By: Kim Wojo, Team Real Sea
May 1st brings in the much anticipated grouper season and out of all the fish in the ocean to hunt, none get my blood pumping like grouper, especially big blacks. Forty years ago, you didn’t have to go far to find them. Diving the jetty at the St. Lucie Inlet at slack tide always produced nice blacks for the cooler. Once the tide picked up, the shallow reef north to the old Rand’s Pier and Bathtub Beach was just as productive. It didn’t take much exploring to find even bigger fish south of the inlet in the “Hole”. The “Break in the Reef ” was our favorite spot to hunt. This is where the old inlet had cut a 35 foot deep channel through the reef. The sand bottom rose up sharply on both sides to the top of the reef making it a perfect area for grouper to congregate especially during spawn.
The “Hole” is now closed to spear fishing but still open to fishing, scuba diving and lobster harvest. I still do not understand the logic of this discrimination of free diving but that is another story. There are still plenty of big blacks to be found in the natural and artificial structures that are outside our inlet although it requires deeper diving. The shallow reefs are still a good spot to start and are often overlooked. Beach and kayak divers are spearing respectable fish on the shallow reefs up and down the Treasure Coast. Grouper are probably one of the easier fish to stalk and hunt and will not get too far from their structure. Once you hole them up it takes a little work to get them out but those grouper filets make it all worthwhile.
Be prepared, be safe and take the shot.