Anna Maria Island Fishing: Get Ready for Gag Grouper Season!
I’ve been talking a lot about how amazing the inshore fishing has been on my recent Fishing Charters In Anna Maria Island but there is something seriously special coming in September that will excite many of you fishing enthusiasts… that is Gag Grouper season!!
Why Gag Grouper Are a Must-Catch Fish
The Gag Grouper are very special fish because they are absolutely delicious to eat and they fight harder then almost any fish in the bay. They are so exciting to try and get up off the bottom and just a couple of these grouper make for an amazing dinner for you and your family or friends! The only bad thing about Gag Grouper season is that it is only 14 days long from September 1st-14th… so we better get to it and take advantage of this while we can. These gag grouper have to be 24 inches to keep but I’ve caught them up to 35 inches on my charters and a 24-35 inch gag grouper can weigh up to 20 pounds.. they are super thick, fat, juicy fish that make for some table fare you will be bragging about to your friends back home. Now can you imagine booking my Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter, catching 4 nice keeper gag grouper, then taking them to The Waterfront to be prepared for dinner?! That sounds like an amazing time to me!
Top Techniques for Anna Maria Island Gag Grouper Fishing
There’s several different techniques for catching these awesome fish and they can be caught in 4 feet of water all the way to 45 feet of water this time of the year. One of the ways that we fish for these gag grouper is to troll for them with these giant heavy lures that we drag across certain rocks and through certain areas to trigger a bite from these beasts. This way of fishing them can be very exhilarating as it goes from 0 to 100 real quick when you see one of the rods get crushed! This is a very effective way to fish for these grouper on certain tides and in certain areas and can be very rewarding when you get them this way! Another way to catch these fish is to throw big live baits on shallow reefs, rock piles, sunken objects, and hard rocky bottom.. this is one of my favorite ways to target these big grouper and can be very fun to feel the thump of one of these fish while your holding the rod and feeding the bait down to the bottom.
Offshore Anna Maria Island Fishing for Gag Grouper and More
One of my other favorite ways to fish for them is to target them on ledges and reefs offshore 7-9 miles where they can have less pressure and you can have some of the areas all to yourself. Now you have to fish these baits a littler different when your in the deeper water but it was really effective for me last year! Another cool thing about fishing for these grouper offshore is that you never know what else you might catch.. last year on one of my gag grouper charters we caught a ton of big mangrove snapper, a few big beautiful male hogfish, and much more while we were adding grouper to the cooler. This can lead to a sweet variety of fish to take home or to one of the awesome restaurants that prepares your fresh catch on our gorgeous island.
September: A Versatile Month for Anna Maria Island Fishing
Another awesome thing about gag grouper season is if grouper fishing is not your thing then grass flats are wide open and the inshore fish have little to no pressure due to everyone targeting the gag grouper while they are in season. This can make for some epic days on the grass flats crushing the big snook and redfish! September is a very versatile month as we have big mangrove snapper around, of course the amazing tasting gag grouper, tons of life on the grass flats, juvenile tarpon all over the place, the cobia and mackerel are showing up on the wrecks on the beaches… etc etc! There is so many different species to catch this time of the year and I’m getting excited just thinking about it!
Book Your Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter Today!
Now it’s not generally our busy season in September so I will need some help from the awesome locals and visitors alike to keep my boat in the water! With that being said, if you book a fishing charter based on reading this blog I’ll knock $100 off the price for the month of September! That’s a pretty darn good deal if you ask me. So if you’re in town on vacation or want to get a hot bite after work let me know! I am excited and ready to make your Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter one to remember.
