Catch Grouper On Jigs

Most anglers fish for grouper with bait, but jigging for grouper is also quite effective. And it has some significant advantages, particularly when you’re drift fishing over craggy structure. Not only will the jigs catch fish, you’re a lot less likely to get snagged.

You can use just about any sort of jigging spoon for grouper, but if you want to avoid that snagging issue, stick with speed jig style spoons which have the hook dangling from the top eye. Trebles swaying at the bottom of the spoon are far more likely to get stuck in the structure, but those hooks at the top rarely grab bottom.

Choosing spoons that are on the heavy side will also give you a leg up, as lighter ones will get pulled out at an angle rather than remaining more or less vertical. Again, this reduces the chances of a snag. Critically, you’ll also want to jig for grouper with braid line. First off, your sensitivity will be far better and you’ll know to swing for the stars the moment a fish hits. Just as important, however, the non-stretch characteristic of braid means you can quickly bulldog those grouper out of their hidey-holes. Allow them to dive back into them, and there’s a good chance they’ll abrade the line and break you off. For the same reason, choosing a fast-action rod that allows you to apply a lot of pressure right from the get-go is a good move. Also note, however, that you’ll want at least a few feet of mono leader between your mainline and the spoon since braid can fall victim to chaff more easily than mono.

Beyond these factors, fish jigs in the same places during the same timeframes you’d fish bait for grouper. Generally speaking, if they’ll chomp on a chunk of mullet or a live pinfish, they’ll pounce on a jigging spoon just as fast – try it, and you might discover that jigging for grouper isn’t just effective, it’s more fun than bait fishing, too.

Lenny Rudow