Hogfish Heaven

One of the best things about charter fishing in the Tampa area is the number of options for targeting the many different species the Gulf of Mexico offers us. One of my favorite methods is bottom fishing, with light tackle, for Grouper, Snapper, Triggerfish, Porgies, Hogfish….that’s right, Hogfish a.k.a. Hog snapper. Actually, it is a very rare occurrence to see one of these fine-tasting snappers come up on a hook and line, but Ken did just that on Saturday’s 4-hour fishing charter out of St.Pete beach. Check him out above.

 When Sue Nance called to book a charter for the guys-I was excited to see familiar faces on board the Jawbreaker. After all, repeat clients are what we strive for, our goal. Well, Nick, Ken, Jeff, Dan, Jamie and Craig were happy to be back and off we went. The waters were still a bit choppy and the heavy weedlines did not allow us to troll for Kingfish and mackerel in the morning. We decided to bottom fish for Grouper and Snapper instead.

 The bite was slow and spotty. These guys did manage to find a few big Grouper that could not be turned around in time, so it was a team effort to put some snappers in the box. We went extra light, and that is what probably produced Ken’s rare catch, and a few more break-offs. The fish box looked good and we called it a day. Heading back to the dock Dan spotted some Spanish mackerel jumping. After deploying some hardware we were into the ‘macks’ quickly. The boys added a dozen big mackerel to the fish box and we were feeling pretty good about the day.

 Call Jawbreaker fishing charters today and see why our list of repeat clients keeps growing. We have the equipment, the knowledge and the winning attitude to keep rolling with the changes that Mother nature throws our way. Happy fishing to ya, capt.dan