Trolling Plugs for Florida Keys Grouper

Aldous Huxley writes that the solitary figure against a wide open foreground and background signifies the value of visionary art as nothing else does. When I read these words 40 years ago, it seemed obvious to me that the idea is symbolic of the individual human being alone in a wide open world, but as I recall, I never came upon Huxley confirming the notion. Maybe he thought it was too obvious to comment on.

The single stunted tree stands about the same height on the islet in the Atlantic a few hundred yards from Bahia Honda Key, as when last we paid respects in 2012. This time, Matt and I had motored out to the reef and to the drop over 85 feet of water, the seas rough, but we got out there without much fear. Jigging didn't seem doable, because pushed by the wind and flow of the waves up top, the boat drifted a considerable distance before a heavy jig would hit bottom. But of course, on Matt's first or second drop, his jig hit bottom, and when he lifted, he found it snagged.

I prepped Matt on using the rods before we flew down. I should have flexed one of the two we owned, to ensure that his memory held in place. Hanging bottom with 50-pound test and heavy drag, he held his rod high. Jigging rods are not pool cue stand-up rods. Mine is rated for 50 to 100-pound braid, but is constructed to be an amazingly light-weight tool. You would never think it has such a high rating, unless familiar with the sort. Listening closely to videos, I learned that when held with too much bend in the rod, it is likely to explode, a point which did not surprise me.

Deep bend in his rod, Matt's broke. He called for my help, pathetically, so I immediately motioned that all was OK, took his rod in hand just before he might have lost the reel with it, aimed at the snag, thumbed the spool, let line break.

No big deal. Told him he can fish bait. I later filled him that since I am more informed on jigging rods than when we bought these in 2012, his new rod will be even better. Besides, the technology advances. We don't pay $1000.00 for a rod, because we don't jig all the time, but Shimano is a good make.

Shortly thereafter, I reeled in a small yellowtail snapper from the bottom. I don't recall if I was already sick, but I did get seasick for the first time in my life, vomiting over the side.

"Eat these chips," Matt said, "The salt will stabilize your stomach."

I worried that if the sickness persisted or got worse, I might be compromised at manning the boat. Matt had driven it over the rough inshore, but out here, the rough would be difficult for a neophyte. Possibly not doable, for all I knew. Only after arrival back here in New Jersey, it occurred to me that I should have let him try. Soon, he might have a son. I have experience at boating rough from my youth. I missed an opportunity to expose him to some while he actually stood at the wheel.

So you can guess I got better. But the seas had suddenly got higher, the space between wave crests narrower. It was not because I felt sick that I said, "We should go in." The sickness had entirely left me.

What if the seas were to get even worse?

I assume they did, because while we fished Bahia Honda, wind increased. It had taken us awhile to get in; I couldn't safely run the boat as fast as I did as we came out. I said to Matt once, "Did you feel the boat twist!?" And then I told him that if the wave was higher, the crests even steeper, the boat would have rolled.

It's not cool to roll your boat there. The water temp was 76.74. But sharks all over.

As we fished Bahia Honda, a small craft advisory had been issued.

Right off the bat, I caught a beautiful 14-plus-inch lane snapper. They're usually six or seven inches long. Went in the cooler. Shrimp bait. Soon I cut up a grunt and we tried to catch grouper, but the only grouper caught while we fished bait was my smallish red grouper on a big piece of shrimp.

Action slowed. Something prompted me to think of trolling plugs. And then I remembered Matt had caught a seven-pound Nassau grouper while trolling a plug from the sailboat while enrolled in Seabase of the Boy Scouts of America. Down here in the Keys. Would it work? Like most questions, it couldn't truly be answered without physical trial.

Took awhile, but Matt finally boated a 12-inch black grouper on a Bandit Walleye Deep, a diving minnow-shaped plug that gets way down. We marked water as deep as 24.7 feet, but this fish hit as we arrived upon shallows. I guess it was from 12 feet of water.

Matt enjoyed more action. Nothing wanted my Rapala diver. But nothing wanted my other Bandit, when I put that on instead. Matt caught all five groupers, two of them pretty nice: a black grouper of about 18 inches, a red grouper I measured at about 17.  They were in that shallower water. Before we went in, we talked about the possibility of a keeper red grouper--legal only inshore, in Gulf waters--and concluded it's probably like bass up here. Plenty of them 18 inches, but 20 inches rare. Or like fluke. How many 17 inches? How many 18?

We took a quick break at the cottage before Trish came out with us We motored under the bridge and trolled straight up Bogie Channel, something slamming Matt's Bandit within minutes. It cut the line, likely a barracuda. A minute later, Matt rigged with the other Bandit, something ploughed into my Rapala. The fight dogged, the fish felt plenty heavy on the jigging rod, so when I saw it was a nice red grouper, I said, "This one could be a keeper!"

Well, that would be too amazing, I guess. Exclamation is usually uttered by a fool. We had just a few fish for dinner. So that night, we ordered pizza, but it was delicious pizza. Gave the delivery a girl a fat tip, even before we knew how good. Trish did eat snapper again, however.

The grouper was fat enough, but measured--barely--19 inches. Twenty inches is legal size.

Matt caught a couple more small ones. So seven groupers jigged by him.

We caught fish.

Old Bahia Honda rail bridge.

Lane Snapper

Red grouper on shrimp.

Matt's first black grouper.

Triggerfish Matt caught.

Matt's Biggest black grouper. When this fish came into my view over the side of the boat in the water, I felt deeply moved by its dignity and size.

My trolled red grouper.

By the way, I can't get that silly white marking under the sentence about small craft advisory off the page.

https://littonsfishinglines.blogspot.com/2012/07/cero-mackerel-groupers-snappers-bahia.html