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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 19, 2002
Break out those deep-diving plugs with big plastic lips. It's grouper time in the bay.
Trolling for gag grouper can be monotonous. But adjustments in tactics produce rewards that outweigh boredom.
The first step is to make sure the plugs are tracking straight. Pull the plug slowly behind the boat and see which direction it goes. If the plug tracks to the right, adjust the lip ring on the bill to the left, and vice versa. If it doesn't track properly, eventually it will rise to the surface.
Hot pink is one of the hottest colors, as are gold and red head/white body.
Also important is staying out of the shipping channel. Law enforcement will remind you about the legalities of trolling the channel. Stay outside the markers and work the edges and drop-offs. That's where the fish suspend.
Once a fish is caught, throw out a marker and focus on that area. Sometimes there is more than one keeper on the same ledge.
- Capt. Rick Frazier runs Lucky Dawg Charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 510-4376 or by e-mail at captrick@luckydawg.com.