John's Journal...
Entry 190,
Day 2
SNAPPER, GROUPER, AMBERJACK AND KINGFISH OFF LOUISIANA'S
GULF COAST
Targeting Grouper
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Richard Harris, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi,
fishes on the Southern Kingfishing Association (SKA) circuit. He runs
an R & R Express 32 Donzi ZF that's designed to take rough water at high
speeds. He cruises at 42 to 45 miles per hour or runs wide open at 60
miles per hour with His twin Mercury 225 Opti-Max engines. Harris's boat
has two speeds -- dead stop and wide-open. I fished with Harris and had
a terrific time.
Question: How often can you go out and target grouper?
Harris: Grouper usually scatter. The ones we've been catching are gag
grouper. We have some deep-water rigs and deep-water wrecks where you
can find grouper just about any time. These grouper usually run small
to medium in size, and are few and far between. In the winter months,
January and February, when there's not so much fishing pressure, you can
go out and deep-water jig. We usually produce a lot of grouper jigging
around the rig legs. We treat grouper as an incidental catch. During the
fall, we can target grouper because snapper season is closed.
Question:
Take us down the line.
Harris: I use 80-pound Momois high catch with a 100-pound leader and an
80-pound barrel swivel. In deep water, I use a 6-ounce gold jig. Grouper
usually hold around 120- to 200- feet deep.
Question: How do you fish a jig to catch grouper?
Harris: I use erratic action up and down. If the grouper are biting, I
try to keep it lower to the bottom, and I jig slow, short jerks up through
the water column. They hit hard and head straight to the bottom. You need
a lot of muscle to turn grouper around. You have to put the boat in reverse
and back off the rig while having the angler pull at the same time and
try to drag the fish back.
Question:
What is considered a good day of grouper fishing?
Harris: In the winter months, we run a light boat with three people and
probably catch six to eight groupers.
Question: Where is the best place to fish for grouper?
Harris: We fish anywhere south of the Gulf 164 block, maybe further south
between the Horseshoe Rigs, just east and west along that line.
Question: What else will you possibly catch?
Harris: We'll also catch amberjack and jack crevalle.
To learn more about fishing off Mississippi's Gulf Coast,
call (800) WARMEST, or visit www.visitmississippi.org.
TOMORROW: FISHING FOR KINGS
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