In years past, November was the month that REALLY started the winter commercial grouper fishing, with December and January being the apex of the year. Now is the time to visit all those familiar rocks, wrecks, ledges and weed patches between 10 and 25 miles off the beach. Gags are definitely my favorite fish to catch, and it takes a little more savvy to catch gags than it does to catch red grouper. With that being said, itâs all about the bait and presentation of the bait.
Gags are a lot like whitetail deer, at least in the aspect of how their spawning is similar to a deerâs rutting. The older (larger) males arrive early to their favorite ledge, wreck or rock and wait for the females to start arriving. Some have said they all travel together to these spots. Either way, the younger (smaller) females are much more gullible than the ones I am really fishing forâŚthe largest males. Once a given area is established for spawning, the dominant bulls lay claim to the bottom and the school of cows in the area.
Yes, I like catching the 7- to 10-pound gags, but ultimately, I am looking for the big boys. This is where the presentation of the âprimeâ bait comes into play. The 16 oz. bank sinker, triple swivel and leader combination has caught more gags (reds and scamps) than all the other stuff combined, but times are changing, and the larger fish are becoming much more wise to our tackle than you would think.
This is the very reason that I prefer live bait (when it is available), and a decoy jig tied (not crimped) directly to 100- to 130-pound flouro-carbon leader. This is the cleanest tackle available for grouper fishing with live or frozen bait with jigs. PERIOD. The new 4 oz. circle hook decoy is similar to the original âJâ hook decoy jig as it resembles a crab that has caught a (live or frozen) minnow. Additional hardware, such as triple swivels and big sinkers, are a giant red flag to the older grouper. I cannot express in words the effectiveness of a 5- or 6-inch live sardine on a Decoy Jig. Also live cigs will sometimes work just as well. Both of these baits will work with unmatched effectiveness, but are not always available in the winter. At this point, donât overlook a grass grunt. This can sometimes be just what the old âbig boyâ wantsâŚÂ A 6-inch grass grunt keeps most of the âvarmitsâ away like pinkies, grunts, sea bass and triggers, and gives the grouper long enough to take a GOOD look at the bait, before any of the above inhale your beautiful bait that you worked so hard to jig up. Big gags didnât get big by quickly eating everything they saw. They check it out pretty carefully before committing to bite, and EVERY gag born eats grass grunts. So with that being said, donât ever throw back all the grass grunts you catch while sabiki fishing for cigs and sardines.
Also, donât EVER leave the dock without some frozen bait such as squid, sardines or cigs. Just one five-pound box of squid or sardines can make a lot of difference in a dayâs catch if the bait is scarce, and makes a nice addition to a live well filled with the always available grass grunts.
As always, dress âem up warm and take your kids, November is a great time to make them a pinky/trigger tackle and some small pieces of squid and have a BALL.
FORECAST BY:Â Capt. Tim Barefoot
Barefoot Fishing
www.barefootfishing.net
910-617-7637