The famed Florida Middle Grounds has long been a top destination for anglers seeking to fill their fish boxes with a variety of bottom dwelling species and enjoy the solitude provided by this remote destination. Located roughly 90 miles west of the central gulf coast, this expansive area boasts some of the best bottom fishing to be found anywhere in the state. This article will discuss some of the best tips and techniques used to help anglers be successful in their adventures to the Florida Middle Grounds.
GROUPER
Most anglers think Grouper is the number one species target for an- glers going to the middle grounds. There are many techniques that can be employed to target these tasty bottom fish, but here are a few simple ones that have worked very well for my customers on my boat. We start out with a sturdy stand-up rod fitted to a reel capable of hold- ing plenty of 80lb. braided line or 60lb. monofilament.
Years ago the classic 4/0 Penn and Diawa conventional reels were the go-to choice for most anglers, but the advent of smaller stronger jigging reels has allowed anglers to use lighter setups to target bigger fish than ever dreamed possible. On the business end of the rig, I prefer to use a Fish Finder rig consisting of an 8oz egg sinker, a 150lb. swivel, 5 feet of 100lb. leader mate- rial and an 8/0 Mustad 3X Strong Demon Perfect Circle Hook. This rig should be fished directly on the bot- tom with a bait that is big enough so that the grunts and porgies can peck at it but not remove the bait from the hook. I try to build my terminal setups so that they are strong enough to land even the meanest of grouper, but still give the angler the sensitivity to feel light bites from weary bottom fish.
SNAPPER
The grounds are known for hosting a variety of snapper species including Mangrove, Red, Lane, Vermillion and the occasional Cubera, which is the undeniable king of the snapper family. Rigging up to target these notoriously wary fish can be a bit challenging, but with
a few simple tips anglers can be successful in catching good numbers of them. I prefer to have my customers fish with a foot con- ventional rod rated for 30 to 50lb. line and a small conventional reel loaded with 50lb braided line.
Again, a “Fish Finder” rig is employed with a 6oz. egg sinker, a 100lb. barrel swivel, 7 feet of 60lb. fluorocarbon leader material and a 4/0 circle hook, but this time the rig is fished 5-7 feet above the bottom where the snap- pers tend to feed. Smaller baits tend to work better for snapper, so I normally employ a mix of threadfin herring chunks, small pieces of cut bait and live or fresh dead shrimp. The ability to detect the light bite of a man- grove snapper is an acquired skill, but once mastered the fish box will quickly fill up with tasty snapper.
PELAGICS
Many people are under the impression that the Middle Grounds is an area that is only good for bottom fishing for Grouper and Snapper, but this is just not the case. Along with the typical bottom fish, anglers can expect the opportunity to catch pelagic species such as King Mackerel, Cobia, Wahoo, Dolphin and Blackfin Tuna using two simple tactics; flat lining and trolling. The use of a flat line is one of simplest ways for anglers targeting bottom fish to also target surface feeding pelagic fish at the same time.
On my boat we typically use a high capacity spinning rig for a Flat line rod loaded with 20lb. monofilament or 40lb braided line with 10 feet of 50lb. monofilament for a shock leader connected to a C&H stinger rig. I will usually hook the lead hook of the stinger rig in the nose of a threadfin or sardine and then hook the trailer hook of the rig in the tail of the bait. This rig should be free lined with the current about 60-100 feet away from the boat and the drag should be set very light so that a fish can take the bait and turn its head before the hook gets set. The biggest advantage of a flat line is that this rig is good for targeting all of the species that swim high in the water column and it doesn’t interfere with the angler’s ability to catch bottom fish at the same time.
The second technique that I use for locating and catching pelagic species is trolling. Trolling is a fantastic method to use when moving from spot to spot and I normally choose to employ a four line spread. We start out by staggering a pair of Yozuri deep diving crystal minnows to target fish that are down below the surface and then we troll a pair of C&H rigged skirted lures on the top to give us a chance at catching a dolphin or a sailfish. This simple four line spread will catch nearly any fish that swims in the top half of the water column.
For many anglers the Florida Middle Grounds is a bucket-list destination where big catches and stories of monster fish seem to abound. With the use of a few simple tactics this vast area can be narrowed down and a manageable strategy can be used to maximize every hour spent on the water.
It is imperative to check the weather for your trip and make sure that you are up- dated on all FWC regulations that pertain to the species you intend to catch. Tight lines and good fishing!
Captain Clay Shidler of Hang’ Em High Sport Fishing can be reached by phone at 352-586-2748 or online at www. FishingChartersCrystalRiver.com.
