# How far out for grouper and amberjack



## Etec

Have been fishing about 10 to 15 miles out from Perdido Pass. Everything I catch is Red Snapper and ofcourse the season is closed so I release them. Any ideas ofa publicartificial reef withinmaybe 25miles out that might hold Amberjack, Grouper or something else I can keep and eat, lol. I have most of the public numbers already loaded in my GPS. Any help is appreciated.


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## lobsterman

First of all









http://www.mbtdivers.com/Dive%20Sites/Shop_Site_Numbers.htm

Here is a list of numbers published by MBT dive shop and most of the steel wrecks are holding AJ's right now but you will have to hunt around to find legal sized ones.


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## Kozman

Welcome to the Forum.

I would concentrate more on fishing tactics then on location. If you are dropping down small cut baits or shrimp or squid, then you will catch Red Snapper. Try size 1 circle hooks higher in the water column with squid and you might hook into some triggerfish. Drop the same rig to the bottom and you are gonna attract the red snapper. Any live bait, larger than 4 inches or so, near the bottom will attract Grouper, but will be too big for the smaller Red Snapper to mess with. A live Hardtail about half way down the water column will get ya a AJ or any other large preditor (King, Shark). 

In a nutshell.....If you want Big Fish, use Big Baits. Small baits get ya small fish.

Don't forget, you still have about 10 more days til Grouper are legal again.

Just my 2 cents.

Tim


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## Etec

Thanks. Wow, love this site, what a quick response.


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## bellafishing

Try the Chevron rig. It's a public spot about 20miles out that's covered up with AJ's. Grouper season is closed until the 15th in Federal waters, so you won't be able to keep any. We caught a ton of AJ's there and a grouper all on williamson butterfly jigs. Look in the reports section under massacre aboard the Bella. Live baits will work too, especially a big live mingo snapper.

Bob


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## Telum Pisces

In most of our recent dive expeditions, the AJ's have been holding about 20-30 feet off the bottom or off the top of the wreckon most of the wrecks. Head out to deeper water (120-140 feet at least) to get the bigger ones. There are bigger ones mixed in on some of the shallower wrecks, but on rod and reel, you will have to catch about 100 short AJ's before you probably get a keeper on the shallow wrecks. But no matter what, the AJ's seem to be hungry no matter where you go recently. During our last trip on our surface interval, a diamond jig got hit pretty much one right after the other.


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## Captain Woody Woods

> *bellafishing (3/5/2008)*Try the Chevron rig. It's a public spot about 20miles out that's covered up with AJ's.



Hey bob, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the chevron 20 miles out from P'cola pass? I think he was asking about perdido pass...aka my neck of the woods!! In which case I can tell you right now, unless you've got a good private number or 10, I wouldn't have my hopes that high on catching whopper groupers or AJs. For the rare times I take buddies out bottom fishing, we don't even put lines in (excluding wahoo spread) until we are about 35 miles out, or somewhere no less than 180-200' of water. There are a lot of good spots just to the north of petronius...and I mean A LOT....troll around dragging a couple of yozuri bonitas but focus intently on your bottom finder. Lot of natural rocks and areas around there that hold a whole mess of gags, yellowedge, and AJ's. Then, when you decide to drop a line down, rig a 8-10' leader of 100# test with circle hook snelled on (matched to the size of your live bait, which should be a bigass hardtail or big pinfish, etc.) and make sure you have enough weight to get it down; the current can be pretty racy around that area, and then hang on. If you haven't gotten a bite in a couple of minutes, I'd try another spot. If you're wanting meat fish, then try fishing the tanks (numbers posted somewhere on the orange beach sites) for triggers. They are incredible eating no matter how you cook them; and those tanks will usually hold a whole mess of them. I cannot stress to you enough how important it is to invest in a good bottom machine and watch it. Myself or my 2nd mate is always watching ours while we're running, whether we're going for marlin or groupers. One little click of the "mark" button on the GPS and we have ourselves a new spot to bottom fish. Generally, when triggers are actively feeding, they will hold a bit higher up in the water column, and in a big cluster. Drop small hooks tipped with squid or cut fish and you should have no problem filling up your box in a hurry. I think the limit on those is 10 fish per person.


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## Travis Gill

What blue hoo said is good advice, but farther than 25 miles. There is alot of numbers right in there.


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## Heller High Water

All good advice. I can attest to the number of AJ's holding on the cheveron. Might take a while to find a keeper at this time, but you should still be able to find one there or the O.


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## Captain Woody Woods

i dont bottom fish to the east very often, but if the chevron is as loaded up with juvies as i keep hearing, break out the spinning tackle for a change. AJ's are tough fish, and have few predators; and thus, wear their asses (as well as yours) out on some lighter tackle. you may not be able to keep em', but everyone likes a good screaming reel and a back-breaking fight


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## wrightackle

I like kozman's advice about the big baits. Just wanted to add another bit to his idea. If you aren't getting any takers on the big baits try butterflying them. It is amazing the difference it make sometimes.The little fish will swarm to the butterflied bait and sometimes the grouper will take it away from them. With the cost of gas most people can't afford to fish the deep rocks. Stay in close and keep soaking those big baits on the bottom and the squid 3/4 to 1/2 way down for the triggers. Bouncing a bucktail jig on the bottom very slowly will also occaisionally get you a grouper.


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## Etec

Wow! There is a lot of knowledgeon this forum. Thanks for all the infromation. By the way how far out is the Chevron Reef?


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## Telum Pisces

> *Etec (3/6/2008)*Wow! There is a lot of knowledgeon this forum. Thanks for all the infromation. By the way how far out is the Chevron Reef?


21-22 miles from Pensacola Pass. Not sure how far it is from Perdido/Orange beachPass


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## bellafishing

My bad. Thanks Woody! I completely overlooked Perdido Pass! (I support illiteracy!!)


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## Chapman5011

Captain Woody Woods said:


> i dont bottom fish to the east very often, but if the chevron is as loaded up with juvies as i keep hearing, break out the spinning tackle for a change. AJ's are tough fish, and have few predators; and thus, wear their asses (as well as yours) out on some lighter tackle. you may not be able to keep em', but everyone likes a good screaming reel and a back-breaking fight


I know this is a very old thread.....

Where is the 20-fathom break. 
I will be out at the edge and trysler grounds tomorrow and would like to catch legal grouper. Are these areas with in the 20-fathom break. 
The trysler grounds area I'm going to is 22-25 miles out of orange beach, and then we will head over to the edge. 
Just want to make sure


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