Tampa Grouper Fishing

Though generally not what you think of catching on your shallow water hit list, Tampa Bay is home to a healthy and diverse population of Grouper. Grouper are mainly bottom dwellers, who dig hard, and fight even harder when hooked. Add to this their great taste at the table, and targeting grouper quickly becomes a “must do” in Tampa Bay.

This is a species that can be great during the cooler months as grouper seem to push into Tampa Bay after a few cool fronts. They can be found in semi deep waters along patch reefs and rocky ledges. Though, some even get pulled out of the mangrove systems.

Baits for targeting grouper here, such as gag grouper, can include live pinfish, live threadfin herring or pilchards, cut up bait, and even deep diving plugs . All of these will be dependant on where you are fishing and what the grouper are targeting at the time.