No sooner had Capt. Ed Hurst dropped anchor in 60 feet of water off Sarasota than Dennis Dube was doubled over with a braggin' sized grouper.
Nobody aboard was willing to offer odds that Dube, a skilled bass tournament fisherman and guide based in Tampa, would be able to bring his prize to gaff since he was matching strength against strength with a wimpy six-foot baitcasting rod that was more suitable for largemouth than grouper.
Probably his only salvation was that he was spooled with 30-pound-test Ande line and had about 24 inches of 50-pound monofilament shocker leader between his line and his 1-1/2 ounce Cotee Jig and white plastic grub tail.
Fortunately for Dube, he was able to get the beast's nose elevated and make slow progress in edging it away from submerged rocks toward the water's surface despite a bowed graphite rod that momentarily threatened to snap from an extraordinary strain being placed on the equipment.
Several times during the initial phase of battle his huge adversary would turn and dive for a rocky sanctuary below, only to be stopped just short of its goal.
The combatants appeared to be at an impasse until, finally, the fish began to tire and gradually surrendered to the inevitable.
Following 10 minutes of combat, which to Dube must have seemed closer to 30, Hurst was able to slip a gaff under the grouper's jaw and swing it aboard. The needle on Hurst's hand-held scales stopped at 23 pounds.
"Score one for the jiggers," said an elated Dube as the skipper placed the trophy into a chilled fish box at the stern of his 40-foot charter boat named Freedom II.
The purpose of this trip was to determine whether or not jigs will outproduce natural baits when fishing for grouper.
Judging by results of this and subsequent informal and non-structured "contests" during a year-long study in the Gulf of Mexico, the answer is an emphatic "YES!"
Matter of fact, a few leading offshore guides on Florida's west coast who earn livelihoods by putting clients onto grouper have now decided to switch rather than fight over the question.
Hurst was so convinced following our mini-tournament that he now uses jigs almost exclusively when taking clientele on offshore fishing safaris in search of gag grouper which are commonly referred to as "black grouper" on Florida's west coast.
"I saw then, and have since proven to myself, that jigs not only outproduce bait, but are far more economical," said the veteran charterboat captain who also owns the Siesta Chevron Service Station on Stickney Point Road and moonlights as a black belt Karate instructor.
Although specializing in bottom fishing for grouper, amberjack, and snapper, Hurst can also be found during the spring and summer months cruising the beaches off Boca Grande in search of tarpon. Instead of the light tackle used by the jig squad on this particular day, the guide thinks bottom fishermen should use something hefty, such as the heavy-duty Daiwa rods and reels, and spooled with the 80-pound-test line that he furnishes to clients.
He was even more convinced when he later saw Capt. Pete Greenan's one-piece casting rod reduced to three pieces after losing an argument to a large fish that buried itself in the rocks.
Hurst's "teammates" during the day-long competition included fishing show producer Jim Boullion and Steve Gibson, outdoors editor for the Sarasota Herald Tribune. The jiggers were Dube, Greenan, a respected backcountry fishing guide based in Sarasota, and the author. Referee and scorekeeper for the event was Vern Gibson (no relation to Steve), mate aboard the Freedom II.
The headline on Steve Gibson's fishing column in the Herald Tribune assiduously told the tale: "Jiggers Score A Lopsided Victory."
While nobody aboard that day caught a grouper matching Dube's heavyweight, a total of 39 blacks and reds did come over the rail and most were released. The scoreboard read: Jiggers 27, Baiters 12.
Just prior to upping anchor and returning to port, Gibson decided to change rigs and dropped a jig to the bottom in 85 feet where he connected with something heavy that immediately cut him off in the rocks.
Within moments, my rod bent into the shape of a horseshoe and I was able to bring a dandy 12-pound black aboard after a short but hectic battle. In addition to my jig stuck solidly in its jaw, the fish also had Gibson's 1-1/2 ounce offering in its mouth.
Rules for this and subsequent contests were simple. Jiggers used jigs exclusively, while "opponents" used any type of frozen, cut, strip, or live bait.
Hurst, at first, was skeptical about the prospects of jiggers beating baiters.
"I know that jigs are good for all types of fishing, but I just couldn't envision them outproducing natural baits," said the transplanted Kentuckian who has been chartering in the Sarasota area for nearly 20 years.
Hurst isn't the only "old dog" to learn new tricks along Florida's west coast.
In more than a dozen succeeding skirmishes, jiggers--in the form of either Dube or the writer--have defeated all comers from Naples to Crystal River, including several commercial hook and line fishermen, by ratios sometimes as high as 3 to 1.
To date, the closest encounter was a dual match between Dube and a veteran commercial angler out of Ft. Myers who were fishing scattered rock piles in waters off Englewood. The final score on that one was: Jiggers 14, Baiters 13.
Deep-jigging for grouper certainly isn't new. Generally, however, most offshore anglers are of the opinion that bait--either frozen or live--will outproduce artificials.
This same thinking permeated the ranks of offshore blue marlin aficionados until 1984 when the Walker's Cay Showdown pitted 30 boats fishing exclusively with artificials against 30 boats using natural baits.
When the smoke cleared on this two-day fracas--cut from three due to 50 mph winds on opening day--the "purists" emerged victorious over the "naturals" by the lopsided score of 9-0. The winner's had their $2,500 per boat entry fee refunded and three divided a $100,000 Calcutta.
So far as I know, the age-old questions concerning the merits of natural baits versus artificials for blue marlin was laid to rest at that time and has never been resurrected.
Capt. Jim Zacharias, who guides out from Holmes Beach, told Gibson that he catches loads of grouper in the bay on jigs. Until recently, he hadn't tried the lead-headed lure in deeper offshore waters.
"A jig is made to resemble a shrimp, and grouper just love shrimp," Zacharias pointed out.
"Therefore," he concluded, "it's logical to assume that a jig will be effective."
On some days it takes a bit of experimentation to discover the right colors and way to work the jig.
Hurst these days usually starts out by fishing his jig slowly.
"I've found that it's not always best to work it rapidly," he said.
"I usually send it down and let it sit on the bottom for a while before retrieving it slowly, just off the rocks or reef. Sometimes a fast, erratic retrieve is needed to wake 'em up. You just have to try different techniques and color variations before hitting the right combination."
The best jig size is often determined by the depth and tidal flow.
In some instances, a 3/8- or one-ounce jig is effective. At other times, an angler may need a 1-1/2 or two-ounce offering in order to reach the bottom.
During periods of extreme water turbulence I've found that it's advantageous to use an egg-type sinker above a swivel connected to the leader and lure in order to efficiently get the rig to the bottom.
Certainly there's no law against tipping a jig with bait of some kind, but Hurst has found that it's usually not necessary.
"If grouper are down there and biting, they'll hit a jig as rapidly as bait, many times even faster," he emphasized. "And, when using just a lead head and plastic tail, you don't have to worry about junk fish stealing your bait."
A jig is far less expensive to use than live or frozen bait. On several offshore grouper trips taken in the past 12 months, I've been able to use the same head with just four or five plastic tails throughout the day, while baiters seem to go through a block of frozen sardines quicker than the Andrettis turn a lap at the Indy 500.
One thing both Dube and I have confirmed in the past year of fishing the Gulf bottom is that while jigs catch far more black grouper, red grouper, mangrove snapper, and scamp, baiters overwhelmingly catch more squirrelfish, triggerfish, octopi, and porgies.
Why? I don't know, What's more, I don't really care because I'd much rather have a mess of gags or scamp to filet.
Copyright (c) 1997 Herb Allen. All rights reserved.
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