottom fishermen. Again, the season for both state and federal waters run from May 1 until December 31. Heavy duty circle hooks, from 8/0 to 16/0, work best for deep dropping. Depending on conditions, the boat can be positioned over structure either by drifting or anchoring. Deeper offshore, the gag grouper and American red snapper are biting best on dead bait in 180-200 foot and deeper. Max limit for 2 from 17 ft skiff using the leader rig shown below. mono with an 8/0 Circle Hook holding live bait like a Pinfish, Pilchard, or other similarly sized fish. When fishing for grouper in Miami live bait seems to work best. How-To Catch Articles and Videos, Where's the Bite, Regulations, and more! braided followed by 8 feet of 100 lb. It's a feat not often repeated in the Gulf of Mexico, and the secret to our success was the perfect live bait. You can fish for grouper on wrecks or reefs at any depth. Hot grouper and snapper action awaits off Florida’s central Gulf coast. For bait selection it’s best to use fresh cut bait like bonita or squid. A good selection of dead bait for grouper is sardines, mullet, ballyhoo, mackerel or pinfish. For bait, Kelly says ‘anything that wiggles’ is prime bait for scamp and gags, but red grouper prefer dead or cut bait. All make great table fare, but if I could chose which one to catch, and which would take my bait, there is no doubt (even though he is one smaller of the species in this lesson) it would be hands down the scamp grouper! grouper, scamp grouper, amberkack and almaco jacks are all basically year round catches here along the Emerald Coast. Often, bait must be presented very close to the reefs grouper inhabit, and the reef is where they run the second they eat your bait. The fish has a speckled look to its sides, with brown coloration and a yellow tint near the mouth. The red grouper are tough though and we aren’t catching them like we did 5-10 years ago, but you can find em if you stick and move around the potholes and ledges out around these depths with live pinfish, strips of cut squid or octopus for bait. If you are looking for a great fight and even better table fare, when in season, grouper bottom fishing can fit the bill and then some. 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