Fishing Grouper on Softbaits – Part 5
Fighting A Grouper
By: Phil Foo
It has been established back in part 1 that groupers are no marathon runners or sprinters. That does not mean that they are weak fishes. When a grouper takes your bait and feels the tension, the first thing it does is to shoot back to its hideout or a nearby hideout. This burst of action is a powerful one and the pressure on your rod can be really high.
[ If it manages to swim into a hole; release the pressure and hopefully the grouper does not spit out your hook… ]
With a high drag setting you can sometimes stop a grouper from getting back to its hideout or a nearby hideout. The grouper may stop for a short time to look for another hideout to shoot to. With this in mind; it makes sense to keep a good pressure on your hard fighting grouper. Pull it up towards the surface without the opportunity to shoot into any hideout or holes.
Notice the swim bladder of the grouper protruding out its mouth. Yes, this grouper was caught on jig. However, it illustrates the bloating of the fish’s swim bladder when pulled up from deeper waters.
Groupers; definitely a tough and powerful fish to play with especially one this big.
Should you be fishing at a relatively deep depth; when the grouper reaches a certain depth as you pull it up towards the surface the fight turns from fighting a bull to pulling up dead weight. Should you feel this it simply means that the changes in pressure has caused the grouper’s swim bladder to be pushed out of its body via the mouth. This happens because the grouper did not have time to balance the pressure. It will no longer be able to put up a strong and hard fight. What you are now fighting is the current of the sea. Now all you have to do is to pull it up and back to your boat.
Fishing From Land
Should you be hooked on to a grouper whilst fishing on land, the fish will fight hard all the time looking for a hole to swim into. If it manages to swim into a hole; release the pressure and hopefully the grouper does not spit out your hook. This is the same for when you are fishing on a boat. What happens when a grouper gets to a hole is that it will enlarge its body to hold on to the inside of the hole making it hard for you to pull it out.
Land based fishing for grouper. Groupers caught on land fight hard too; running for shelter.
Groupers love softbaits too.
With the pressure gone the grouper may relax itself (since it cannot hold such a position for long) allowing you the opportunity to pull it out. Sometimes the grouper may just swim out and head back to its own hideout. This is when you pick-up the fight and continue reeling it in. Keep the tension on until the fish reaches the banks and into your scoop net.
We have come to the end of this five parts series; Fishing Groupers On Soft Baits. This series most certainly gives you ample information needed to help you to catch groupers on soft baits. Should you have any questions with regards to fishing groupers on soft baits; feel free to send us an email and we will gladly come back to you with answers. Stay safe and fish responsibly.
