Tag: Grouper

Potential world-record snapper succumbs to ‘tax man’

Anglers at Dry Tortugas National Park are catching lots of fish, but many are devoured by sharks before they cen be reeled to the surface.

On Friday I was directed to the Delph Fishing Instagram page, where several images caught my eye and where three things quickly stood out:

1) William Delph’s clients catch a stunning array of massive and brilliantly colored game fish in Dry Tortugas National Park, Fla.

2) Because some fish are so powerful they take a long time to reel up and become susceptible to shark predation.

3) The regional shark population appears robust enough to cause frustration among clients hoping to reel entire catches to the boat, and crewmen wanting to send clients home with fillets.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXo_2ALn5a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The image atop this post is that of a red snapper that Delph Fishing estimated to weigh 45 to 50 pounds – about the same weight as the current world record (50 pounds, 4 ounces).

But as viewers can see, only the head made it to the surface.

Delph Fishing complained via Instagram:

“Well over 45-50 lbs this was one of the biggest American true red snappers we’ve ever taken only to lose it to the tax man in the end.

“Where do we go from here with these sharks? What’s really the next most effective move on how to fix this problem? It’s definitely gotten out of control don’t you think?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwkyXaaRr9a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The catch occurred several weeks ago. Other recent images showed anglers posing with half of a large grouper, a portion of another large snapper, and the head of another huge grouper.

One of those posts included a description borne of frustration: “Dear National Marine Fisheries, please focus on the balance of our fisheries instead of the over-protection of our Apex predators. The damage already done to our fisheries is out of control.”

So it seems that while fishing at Dry Tortugas can be productive, anglers who can’t land their catches quickly enough might have to contend with the tax man.

Massive grouper catch stuns crowd at Florida fishing dock

The rare catch of a giant Warsaw grouper on Sunday remains the most notable highlight, so far, during a monthlong fishing competition in Destin, Fla.

The rare catch of a giant Warsaw grouper Sunday remains the most notable highlight, so far, during a monthlong fishing competition in Destin, Fla.

The grouper, landed by Garrett Thornton with Capt. Kyle Lowe aboard the Special K, weighed nearly 350 pounds. But the official “gutted” weight stands at 333.8 pounds, making it the second-largest Warsaw grouper landed in the 74-year history of the Destin Fishing Rodeo.

“It took 30 minutes to get him to the top, but then it took over an hour to figure out how to get him over the side of the boat,” Lowe told The Destin Log. “It took all five of us.”

The rodeo record for Warsaw grouper is 358.8 pounds. The state and world record stands at 436 pounds, 12 ounces. That fish, also caught off Destin, was landed in 1985.

Lowe told The Destin Log that he had known of the whereabouts of a giant grouper in offshore waters since last August, because it kept attacking smaller snowy grouper his clients targeted with lighter tackle.

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Lowe promised Thornton he’d wait until an appropriate time during the rodeo and take him to that spot with heavy tackle. On Sunday he fulfilled that promise.

“We dropped one rod, one bait,” Lowe said. “I thought we were going to have to smoke out the bite, but he bit within 15 seconds. I knew it was going to be a good one, but I had no idea it was going to be that big.”

The Charter Boat Special K Facebook page is filled with posts showing footage of the grouper and the lively scene at the dock.

Among other notable catches during the 2022 Destin Fishing Rodeo, which runs through October, was that of a 101-pound wahoo, setting a tournament record.

–Image courtesy of Charter Boat Special K and AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar

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A catch so large that state creates new record category for species

A North Carolina angler’s catch of a type of grouper called a red hind has led to the creation of a state record category for the species.

A North Carolina angler’s catch of a type of grouper called a red hind has led to the creation of a state record category for the species.

Matthew Parr of Wilmington caught the 7-pound, 1.6-ounce red hind on Oct. 1 and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries announced this week that it has certified the catch as a record.

“Previously, North Carolina did not list a state-record red hind but created the category after Parr applied for the state record,” the agency explained in a news release. “The Division of Marine Fisheries creates new state record categories for fish that are exceptionally large for North Carolina.”

Matthew Parr with his record red hine. Photo: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

Catches of giant red hind are rare. The International Game Fish Assn. lists two 9-pounders, caught off Florida and Georgia, as a tie for the world record.

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Red hind are native to the Western Atlantic and range from the eastern U.S. to Brazil. They represent an important commercial fishery in the Caribbean.

The fish are reef dwellers and feed mainly on crabs and other crustaceans, and small fishes.

Parr caught his 21.5-inch red hind on cut bait while fishing with Capt. Charles Stewart Merritt of Salt Air Ventures off Cape Lookout.

Angler jailed for possessing protected goliath grouper

A Florida man was jailed Wednesday night after he was found to be in possession of a protected goliath grouper.

A Florida man was jailed Wednesday night after he was found to be in possession of a protected goliath grouper.

In a news release issued Thursday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office stated that Marine Deputy Willie Guerra spotted Ming Horng Yin walking from the Channel #2 Bridge in Islamorada to his vehicle with a fishing rod and cooler.

Guerra inspected the cooler and found the grouper, still alive. Guerra released the grouper and arrested Yin. It was not clear how long Yin, 52, was held.

Goliath grouper have been protected in state and federal waters off Florida since 1990. In state waters, harvesting goliath grouper is punishable by a fine up to $500 per fish and up to 60 days in jail.

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Many anglers still target goliath grouper while catch-and-release fishing. But rules are strict and fish “must be immediately returned to the water free, alive and unharmed,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The goliath grouper is the largest grouper species in the Atlantic and can weigh nearly 800 pounds. According to NOAA Fisheries, its range includes the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys in the U.S., the Bahamas and most of the Caribbean, and coastal waters off Brazil.

–Goliath grouper image courtesy of NOAA Fisheries

Massive grouper reeled in off Florida; ‘We caught a monster’

Anglers aboard a Florida sportfishing charter caught and released several large goliath grouper last week, including a “monster” grouper that weighed perhaps 500 pounds.

Anglers on a Florida sportfishing charter caught and released several huge goliath grouper last week, including a “monster” grouper that weighed perhaps 500 pounds.

“We all started screaming and hollering when the fish came to the surface,” Joshua Jorgensen, owner of BlacktipH Fishing, told For The Win Outdoors. “It was the largest goliath grouper that we’ve seen all year.”

Brent Fielder poses with goliath grouper. Photo: Josh Jorgensen

Jorgensen was guiding a charter last Wednesday for Brent Fielder and John White of Alabama and North Carolina, respectively, when they sonar-located a school of large grouper.

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“We were fishing out of southeast Florida,” Jorgensen said. “We were using false albacore as bait. In total, we caught over 10 goliath groupers. But this fish was by far the largest, with an estimated weight of 450 to 500 pounds.”

Fielder, shown with White in the water with the colossal grouper in the top image, was credited with the catch.

For the sake of comparison, the all-tackle world record for goliath grouper stands at 680 pounds. That fish was caught off Fernandina Beach, Fla., in 1961.

Goliath grouper must be released as quickly as possible. Photo: Josh Jorgensen

Nowadays, goliath grouper are protected in state and federal waters off Florida and harvest is prohibited. Heavier fish cannot be pulled out of the water for the act of release or photographs.

Jorgensen is a seasoned grouper angler and last February he and a friend teamed to land a 294-pound Warsaw grouper, fulfilling a three-year quest to document the catch of a grouper so large that “it took four grown men to lift it over the gunnels.”

Fishing for Warsaw grouper is strictly regulated, but limited harvest is allowed.

Boy lands massive grouper, but hopes for a record are dashed

The father of an 11-year-old boy was thinking junior world record after his son landed man enormous leopard grouper last week in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.

The father of an 11-year-old boy was thinking junior world record after his son landed an enormous leopard grouper last week in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.

Little did Isaac Amador Davis know that no such record exists.

The grouper, caught by Isaias Amador at Las Animas Island near La Paz, was nearly as long as the boy is tall. Isaac could not locate a certified scale in La Paz so he delivered the catch to Cabo San Lucas to obtain an official weight.

Isaias Amador and father pose with 23.4-pound grouper. Photo: Pisces Sportfishing

The Pisces Sportfishing scale read 23.4 pounds. Massive for a leopard grouper.

Pisces announced via Facebook that paperwork was completed for submission to the International Game Fish Assn. for consideration as a Junior World Record. Isaac Amador Davis also hoped the catch might qualify as a line-class record for 50-pound-test line.

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Pisces stated: “We are happy to see kids like Isaias enjoying the sport and awesome parents supporting them to do what they love and recognizing the value in organizations like IGFA. Congrats once again Isaias!”

https://www.facebook.com/piscessportfishingfleet/posts/10158991734818744

However, Pisces soon discovered that the IGFA maintains only an all-tackle world record for leopard grouper. The all-tackle record, for heaviest fish regardless of line strength, stands at 28 pounds, 10 ounces.

That fish was caught by Robert Wheaton in April 2017, in the Sea of Cortez near Loreto.

Since the IGFA maintains line-class and junior records for dozens of other species, For The Win Outdoors asked why leopard grouper has only one category.

Zack Bellapinga, Angler Recognition Coordinator for the IGFA, said basically that catches do not occur frequently enough for leopard grouper be included in all IGFA award programs.

“I would love for line-class records to be open to all species but that requires a lot more space in our database, which we don’t have, as well as physical space to store all the new record files,” Bellapinga said.

“With this being the case, we have limited line-class records to a set of commonly caught species. I am, however, looking to open more line classes for 2022 and will look into leopard grouper as a potential addition to our current list.”

None of this, of course, should diminish what Isaias has accomplished. His leopard grouper is still one of the largest ever caught, certainly by a young boy, and he landed the fish in only 12 minutes.

–Images courtesy of Pisces Sportfishing

Anglers land enormous Warsaw grouper after three-year quest

Two Florida anglers have landed a Warsaw grouper so enormous that it required the strength of an entire crew to hoist the fish over the rail.

Two Florida anglers have landed a Warsaw grouper so enormous that it required the strength of an entire crew to hoist the fish over the rail.

“It was a monster! One of the largest ever caught,” Joshua Jorgensen, owner of BlacktipH Fishing, exclaimed in a news release issued Wednesday. “The fish floated to the surface and we all started screaming. We didn’t realize how difficult it would be to bring this fish in the boat.

“It took four grown men to lift this fish over the gunnels.”

Jason Boyll (left) and Joshua Jorgensen with 294-pound grouper

For Jorgensen and Jason Boyll, the catch of a 294-pound Warsaw grouper fulfilled a BlacktipH filming quest that began with an unsuccessful 100-mile offshore expedition in 2019.

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The two tried again in January 2020, and reeled a monstrous grouper 150 feet from the sea floor before the hulking fish dashed back into bottom structure and broke the line.

Joshua Jorgensen with 294-pound grouper

Warsaw grouper are found in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, south to Brazil.

But catching the larger fish presents a challenge, in part, because there aren’t as many as there used to be (the current bag limit is only one per vessel). But also because the true giants are found at great depths and rarely stray from the safety of structure.

Jorgensen and Boyll set out from Fort Myers on Jan. 22 with Capt. Gord Daniher and a crewman aboard Daniher’s 42-foot boat. They ran for four hours to a spot called “Pulley Ridge,” where Boyll dropped a banded rudderfish more than 400 feet to the bottom.

The bite was almost immediate.

It took the strength of four men to lift the grouper onto the boat

“A giant Warsaw had taken the bait!” Jorgensen wrote. “Jason started cranking as hard as possible to prevent the monster from breaking us off on the bottom. After an incredibly intense 10-minute battle, Jason managed to bring the fish 150 feet off the bottom before being completely exhausted.

“I switched with Jason and continued cranking the fish to the surface. It took both of us to reel in this monster.”

Warsaw grouper possess sharp and dangerous dorsal-fin spines

The men wrestled the fish into a cooler and arrived at Fort Myers the next day. They used a tractor to hoist the grouper onto the dock.

Said Jorgensen: “The scale read 294 pounds, which means this fish was well over 300 pounds when we caught him. These fish normally lose 10% of their body weight before we can get them to the dock.

“It’s the biggest I’ve ever seen in person. The fish was longer than me, well over 7 feet in length.”

For the sake of comparison, the Florida state and all-tackle world record for Warsaw grouper stands at 436 pounds, 12 ounces. That fish was caught off Destin in the Gulf of Mexico in December 1985.

–Images courtesy of BlacktipH Fishing

Watch: Angler near hysterics as giant grouper explodes on bait

Video footage surfaced Friday showing the voracious nature and explosive power of Florida’s massive goliath groupers.

Video footage surfaced Friday showing the voracious nature and explosive power of Florida’s massive goliath groupers.

But what stands out in the clip (posted below) is the angler’s hysterical reaction in the moments after a grouper devoured a bonito he had reeled to the surface on light-tackle spinning gear.

Josh Jorgensen, producer of extreme fishing videos for BlacktipH, told For The Win Outdoors that he and his crew had been fishing in the Atlantic over a sunken wreck when the scene unfolded.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIGBXCKpbgH/

In the video Jorgensen says, “The dinner bell is ringing” as his hooked bonito languished at the surface. So it was clear they were anticipating a grouper strike.

Still, the strike occurred so quickly and suddenly that Jorgensen could not maintain his composure.

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“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” he exclaims, before laughing uncontrollably as the grouper vanishes into the depths with the bonito.

“The grouper in the video definitely caught me off guard,” Jorgensen said. “The grouper broke me off in the wreck after it ate my bait.”

The footage was captured during an expedition several months ago, Jorgensen added.

Goliath groupers are the largest groupers in the Atlantic and can weigh up to 800 pounds.

They’re protected in state and federal waters off Florida, and anglers must release hooked fish as quickly and carefully as possible.

Look: Jawaan Taylor reels in a massive 400-pound grouper

Jags OT Jawaan Taylor has been keeping busy during his break away from football and reeled in a massive fish during a recent trip.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars and NFL currently on break before training camp, a lot of players are taking time out to enjoy themselves in productive ways. For Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle, Jawaan Taylor, that involved some deep sea fishing this week.

During his most recent fishing trip off the coast of Jupiter, Fla., Taylor experienced a once in a lifetime situation, reeling in a 400-pound goliath grouper. Taylor posted the video via his social media accounts, which has gone viral since.

Per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, goliath grouper can get astonishingly bigger, as the largest one ever caught off the state’s coast was 680 pounds. That catch occurred off the coast of Fernandina Beach in 1961, which coincidentally is a part of the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

Still, despite how significantly bigger the species can get, Taylor’s haul was quite impressive and an experience Floridians would love to have. Plus, it seemingly gave him a good workout.

Per the FWC, the goliath grouper species saw a drastic decline in numbers from the 1970s to the 1980s, which led to harvesting and possessing the fish being illegal. That said, Taylor and company had to release the fish, but were sure to snap a picture in the process.