http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/captains-corner-get-ready-to-catch-some-tasty-gag-grouper/2325530

Gag grouper are perhaps the best tasting fish that we catch in the Gulf of Mexico around the Tampa Bay area. The season will reopen Thursday. Gag grouper can be caught using a variety of techniques and methods. Trolling hard body lures like Bomber or Rapala is quite effective. I prefer chartreuse or gold. When used in conjunction with a No. 3 planer results increase considerably. Troll your lure close to the bottom where the gag grouper live. Also effective are large silver spoons, such as King or Clark spoons. I find that a blue or purple tape on the spoon is quite attractive to gag grouper. Diehard gag grouper fishermen may frown on using lures to catch grouper. The tried and true technique for bottom fishing is a squid and sardine combination, or most popular — a lively pinfish. Gag grouper locations for some fishermen are a closely guarded secret. I suggest a large rocky out cropping, patches of broken hard bottom, or a ship wreck. Gag grouper like hard structures. Remember, the rules have changed; gag grouper must be 24 inches, two per person limit in the aggregate.

Larry Blue charters the Niki Joe from Madeira Beach Marina. Call (727) 871-1058 or visit CaptainLarryBlue.com

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