Gag Grouper grunts and grits

Except for the Gag Grouper part...there's a meal for ya! If you have never had cheese grits and fried grunt(or mullet, for the real 'cracker') you ain't had redneck food. Sorry to pull the 'redneck' card, but hey, if the shoe fits....

After losing a couple of fishing trips to the bad weather we were happy to get back out there with our new friends Gordon, Leanne and son, Josh, to see what's biting. The latest cold front left the water very dirty but temperatures are still hanging in the mid-to-high 60's, and that means Gags galore! Our first stop in 50 feet proved it. The snappers were plentiful and the Red Grouper were short, but the Gags?....Check out Josh with a fine example of a Gulf of Mexico Gag Grouper. Great job Josh!

Unfortunately, Gag Grouper are considered 'over-fished' and therefore have strict limitations on their harvest. Sorry folks, I don't make the rules, I just follow them. And after all, it's all about the grunts anyway...grits are optional. Well, fishing was steady and we had a beautiful fish box that looked like a 'reef fish salad'..Grouper, snapper, porgie, scamp and triggerfish...minus the grouper, scamp and triggerfish, there was enough for a fish-fry for forty!

Thanks again to our new friends from Chicago...and happy fishing to Ya.Capt.Dan