Shallow water Gag Grouper fishing in Tampa Bay

Gag Grouper fishing in the Tampa/St.Petersburg area has turned on with a fury, and the majority of these fine tasting fighters are coming from waters less than 40 feet deep. Finding them is easy, but catching this aggressive bottom dweller in shallow water is no easy gig-you have to be on your toes and ready to crank, crank, crank!..

Last Wednesday's 4-hour fishing charter was courtesy of Kenny Wright and his “team” of co-workers, Harry, Mike and Scott. These guys came with the easy going, laid-back attitude that regulary produces fish on the Jawbreraker. That's right, the less pressure you put on your Captain-the more pressure the fish will put on you. That being said, we had a 'smoker' Kingfish on the line within ½ hour of boarding the boat, and 5 minutes of having a couple of baits in the water. Yep! On our way out of Pass-a-grille, only 2 miles out, I could not resist all of the bird, bait and surface activity that we witnessed all the way from the Pass. Kenny fought the Kingfish for 10 minutes and Jon gaffed the beast in a flash....Gentlemen, we are on the board. Even though the fish was only in the high teens, it felt like victory receiving instant gratification and it was a great way to start the day.

After a short run out to a depth of 35 feet, we anchored up with a very strong incoming tide and an opposing Northeast wind...go figure. These are not the easiest conditions to fish in, but then again, if it was easy everyone would be doing it, right? Right. Anyway, we got it done and the boys were being pinned to the rail instantly. I mean, the Gags were showing these guys whos the boss...at first. Finally, after several broken leaders, and probably a hernia or two, Kenny brought in big ole' Gag, followed by Mike, then Scott, then Harry, then Kenny again, then Mike again....you get the picture. All of a sudden a switch went off and these guys were seasoned pros,...and making me proud! This went on for a couple of hours and, with the addition of several very big Spanish mackerel, the fish box was looking pretty impressive when we returned to the dock. Great job guys...check out the crew with some of their catch from a 4-hour fishing charter.(pic above)

Jawbreaker fishing baby! Check us out, tell your friends, tell your family, plan a trip...and let's Hook Up! Happy fishing to Ya, Capt.Dan