Here’s a quick breakdown of how to prepare this fish: It can be grilled, baked, fried – you name it – and can be served alone, on a sandwich, in a soup – the list goes on and on. Due to its mild flavor profile, grouper is versatile and easy to cook. Gag grouper has a very mild flavor, a light, sweet taste and large, chunky flakes, almost like lobster or crab. The fish was caught in 2018 in the Isle of Palms marina. The state and world record is a 54-pound, 4-ounce gag grouper caught by James L. “As for the reel, if you can get all slack and a few feet taken up in a few cranks, you should win.” State and world record “This allows you to feel the bite but have enough backbone in the rod to keep pressure on him,” Kaple says. As for the rod and reel, he recommends a fast taper 6-foot rod and a conventional reel with a 2:1 ratio. “I like a longer leader to allow him to swallow the bait before he feels any pressure from the line,” he says. There are many different choices for bait, but Kaple recommends a pin fish on a slip sinker rig. “If you can get him up 10 feet in a few cranks, you stand a chance – gags fight all the way to the boat, but those first few cranks are everything for success.” Pack up “The challenge is that they usually bite when you are not ready, and you only have a few cranks to get them from returning to their hole or ledge,” he says. “You can find them all around, from the Beaufort 45 reef to the 200-foot ledge at the deli and all places in between.” How to catch themĪccording to Kaple, gag grouper are one of the hardest bottom fish to catch, making it all the more fun. “In our area you can catch gag grouper as close in as 45 feet deep,” Kaple says. Younger gag grouper (juveniles) live in estuaries in structured habitats, including seagrass beds, oyster reefs and shipwrecks. Grant Kaple, general manager of The Boathouse, says, “They are generally loners and occupy an area of the live bottom or ledge you’re fishing on.” Adults live offshore and prefer hard-bottom habitat including reefs and wrecks and live bottom (sponges, corals and sea squirts) and depressions and ledges. Gag grouper are found in the western Atlantic, primarily from North Carolina to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, including the Gulf of Mexico. They grow slowly since they can reach 30 years in age they can reach more than three feet in length and weigh up to 50 pounds. ![]() Smaller fish are much lighter and have dark brown or charcoal kiss-like marks along their sides. Large gag grouper are dark brownish-gray above and paler below, with traces of dark wavy markings on the sides. Their overall coloring varies with their size. Funnily enough, gag grouper are most identifiable by their lack of distinguishing features. They have long, compressed bodies and cheeks with strong, serrated spurs. Mycteroperca is Greek for small-scaled nose perch, and microlepis is derived from the Greek words “micro” for small and “lepis” meaning scale, in reference to the small scales of this fish. ![]() The scientific name for gag grouper is mycteroperca microlepis. ©Margaret Thompson Local fishermen Peter Kaple and Eli Brunelli are shown with a gag grouper and a red grouper. VanMeter is the vice president of the Pensacola Recreational Fisherman’s Association. Florida’s Nick VanMeter is shown with a nice gag grouper. Though the name may be unappealing, we promise it’s worth the effort to catch. It’s the most widely distributed grouper in the region, with adults present from North Carolina to Brazil, and is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. Gag grouper has a mild but distinct flavor, somewhere between bass and halibut, making it a favorite to catch. Our favorite (and most fishing experts’ favorite due to the challenge) is gag grouper, so we’ll focus on that. ![]() So next time you order this delicious fish, ask your server what type you’re eating – you may come away with a new perspective on this vast fish. And while they are very similar, there are slight differences in flavor and texture, depending on size, species and location of harvest. We’ve all seen grouper on the menu at local seafood restaurants, but did you know there are over 400 species out there? Chances are, the grouper you are ordering is one of these four: gag, scant, black or red. Now is the time to chase these fun-to-catch and great-to-eat fish.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |