with Captain Frank's Secrets - www.captainfranksfishingcharters.com

First just a little fishing history about Captain Frank:

My dad started me fishing when I was three. He sat me down at the end of a dock on a cold day. He put a fishing pole in my hand and wrapped a blanket around me to keep me warm. When it was time to leave, I wouldn't go until I caught a fish and I kicked and screamed not to leave. Well I don't kick and scream anymore, I just catch fish!
I was so hooked dad would catch me fishing in front of our house in the street sewer when I was ten. He tried to convince me there weren't any fish in the sewer, but I just kept saying "DAD, WHERE THERE'S WATER THERE MUST BE FISH!"

A truer statement has never been spoken, and it is also true that what's under the water will determine where the fish are. It's easy to catch fish like Grouper and Snapper if you can just find them. They like structure, such as a coral heads to hide in and ambush bait fish or other sea creatures. Then they rush back into the structure to wait for another meal to float by. That's why many anglers get snagged right after they get a bite. If the angler isn't quick enough, the grouper grabs the bait and rushes back into his structure. The angler isn't really snagged, however, hehas just experienced a typical grouper maneuver. If the angler just eases off the line for a few minutes the grouper will come swimming out and if you're quick enough you have a 50/50 chance of landing this fish.

Now how did I learn about these grouper habits? My early years of grouper fishing took place in the Bahamas, where I first started sailing and cruising in different sailboats during the winter months. I sailed for many years in the Abaca chain of Islands. Fishing was a secondary but complimentary activity to sailing, both for food and sport. It was in Hope Town in Abaci, in the Bahamas, that I met a true island fisherman. Truman Major was my guide and teacher in the ways and habits of grouper and other game fish in the islands. He taught me not only how to fish but where to find them.

Thirty years ago fishing for grouper was a piece of cake in the Bahamas. Heading out toward the reef in anywhere from 60' to 90' of water, you could drop a good chunk of bait and wham you had a grouper or snapper in just moments.

As the years went by it became harder and harder to find fish, especially grouper. What happened? As more tourists visited the islands the local fishermen who supplied the restaurants and hotels began using fish traps to meet the increased demand for fish. Using fish traps in 60' to 90' feet of water they literally fished the local fish out and left very few to reproduce. It became very difficult to catch grouper unless you fished in 150' to 250' of water just off the edge of the reef. This area was a very narrow band as it dropped off to 600 feet almost immediately. Sport fishing for grouper became almost non-existent. It was only trolling for larger fish. In the deeper water that was available.

This prompted me to move my fishing boat and interest to the Florida Keys, and the Key West area in particular offered the best location because of its geographic location to the Atlantic and the Gulf waters. For the last 15 years Key West has been my base of operation for fishing as well as my home.