Pay Dirt!

Tips, tricks, tackle and techniques for trolling slobs!

The early morning sun scorched through the few clouds sitting over the horizon. It was a typical Abaco morning as my father and I loaded up my 31’ SeaVee in preparation for making our way back to Jupiter, FL. Finally easing away from our slip at Treasure Cay, we glanced over at each other and quickly read each other’s minds, “This day is just too perfect to waste. Let’s fish!”

We cleared the channel and rounded the bow across the shallows of the Sand Bank Cays and north into the Sea of Abaco. I engaged the autopilot and started scrolling through the Garmin GPS. Moraine Cay Cut were the coordinates I was searching for. A few quick key strokes later, and our course was charted.

The boat effortlessly slid through the crystal clear waters near Spanish Cay as the mainland grew more distant in the background. The conditions were perfect. A gentle, rolling groundswell lapped against the outside barrier reef. Approaching our mark, I pulled the throttles back to four knots and hastily got to work deploying a pair of wire-line outfits. Before the reel on the first rod could be engaged into the ‘full’ position, an intense strike rattled the heavy wire-line outfit to life. Not long after, our first healthy grouper was hauled to the side of the boat and swiftly gaffed. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our morning of grouper trolling.

The practice of grouper trolling found its roots with captains who were searching for larger fish throughout the Florida Keys and along Florida’s west coast. We all know it has also been used effectively by native Bahamian fishermen for quite some time. Unlike jigging, trolling for grouper has some very obvious benefits. Instead of targeting a specific piece of reef, grouper trollers’ are free to comb huge areas in search of willing eaters. In addition, unsought species like juvenile snapper and grunts are usually not a problem as large trolled baits quickly pass them by. Trolling also allows anglers to explore promising areas that they may otherwise pass up because of the lengthy time required to drift and jig for the purpose of prospecting. However, before you all run out the door and attempt to winch up giant grouper on the troll, let’s make sure that you are up to the task.

Rule #1 - Serious fish require serious sticks!

If you have never attempted to target these incredibly powerful fish with this innovative technique, you need to know what you are getting yourself into. Grouper are notoriously super-strong and enjoy devouring anything they can fit in their huge gullets. They also have a habit of running straight home after they inhale their prey. Many a Florida angler have been scared with burnt thumbs and bruised legs from attempting to prevent these stubborn fish from returning to their lairs.

For serious, relatively deep-water grouper trolling in 40- to 90-feet of water, tackle has to be stout with heavy-duty bent-butt gear usually the norm. Since high-speed wahoo trolling has gained so much popularity amongst the South Florida angling community, many fishermen are already equipped with the necessary armament to tackle these goliaths. Adequate rods should be in the 50 lb. – 100 lb. class and should have either heavy roller guides or ring style guides rated for wire line use. The most popular reels over the past two decades have been Penn 6/0 and 9/0 Senators. These workhorses are relatively inexpensive and their metal spool holds up well to the rigors of fishing with wire line. Some anglers opt for Shimano TLD or Penn International two-speeds because of the convenience of low-gear during a heated battle.

Wire has always been the most traditional line used on a grouper trolling outfits. Some anglers opt for stainless steel, but more supple and easier to work with Monel wire in 95 lb. test is the standard employed by the majority of captains across Florida and beyond.

Braided lines have increased in popularity over the past few years and many pros have switched to this no-stretch alternative. Braided line will not sink like wire line, but its ultra-thin diameter effortlessly cuts through the water. Braided line also requires less maintenance and unlike wire, it is not susceptible to corrosion or rusting. Nor will braided line build up a static charge when moving through the water and potentially part. If braid is your choice, spool with 100 lb. or 130 lb. test.

Terminal tackle for grouper trolling needs to be heavy, too. Start with a 100 lb. test ball-bearing snap-swivel. From there, the type of leader is up to you with either #9 or #10 wire or 100 lb. test monofilament a good fit.

Since serious grouper trolling demands such heavy tackle, beefed-up gunwale rod holders are a must! Preferred are the custom swivel-style which are installed with a metal backing plate and allow the rod to move from side to side as the boat zigzags over the reef. Such measures are necessary to combat the enormous strain that bent-butt outfits put on a rod holder during heated fights. Take it from me; I have been unfortunate enough to be cranking in a fish and have an un-plated rod holder snap under the pressure. This is not a situation I ever want to be in again with a locked-down drag and an upset 45 pound grouper on the other end doing his best to yank the rod and me over the side!

Rule #2 – Big baits equal big fish!

The most popular and arguably the most effective lures for attracting hungry grouper on the troll are deep-diving plugs. I am a big fan of Manns. The Stretch 25 and Stretch 30 are adequate and appear extremely enticing in the water while sending out a vibration that hungry fish simply can’t resist. I am not convinced that color pattern matters anywhere near as much as proper presentation. I have tried just about every pattern under the sun and have not found that grouper favor one color over the other. Regardless, whenever you purchase a trolling plug, make it a priority to replace standard treble hooks with a strong set of claws.

Skirted naturals such as ballyhoo and strip baits are equally as effective and their natural aroma will sometimes attract an even greater number of strikes. Most captains will tell you that to troll grouper with skirted baits, the lure must have a heavy head to the tune of 8- to 16-ounces.

The implementation of a trolling lead is also a popular topic amongst grouper trolling aficionados. Some swear by them and some swear at them. I am split right down the middle. Using a trolling weight really depends on what depth you are targeting and what type of lure you are sending down into the kill zone. Twenty-four to 48 ounce torpedoes are the most popular, though selecting the correct size and matching it with the lure or skirted bait you are using does take some experimenting. The perfect combination will come to you as long as you take the prevailing conditions into consideration. One thing is for certain; make sure you have a suitable shock leader between the lead and the leader. I use the same shock leader that I rig with when wahoo fishing, 20- to 30-feet of 150 lb. test mono. It is important to mention that by implementing a trolling weight, you open yourself up to an entire array of light-weight skirt/bait combinations that are extremely effective. One of my very favorite is the original, and very successful, Iland Lure. It is also a favorite amongst wahoo trollers because it tracks perfectly behind a heavy trolling weight. The same holds true when pulling this artificial at slower speeds closer to the bottom for grouper.

Cupped-face skirted trolling lures are also very effective. Granted, you may need some extra weight to get the lure down to the target, but the volume of water the concave face displaces coupled with the disturbance it leaves in its wake will capture the attention of even the laziest fish.

Rule #3 – Patience and persistence puts fish in the box!

Depending on conditions and depth of water, trolling speed can vary from four knots to eight knots. Typically, when grouper are hungry, they will dart after anything that passes them by. I find the sweet spot to be around five knots. While trolling at this speed, you can pay out line until you believe your lure is swimming at an effective depth no more than five to eight feet off the reef. When trolling in areas where the underwater topography does not remain constant, you can simply slow down or speed up to raise or lower the trolling lure.

Once a grouper is hooked, it is best to keep the engine(s) in gear. The forward momentum will assure that the fish is pulled far enough away from his hole and brought a little higher in the water column. From this point, slow the boat and make a wide turn towards the side of the boat that the rod is on. This move will assist the angler in quickly gaining line. For the most part, grouper become docile once they pop up on surface and can be manipulated to the side of the boat.

Mark every strike on your chart-plotter. You will start to notice patterns. This information will provide clues as to where and when the fish are feeding. Compare the strikes with local tide charts. Patterns will quickly reveal themselves and lead you to even greater success in the future.

“Where can I troll for big grouper?”

In the past, the majority of grouper trolling has taken place around the Bahamian Islands. With stringent regulations recently set in place, the future of this fishery is a bit uncertain. In the meantime, the above mentioned tactics can all be employed right here in our very own backyards. Nearly the entire state, especially the Florida Keys, is bordered by fertile stretches and patches of reef, rubble and rock which hold untold numbers of hungry grouper. You can always scale your approach up or down according to depth of water and the size of prevalent fish in your particular area, but one thing is for sure, when you hit ‘pay dirt,’ grouper trolling can yield phenomenal results!

“How do I rig natural baits for grouper trolling?”

Ballyhoo can be rigged for grouper just as you would rig them for any other trolling application with the exception of a little twist. We will use trolling wire for this example which can be substituted for mono.

-Start with six feet of #9 wire. Feed the tag end of the wire through the eye of a Mustad 10/0 3407SSD from top to bottom.

-Feed a 100 lb barrel swivel onto the tag end of the wire so that it comes in contact with the bottom of the hook eye. Complete with a haywire twist.

-Grab a second 10/0 hook and connect 10 inches of wire to its eye with a haywire twist before connecting to the swivel on the first hook. The goal here is to have the “J” of the trailing hook lie flush against the tail of the ballyhoo. Rig the primary hook in the ballyhoo just as you normally would.

When rigged correctly, the trailing hook will not affect the performance of the bait and will greatly increase your odds of a solid hook-set.