Wreck ‘em on the rocks!

Drop a lead-head jig down in the Bahamas, and you’d better be ready for a fight!

“NOW!” That was the last word that angler Mark Maffett heard from me just before he was slammed into the gunnel.

The command had been given for Mark to drop his eight-ounce bucktail after a signature red blob on the scope showed itself hovering ten feet off the bottom. I don’t think it could have been more than five seconds for that kind of weight to make it to the kill zone 100 feet below. As the jig freefell to the bottom, it was snatched by what seemed to be an out-of-control freight train. The moment the reel was engaged, Mark was slammed to his knees. Using the gunnel for leverage, he did everything in his power to keep the fish out of the rocks. Finally, the defeated fish was coerced to the surface and brought to the side of my center console. A quick swing of the gaff brought the healthy thirty-pound yellowfin grouper over the side with jig firmly planted in the corner of its mouth.

Old school grouper jigging (with bucktail jigs) has been a popular and effective tactic for as far back as I can remember. There is just something special about a big eight-ounce chunk of lead with a 10/0 hook and a fist-full of bucktail that makes fish go mad. Add to it the enticement of your favorite live or fresh bait, and large reef predators suddenly act like kids in a candy store.

The most exciting part of this type of fishing is that you never now what you might connect with. The fact that an angler is quickly covering the entire water column in variable depths means that virtually any hungry species might decide to eat. Throughout the Islands, it’s not uncommon to pull up large mutton snapper on the same jig that just fooled a big red grouper. One warm summer day off the Abacos, we jigged a favorite spot for no more than 45 minutes. Within that time, we boated two oversized yellowtail, one large black grouper, two red grouper, two amberjack and three cero mackerel- all on the same white jigs.

Locating action is usually pretty simple. The majority of Bahamian waters that are conducive to grouper jigging are usually concentrated to a pretty tight area. Sudden drop-offs from the shallow banks and patch reefs take the bottom from 20’ down to 1000’ within 1/3 mile or less, leaving a small avenue to bounce lead. Zigzagging the bottom between set target depths while paying close attention to the depth-finder will reveal what depth and type of bottom the fish are favoring. Grouper generally show up as a single ‘blob’ or group of blobs on the screen. I am a huge fan of blob fishing. When searching for fish, I like to have anglers and equipment ready for deployment. When I see that blob on the screen, I give the command. If the blob was, indeed, grouper, one of the anglers will nearly always connect.

When you find an area that is consistently marking fish, drift. Grouper are territorial ambush feeders. They don’t like to stray too far from the security of their lairs. Most fish will sit right outside their hole with those eyes pointed straight up. When something tasty passes along, they will quickly charge it, engulf it, and head right back for the front door. No wonder why so many anglers suffer from battle wounds. The first five seconds of the fight are the most critical. Pure muscle with pulling and cranking power are crucial to keeping the fish away from its unforgiving hole.

Lead-head Tactics:
Grouper jiggers are as varied as grouper jigs. If you put three experienced fishermen on a boat and tell them to jig up a grouper, each will utilize his own proven technique. First, you have the “free-fallers.” The jig is allowed to free-fall to the bottom, retrieved back toward the surface and then allowed to free-fall again. These are the guys who usually catch the biggest variety of fish. Second are the “curlers.” These are the anglers who spend hours sweeping the rod in an up and down motion. Then you get the “bottom knockers.” These anglers keep working the jig no more than three feet off the bottom. All three methods are equally effective.

Throughout the Bahamas, the tide plays a key role when jigging grouper. The simplest concept to remember is “Follow the Tide.” On an incoming tide, fishing on or outside the drop off will not be as productive as shallower water may be. Much of this does not even have to do with the fish themselves. If you start your drift on an incoming tide in 300 feet of water, you are far more likely to get hung on the bottom as you quickly drift into shallower water. On the other hand, starting a drift at the top of the drop off and working your way into 60 feet will more than likely keep you right on top of the majority of fish, and the majority of the action!

An outgoing tide opens up some real opportunities. As bait-rich water spills off the shallow bank, grouper tend to line up and wait for the feast to arrive. Reverse your approach. Start your drift at around 60 feet, and work the jig directly off the bottom until you get right on top of the sharp drop-off. As you drift over the ledge, large sweeps of the rod will make that jig stick out like a sore thumb. The approach perfectly mimics a wounded or disoriented baitfish heading off the shallower reef into open water. Grouper will race off the rocky ledge and slam the jig!

The Right Stuff: Rod selection for grouper jigging is very important. Stopping power is what you need to consider when selecting a setup. Rod manufactures have found a perfect balance between action, stiffness, and overall weight. Up until a few years ago, you would have found me jigging a nine-foot fiberglass broomstick rod with metal guides and a Penn 4/0 Senator spooled with 50lb mono. While there is certainly nothing wrong with this setup, there are some pretty slick options out there today.

I sat down with Matt Posko of Crowder Rods in Stuart, to educate me on what to look for in a jigging rod. Matt built both of my custom jigging rods which have been put to the test time and time again. The most typical jigging rod is eight-feet in overall length. The most effective rod blank will be constructed of a fiberglass and graphite composite. The graphite is usually wound over the bottom ¾ of the rod with the top ¼ 100% fiberglass. This slows the action of the tip. The most typical guide for jigging is made of aluminum oxide. These guides handle braided line very well. You can also upgrade to silicon carbide guides, but the benefit will not really be noticed on a rod used primarily for this application.

For grips, I prefer a shorter butt section. I also like the slick-style butts because they do not get damaged in the rod holders. The fore grip should be foam and have enough room to comfortably place both hands on the grip. A gimbal bottom will come in handy for big fish, but it can also be capped when not necessary.

When it comes to reels, high speed is the key. A gear ratio of at least 5:1 will not only help get fish off the bottom quicker, it will aid in quick changes when baits get swiped. Star-drag reels are usually the norm, though lever-drag reels will obviously get the job done.

Don’t get overly ambitious when looking at a reel’s line capacity. Since jigging reels should be spooled with braided line, you do not need an ultra-large capacity reel as you might when loading with monofilament. My attitude towards reels is, the lighter the better. Remember that jigging is active work. Every extra ounce of weight will start to wear down the arms after a few hours. My personal favorite is the Shimano Torium 20. The reel is light and holds around 500 yards of 50lb super braid with a small amount of monofilament backing. My attitude is that if a fish is strong enough to overpower me on 50lb tackle, he deserves to win!

Braided line is probably the single most important part of your jigging setup. Since braided line has zero memory and nearly zero stretch, it ensures a quick and solid hook set. The ultra-thin diameter of the line keeps the jig straight up and down and cuts through the current with ease, another extremely important benefit.

Whichever size braid you decide to fish, be sure to terminate with a Bimini twist or other comparable knot. Use the doubled line to connect to a three foot length of 50lb monofilament tied directly to the braided double line with an Albright or similar knot, and finish off with a 100lb. swivel. Leader selection should be six feet of 100lb fluorocarbon leader. I am a big fan of a looped knot at the jig. It really gives the jig a bit more freedom to move around sporadically.

The idea with this setup is to avoid breaking your braided line when you get rocked up, and you will get rocked up! The short length of 50lb mono will be the weakest link in the chain.

Best Baits: Like any type of fishing, live or freshly caught bait will catch more grouper. If you don’t mind making a Gulf Stream crossing with a loaded baitwell, you can make the necessary arrangements to secure bait before you trek across. Make sure you give the bait plenty of elbow room. A three-hour crossing and a few more hours for Customs & Immigration means that they will be hanging around for a while before meeting their final demise. Live mullet are a favorite for grouper. The bait is hardy and handles the salinity changes well while crossing to the islands. Pilchards and sardines are also good choices of live bait, but they must be monitored regularly. Be sure to take any dead bait out of the baitwell and save on ice. These will come in handy later as great dead baits or chum.

One of the best-kept secrets of grouper jiggers is the grunt/jig combo. Anchoring up on a shallow reef and catching a dozen six to ten inch grunts before heading to the ledge is a sure-fire trick for enticing the largest grouper in the bunch.

The most visually effective dead bait presentations are a ballyhoo fillet or a butterflied grunt. Barracuda is also a favorite go-to bait because of its aromatic meat and extremely tough skin. One of my personal favorites is Spanish mackerel, which are surprisingly easy to catch on patch reefs and seem to be year-round residents. The idea is to fillet the mackerel then bisect the fillet down its entire length. This long strip of fresh bait, coupled with a double-hook eight-ounce bucktail, is deadly!

So when you’re packing your tackle bag to the Bahamas and grouper jigging is on the agenda, remember the sore-muscle cream and the aspirin. One thing is for sure; these brutes can humble even the most seasoned veterans

Know the law: Bahamas Rules & Regs:

Yellowfin Grouper
Warsaw grouper
Black grouper
Nassau Grouper
Red Grouper

Vessel Bag Limit:
-Twenty pounds of scalefish (snapper/grouper) per person may be exported from The Islands of the Bahamas. -Each angler may be in possession of any combination of six open-water species (wahoo/dolphin/kingfish/tuna). -A ban is currently in effect on Nassau grouper until February 28, 2007.