Jigging for Grouper
While most grouper anglers are using live or dead bait to supply their grouper sandwiches, dropping down a jig or bucktail to coax a grouper off of his rock can be a ton of fun and extremely productive. When you know your favorite spot is holding them but they are being finicky on baits, jigging can often be the ticket producing a reaction based strike that triggers their predatory instinct. Best places to jig for black, gag, red, and scamp grouper include hardbottom outcroppings, reefs, wrecks, oil rigs, and other structures that hold baitfish and provide hiding spots for ambushing their prey. Both spinning and conventional gear can be used for grouper jigging, but spinning gear is far more popular with beginners that are not going extremely deep and a ton of line capacity is not needed.
The best grouper jigging spinning reels include the Shimano Stella STL8000SWPG and Daiwa Saltiga 5000, however there are plenty of budget conscious options that will more than get the job done. The Shimano Saragosa 8000 and 10000, Daiwa Saltist 5000, and Penn Slammer SLAIII6500 are all more than capable if you are just getting started. If you want to go the conventional route, the Accurate Boss Valiant 600PN, Shimano Talica 12 and 16, and Shimano Torium 16HGA will all get the job done.
Grouper jigging rods will be substantially shorter than your dedicated grouper bottomfishing rods, with 6’ and less being most common. Black Hole Cape Cod Special 250g, OTI Fathom Blade 300g, and Shimano Trevala 58XXH rods in both spinning and conventional models are all fantastic options that are super light weight with plenty of power and action to fool and whoop up on the best of them. The name of the game is keeping your jigging setup super light weight, which will keep your arm and back fresh all day long.
The only option as far as mainline will be a full spool of braided line between 50 and 80lb, with the best options being Power Pro Maxcuatro, Daiwa J Braid, and Momoi Diamond Braid. The braided line will dramatically increase your line capacity over monofilament line, and will decrease the scope in your line so that your presentation is as vertical as possible. On the end of your braided line you can either attach directly to a 4-6’ section of 80lb Seaguar Fluorocarbon via an Albright or Uni to Uni knot, or use a Spro 130lb barrel swivel between your line and leader. From here you can crimp or tie your leader directly to a solid ring with an assist hook and split ring attached. This will allow for quick and seamless change-outs of jigs, since you will only have to attach and detach the jig via the split ring. Best to keep a solid pair of split ring pliers close by. If you are using a bucktail, you can simply attach directly to the jig and avoid the rest of the terminal tackle.
Some of the most popular grouper jigs include the Bluewater Candy Rosco Jigs, Shimano Butterfly Jigs, OTI Jagers. You will want to send the jig all the way to the bottom and aggressively jig upwards to entice a reaction strike. It will not be productive to continue to jig all the way through the water column unless you are fishing around an oil rig where the fish may be suspended on the rig. Otherwise keep your jig at the bottom and reel in about 20-30’ towards the surface and then drop back down to stay in the strike zone longer. The higher you get in the water column also increases the probability of hooking amberjack aka Reef Donkeys, king mackerel, and more.