Capt. Brian Boehm
Jewfish (goliath grouper) will never be a species I target on charters. Maybe I shouldn’t say never, but I can’t envision the chain of events that would need to unfold where the end result is me stabbing a 20/0 hook through the head of a jack crevalle, pitching it off the side of the boat, then telling a client to “hang on”. It seems implausible. Some of us aren’t wired for that style of fishing.
While I don’t foresee any saltwater tug-of-wars with goliaths in my future, I do appreciate these fish for what they are. They are saltwater cave trolls that smite anything resembling an easy meal. A few years back, I saw a goliath grouper on a dock light for the first time. Despite being a modest sized goliath, it dwarfed even the biggest snook in the light. Quite the sight to process for this shallow water guide! The dock light that attracted that monster has been gone for nearly two years. It’s hard to believe that such a nondescript dock, now surrounded by darkness, could’ve ever held a goliath grouper. I’ve run countless dock light trips since that night and not once has another goliath appeared. That trend finally ended when a fly angler, best described as charmed, joined me for a dock light trip.
The fishing gods apparently love her. On her first trip with me she said, “I really want to catch a tarpon on the fly.” A few hours later, we leadered a good one. Before another recent trip, she professed her love for redfish. Wouldn’t you know it, we were surrounded by hundreds of redfish for nearly six hours. This night she asked about sharks. I mentioned that there weren’t any sharks in this area, but I had seen a goliath grouper on a dock light many years ago. After hearing about the goliath, she put the fishing gods on notice and announced her intention to see one. A few hours later as we neared a favorite snook light, a giant shadow emerged from the green glow. Out came the goliath grouper she had wished for – right on cue. Such a ridiculous sight! It fit on the dock light like a Chevy Suburban in a compact car space. We moved closer to admire the monster. It was a healthy goliath, well over two bills.
After giving the proper amount of admiration for such a rare occurrence in my area, we left the goliath grouper alone. We headed out in search of some normalcy – far away from the saltwater cave troll. And though we enjoyed good fishing after that, the fishing is not what we’ll remember about that night.
Thanks for reading.
Captain Brian Boehm
Quiet Waters Fishing
Sarasota, FL
941-400-6218