Something Giant, Something Unknown

[Tide1On]

Goliath grouper. I just watched a fishing show on espn and this guy was doing the same kind of fishing. He was using live jacks and live ladyfish. He had a penn torque 300 I think and was using 300# braid as his main line, not sure about the leader. This fish was breaking leaders left and right.

[Toona]

Goliath grouper. I just watched a fishing show on espn and this guy was doing the same kind of fishing. He was using live jacks and live ladyfish. He had a penn torque 300 I think and was using 300# braid as his main line, not sure about the leader. This fish was breaking leaders left and right.

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Agreed...I saw the same thing too and it sounds like the exact same situation. Giant Grouper aka Jewfish

[gulfstream2gulfcoast]

Almost certainly a jewfish. Had this happen many times on the east coast (sebastian inlet) and finally put a mask on and followed the line. About a 300lb jewfish....

[brysky]

Yes, I am thinking Jewie as well now, Been trying to get back under that bridge but every time we do it is early evening and not really late night... friends girlfriend gets tired and wants to go in as soon as she sees the dark... oh well, one day i will get it, thanks for all your guys help.

[Fortunamate]

i dont know might have been a grouper but a grouper would chase fish out of the water it might have been a big ass tarpon

[floridadeckie]

i dont know might have been a grouper but a grouper would chase fish out of the water it might have been a big ass tarpon

jewfish will. they've been rumored to investigate workers that fell off the skyway bridge when it was being built. I've seen jewfish spook up entire schools of ladyfish the same way a sail will shower flyers or ballyhoo

[tunatamer4]

i dont know might have been a grouper but a grouper would chase fish out of the water it might have been a big ass tarpon

Grouper will definitely rise to chase bait. I had a Gag for a couple of years and this thing would streak to the top of the tank as soon as I put his food in, grab it and head right back to his hole just as fast. It took about a millisecond, but there was a boil at the surface.

[Fortunamate]

would you look at this you do learn something everyday

[tunatamer4]

would you look at this you do learn something everyday

What was even cooler was one night while looking for trout on a local bridge, I saw menhaden schooled up tight in the light, not daring to venture into the shadow of the bridge.

After watching for a few minutes, I'd see the school scatter as if something was under them. Figuring it was bluefish, I just stood and watched for a while since I didn't want to lose my jigs to them.

Well it turns out these "bluefish" were actually flounder(fluke to you northerners). Everytime the school scattered, you could make them out if you looked real carefully.

I must have hooked up around twenty fish or so within 15 minutes, landing about six. Kept busting off due to 4lb test on the trout rod.

From that night on, it was like that until around Thanksgiving when the water cooled and moved the bait out. But the point is these "bottom feeding" fish were rising a good 7-15 feet to chase bait on the surface. I just wish I had access to the bank by the bridge to see if they would hit a topwater plug. God knows they ate ANYTHING that moved while they were there.