# Red Grouper Bite off Destin



## Bullshooter (Oct 5, 2007)

Fished natural bottom 20 some miles SE of Destin Pass today with Brian, Frank, and Bruce, in Brian's 27 Everglades. Had pretty good luck with 5 keeper red groupers to 20 pounds, and a decent assortment of bottom critters. The tax man collected a toll on a few ARS and one keeper red grouper. What a beautiful day on the Gulf of Mexico.

205 Aquasport w/ 200 Yamaha Saltwater Series


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## devndeb (Mar 16, 2008)

NICE haul for sure!!!! Good Job!


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## Don White (Oct 8, 2007)

Congrats Len! You need to post more often so I can live vicariously through them.  If everything goes well I will be down there bending roads with you next Sat. Until then tight lines & calm seas.


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## DAWGONIT (Jan 16, 2009)

Grillin' time for sure.
Thanks for pics & report.


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## Starlifter (Feb 24, 2011)

What was the depth of water you were locating the Red Grouper in?


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## Bullshooter (Oct 5, 2007)

We have been catchin' em in 100-120 foot on limestone ledges. Best bait has been pinfish, of any size, even the dinky ones. They're worth their weight in gold for grouper.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

100' is where I fish for them too, timber holes are good public numbers to start on.


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## Captdroot (Jan 18, 2012)

Bullshooter said:


> We have been catchin' em in 100-120 foot on limestone ledges. Best bait has been pinfish, of any size, even the dinky ones. They're worth their weight in gold for grouper.


*Red grouper like to eat big baits. Live "anything" works well: blue runners, bee liners, pin fish, squirrel fish (sand bass), and small sea bass (illegal to possess). Often you can catch more than one red grouper on the same bait. *

*Strange, how the govt can tell you what kind of hook to use and also tell you what you cannot put on that hook. When I was 18, I would have said, "That sort of thing will never happen". Can you imagine going to jail, for catching your legal limit of fish, but using a fish hook that is labled illegal? Or using an illegal baitfish? 

While fishing in the big bend area, I have recently released several throat hooked short (less than 20") red grouper............ that likely died and fed some crabs. All were caught on legal "circle hooks". God bless the regulators and their wisdom.
*


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

I've always caught them on big pinfish or other similar things I'm not legally allowed to mention. J hooks are illegal? or are you talking about treble.


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## Bullshooter (Oct 5, 2007)

Used to be we only caught red grouper east and southeast of the Pass, but they seem to be showing up in spots where we used to catch only gags. I guess where the gags are fished out, the reds have moved in. And yes, j-hooks for bottom fishing are illegal! We've gotten bites on all kinds of live bait, but the pinfish have accounted for our biggest ones this year. I once pulled the hook on a nice grouper on a live white snapper, then caught a nice keeper on the dead remainder, handed the rod off to my buddy Don, and he caught his biggest red grouper ever on the same, very dead, white snapper. I've even caught one that had a hook we broke off on earlier in the morning of the same trip.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

is fishing with white snapper illegal?


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

bigrick said:


> is fishing with white snapper illegal?


Enjoy it while you can, pretty soon fishing period will be illegal.


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