This is getting sick now! I have never caught(and released) more big Gag Grouper on a 6-hour fishing trip than we did on Tuesday's deep sea fishing charter out of John's Pass. The Gag Grouper, and even some realy nice Red Grouper, were chewing the bottom out of the boat. Whether we are fishing from Clearwater Beach, John's Pass or Pass-a-grille on St.Pete Beach, Gag Grouper have been making our charter fishing business a breeze. The only problem is...we can't keep them.
Spring is definetly here. Bait pods are showing up offshore and on all of the beaches, and the 'macks' are following suit. Unfortunately we went 0-3 on the Kingfish today. My new buddy, Roel, had a 15#er all the way to the boat before the hook popped out...damn! We also witnessed a Kingfish, about the size of a tarpon, blast our large blue-runner on the surface before he tail-whipped the line and got away. Oh well, we'll get that beast in the next Kingfishing tournament to come to the Tampa Bay area.
We moved over to the Grouper fishing grounds and the Gag Grouper were hungry. This was one of the hottest bites that we have experienced in the past few weeks. We caught and released 20 keeper-size Gags on one spot. Check out Roel,above, with fate's fish. Capt. Dan had to coach him through it, but he got it! The Gag Grouper were very aggressive. My crew got broken off about 7-8 times on big Gags and the bite never slowed.
Allot is being said about the Gag Grouper closure in the Gulf of Mexico, some good, some bad. I can only say 2 things about it at this point. First, I am personally seeing, and catching, more Gag Grouper this year than I have since 2007( 2 years after the worst Red Tide in history). Second, if you are going to close a popular fishery, close it for everyone. If the fish are hurting that bad, ALL pressure should be taken off of them. Right? I thought so.
There you have it, Jawbreaker fishing charter's official veiwpoint on the controversial Gag Grouper closure in the Gulf of Mexico. Education and action go hand in hand to acheive a goal. Call Jawbreaker fishing charters today and educate yourself, then take action and book a charter. We will put you in the best spot to acheive your goal. Happy fishing to ya, Capt. Dan