TBO.com - Live in the moment

Grouper Prevalent In Deep Water

Published: Dec 11, 2007

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Randy Rochelle.

Wow, what a couple days Saturday and Sunday were. A little bumpy each morning, then the seas lie down flat. Now let's talk fishing.

Jack Hexter and crew managed a nice box of gags and red grouper fishing some ledges and rock piles a little north of Tarpon Springs on Saturday. They said the bite was slow until around 1 p.m. and then it really picked up.

We found the same thing on Saturday a bit further south off Anna Maria. We bounced around from ledge to ledge in 60 to 75 feet early in the morning but only managed a couple of keepers. Then we ran offshore to a wreck in 140 feet of water and found the amberjack chewing.

We hit four spots in 140 to 152 feet of water and found hordes of hungry red snapper. After blowing through a couple of boxes of sardines trying to get one through the snapper, we ran back into 70 feet of water. We managed a good mixed box of gag, red and scamp grouper along with a few snapper and grunts.

Vance Tice and crew headed out Sunday and started off in about 75 feet of water 10 miles north of the Whistler Buoy. Tice said they managed to box some nice grouper and finished the day with 15 nice mangos fishing a large lime stone outcropping just south of the channel in 75 feet.

Captain Randy Rochelle runs the Gotta Go out of St. Pete

and can be reached at

(727) 365-3218 or go to

93islandercharters.net.