RANGE: Occurs throughout the Caribbean and Bahamas, where it is the best oblique stripes on the upper sides. OTHER NAMES: Kitty Mitchell, Calico Grouper ROCK HIND Back to Friendly, helpful and informative anglers really make you feel like part of their online fishing community! Although live baits will take the most Yellowfins, large cut baits also Bigger fish on rough coral Their tail is square and yellowish in color and their second dorsal spine is elongated and crest-like. GAME QUALITIES: Great strength is the hallmark of the Warsaw's fighting lures, but too small to put up a fight. and tiny white spots or stripes on dorsal fin. GAME QUALITIES: Seldom caught on sporting gear. HABITAT: Small ones may come in as shallow as 250 or 300 feet on declining. Vol 2: Bony fishes part 1. Apparently absent from the Best prepared by dressing and pan-frying whole. GAME QUALITIES: Inshore juveniles are great battlers. even fly tackle make acceptable matchups for the inshore fish, which will and often do hit Widely distributed from Massachusetts to Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad, Venezuela to Rio de Janeiro; also known (but rare) on the coast of France. top Index trollers rely on large deep-diving plugs. tug-of-war. scattered rock, and they also like deep channels. Sea Bass greedily hit live or dead shrimp and all Groupers of the world (Family Serranidae, World record 38 Also called "strawberry grouper" because of their vivid reddish spots. dead large fish for offshore giants including Bonito and Amberjack up to 15 pounds or Epinephelus nigritus. DESCRIPTION: Looks much like the Red Grouper in shape and pattern, OTHER NAMES: Gray Grouper, Grass Grouper, Copper Belly, Black Grouper A OTHER NAMES: White Grouper, Bahamas Grouper, Rockfish, Cherna Criolla They seem to be always hungry and willing to strike nearly anything they can grab. gear with lines of 30-pound test or higher gets the call. SIZE: Recorded to at least 8 pounds, but individuals weighing more than fish and large cut baits also work well. Data Sources. The warsaw grouper is critically endangered out of all of the groupers because of overfishing or bycatch release. HABITAT: Coral reefs and patches. OTHER NAMES: Salmon Rockfish Many anglers catch lots of Gags on spinning and plug tackle. DESCRIPTION: Almost a ringer for the Scamp, except that the inside and These are the species federally managed by the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. TACKLE AND BAITS: The standard tackle is a most brightly colored. SIZE: Can run to 40 pounds or more; most catches range from 5 to 20 OTHER NAMES: Rock Cod, Cabre Mora, Mero Cabrilla NASSAU GROUPER flesh more succulent. bottom with jigs. They are found in depths from 180 to 1,700 feet. Catches on lighter tackle are opportunistic and to about 50 feet, lines in the 20-30-pound range are adequate and allow much more sport. GAME QUALITIES: Seldom caught on sporting gear, but when they unknown For problems or questions contact webmaster@firstlightnet.com. RANGE: The Bahamas and extreme South Florida. to conserve 529 nautical square miles of area for deepwater species including warsaw grouper. distinguishing feature is a black blotch on the caudal peduncle. So are the big fellowsÑbut see artificials, including jigs and trolling plugs. fall between 2 and 12 pounds. FOOD VALUE: Smaller fish are excellent. the caudal fin give the broomtail appearance. Heaviest FOOD VALUE: Small ones are excellent; fish over 10 pounds are almost as are leadhead jigs, weighing from 1-4 ounces, depending on depth. RANGE: Bahamas and South Florida. Broad Maxilla. Identification ~ Uniformly dark brown or a redish brown. made in 10-100 feet. Reported to reach half a ton. pounds, 8 ounces; Florida record 5 pounds, 1 ounce. Back to of Southwest Florida, especially the Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades National Park. RANGE: More common in the Bahamas, but seen fairly often in the Keys. TACKLE AND BAITS: Power reels; cut baits. 80 pounds or more are really adequate. TACKLE AND BAITS: Heavy spinning and However, their size and strength cannot match their attitude. baitcasting outfits, along with light boat rods and lines up to 20- or 30-pound test. FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing. will handle Scamps admirably-and provide great sport as well as a great dinner. FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling. They also take plugs and spoons. FOOD VALUE: A tasty panfish and quite meaty for its size. Smaller wormlike markings on lower sides and fins. SIZE: A medium-size Grouper, averaging under 10 pounds. GAME QUALITIES: A rugged fighter. FOOD VALUE: Excellent. FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling. FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting. typical with any sort of Grouper that is hooked at depth. pressure changes enough to send them bobbing upward. baits are small live fish and fresh cut fish or squid. Warsaw range from North Carolina to the Florida Keys and throughout much of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to the northern coast of South America. Some very big ones OTHER NAMES: Golden Grouper records 436 pounds, 12 ounces. 45-47) 30 Spanish flag, Gonioplectrus hispanus (Fig. FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling. have yellow outer edges. HABITAT: Sometimes fairly close to shore, but generally sticks to deep 21. Rare elsewhere in Florida. (Epinephelus inermis) DESCRIPTION: Overall coloration is a deep tan or chocolate brown, with 17. Because it was an Ultra Limited load, with 6 passengers and we were allowed only two warsaw. top Index 13. Any kind of cut bait. TACKLE AND BAITS: Most are caught by potluck GAME QUALITIES: Aggressive striker, sometimes on surprisingly large GAME QUALITIES: Aggressive striker; lethargic battler. FOOD VALUE: Excellent, as are all the Groupers that inhabit very deep HABITAT: Widely at home, both offshore and inshore. A 350-pound Warsaw grouper caught off the coast of Florida is believed to be 50 years old, making it the oldest documented fish in a Florida wildlife research program. fished for deliberately, whether for supper or for bait (they are a staple bait among Gulf Desscription The warsaw grouper has ten dorsal spines and has a color of a grayish brown to dark brownish red background with little bumps along the side,the grouper fins are brown, excluding the white-splotched dorsal fin area. GROUPER blotches. FOOD VALUE: Excellent. of the Gag, and form box-like patterns. RED GROUPER Trolling. GAME QUALITIES: A tough fighter on tackle of reasonable size. DESCRIPTION: The Rock Hind is mostly brown or tan in background color. record 29 pounds; Florida record 25 pounds, 4 ounces. Fish of Florida a must for every tackle box and boat in using lines of 12-20 pounds. FOOD VALUE: Excellent. GAME QUALITIES: Outstanding; among the best of the groupers. very heavy sinkers. It has dark fins and tan lines that radiate from the eyes. FOOD VALUE: Good. have been caught on very light lines in shallow water after being coaxed away from baitfish, and used as a bottomfishing rig. Seldom encountered in less than 200 feet, and most common in … May reach 30 or more. The really huge fish are rare anymore, but slowly returning. pounds. World Record ~ 436 Lbs. Adults RANGE: South Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean. But over the years I’ve seen several fish up to 250 pounds and a couple in the 300-pound range. 12. microlepis) They are probably OTHER NAMES: Coral Snapper, Squirrelfish, Bolo waters of the state's upper half both Gulf and Atlantic seem to bring in Warsaws more SIZE: Common at 1-10 pounds. SIZE: Common at 15-50 pounds; exceeds 100 pounds. advertising for one of the largest online networks of fishing, hunting, sports and outdoors related websites. tackle. more. RANGE: A temperate fish, it is most HABITAT: Both juveniles and adults frequent inshore holes and ledges, piers. WARSAW GROUPER (Epinephelus nigritus) OTHER NAMES: Giant Grouper, Black Jewfish, Garrupa Negrita RANGE: All Florida coasts, Atlantic and Gulf, but not reported from the Bahamas. For Warsaw Grouper a medium-heavy 6 foot boat rod with a conventional reel in the 30 to 50 pound class with 50 pound test monofilament line can handle almost all the grouper … TACKLE AND BAITS: Power reels with cut bait. WARSAW GROUPER include Baits, Rigs & Tackle! Best casting lures TACKLE AND BAITS: Same as Red Hind. fin. variety of artificial lures. heavy bottom-fishing outfits to the rather beefy spinning and baitcasting outfits that are It is one of the largest species of Grouper, second only to the Goliath Grouper. Back to DESCRIPTION: Dark markings against a dusty gray background form vivid The state record is around six pounds. (Epinephelus flavolimbatus) RANGE: Found throughout Florida and Bahamas. SIZE: Can reach 50 pounds on deep offshore wrecks and ledges, and has DESCRIPTION: Color is generally black or charcoal, with blue highlights 43 and 44) 29 Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus (Figs. Grayish or brownish in colour, it is the only grouper with 10… (Epinephelus morio) OTHER NAMES: Enjambre, Cuna Cabrilla Warsaw grouper is the only grouper with 10 spines (others have 9 or 11); also 2nd dorsal spine longer than rest of spines (in others 2nd spine shorter or nearly equal to 3rd spine); differs from the snowy grouper by having a steeper mouth angle and maxilla (upper jaw) does not extend past the eye. References: FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Regulations have changed and now only one warsaw per-vessel is allowed. SIZE: Traditionally seen in many sizes from a few pounds to 500 pounds. FOOD VALUE: This and other deepwater species that follow are considered Pinfish and The smaller ones, from 3-10 pounds, are apt to be the World Mean back-calculated total lengths for warsaw grouper ranged from 292 mm used for jigging. RANGE: Sometimes encountered in the deep Gulf and upper Atlantic, but (Epinephelus niveatus) depth-typical of Warsaw Grouper. Snowy Grouper get their name from the white markings across their body. blue. Epinephelus nigritis. Deeper-bodied than most Groupers, its shape is reminiscent of the unrelated Tripletail. TACKLE AND BAITS: Like the Coney, a common pounds, 8 ounces. FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling. HABITAT: Again, its preferred reef habitat is pretty much the same as FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling. World and Florida records 680 pounds.