Reef, rock and wrecks

Grouper (gag, red, black)

Mycteroperca and Epinephelus spp.

The heavyweight of the ledge. Hooks you to the rock in one turn of the tail.

What they like

  • 5–30 musual depth (they tolerate 2–100 m)
  • 18–29 °Cwater temperature they feed in
  • clear or coloured waterwater clarity
  • drop-offs, rough bottom, deep waterbottom they hunt, in order
  • any tidetide
  • daylightlight

Ledges, rock piles, wrecks and the deeper patch reefs; gags come shallow in autumn and winter in the Gulf.

Season by region

Peak months, shaded. Outside them the species may still be around, just less reliably.

Florida and the Gulf
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Caribbean and Bahamas
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bait and technique

Methods: bait, spinning / casting.

Bait and lures: Live pinfish, grunts, big pilchards; heavy jigs, deep-diving plugs over shallow rock.

Technique: Heavy tackle straight down on the structure, wind hard the first three turns or lose it in the rock.

Rules

Florida: Florida: gag and black 24 in minimum, red 20 in, seasons differ Atlantic / Gulf and change yearly. Verify with FWC and NOAA.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits change every year and differ by zone. Check the current regulations before you keep anything.

Depth maps where grouper live

Depth map preview of Bimini, Bahamas±0.67 m

Bahamas

Bimini, Bahamas

  • ±0.67 mtypical error
  • 1,990laser soundings checked
  • 74 km²of shallows

Updated 21 h ago

Preferences are expert estimates from the fisheries literature and angling practice, not measurements at your spot. The likelihoods on the maps are a planning aid, not a catch prediction.