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Goliath Grouper Fishing Charters
Inshore, Nearshore Fishing in Matlacha
4 - 8 Hour Trips With Capt. Logan
Everything to Know About Booking a goliath grouper fishing charter
What are the best goliath grouper fishing charters?
The best goliath grouper fishing charters are:
Why should I book a goliath grouper fishing charter with Captain Experiences?
Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 166 goliath grouper trips, and the most popular trips are Back Bay (Shallow Water) guided by Jack, Key West Offshore or Inshore guided by Antonio, and 4 hr Offshore Big Game Trip guided by Bryan.
Our guides are rated a 4.94 out of 5 based on 3899 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.
All guides on Captain Experiences are vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.
Looking for kid friendly goliath grouper guides / fishing lessons? Check out our beginner and family friendly goliath grouper guides.
What types of goliath grouper fishing charters are common?
Deep Sea fishing is the most popular type of fishing for goliath grouper as well as nearshore fishing, inshore fishing, and flats fishing.
The most common fishing techniques are bottom fishing, light tackle fishing, and heavy tackle fishing but trolling and live bait fishing are popular as well.
How much do goliath grouper fishing charters cost?
Prices for goliath grouper can range anywhere from about $750 to $5,680, but the average price for a half day trip for goliath grouper is $1,358. The average price for a full day trip for goliath grouper is $3,135.
Is booking a fishing guide worth the money?
Hiring a guide provides a number of benefits and many choose to book a fishing guide for a combination of experience, local knowledge, convenience, and cost-effectiveness.
Working with experienced fishing guides who know the best local spots and techniques can dramatically increase your odds of a great day. Having someone who is on the water every day and knows the area like the back of their hand is going to give you the best chances of success.
Booking a guide is also more cost effective, especially if you only get out a handful of times per year. When you consider all of the costs you would incur on your own such as the price of a boat, maintenance, insurance, gas, high-quality gear and tackle, repairs, and more, you’ll find that DIY is sometimes not worth the expense.
Even if you’ve got a great setup already in your home waters, booking a guide also provides a great opportunity to experience new techniques, new locations, or even a chance at a new target species to knock off the bucket list.
What month is best for goliath grouper fishing?
The most popular season for goliath grouper fishing is summer, and most anglers book their trips 27 days in advance.
Do I need a fishing license for goliath grouper and what are the bag limits for goliath grouper?
See here for more information on goliath grouper fishing licenses, goliath grouper bag limits, and fishing season regulations for goliath grouper. When in doubt, your fishing guide will always know the right goliath grouper rules and regulations.
What is a Goliath Grouper?
The Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) is the largest member of the grouper family. They have a stocky build (to put it lightly) with small eyes and a large head. They are yellowish-brown to grey in coloring, with spots that help to camouflage them against coral and muddy bottoms.
They are tough, solitary fish who can live in both brackish water and low oxygen levels. Also known to be fearless, they will defend their territory with aggressive body language, and by using their swimming bladder to make a rumbling sound.
How big do Goliath Grouper get?
Goliath groupers aren’t called “goliath” for no reason. These big boys and girls can grow up to over eight feet in length and over 600 pounds, which can be reached in up to their 50 years of life. However, the average catch will be between 75 and 150 pounds.
What's the biggest Goliath Grouper ever caught?
The world record according to the IGFA is a 680 pound goliath grouper that was caught off Fernandia Beach, Florida. It was caught on May 20th, 1961 by Lynn Joyner off of conventional tackle, using Spanish mackerel as bait.
Where is the best place to catch Goliath Grouper?
Goliath Groupers can be found throughout the western and eastern Atlantic. They are distributed from Florida to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, as well as from Senegal to Congo, as far as the Canary Islands. They can also be found in the Eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to Peru.
Young grouper live in canals, brackish estuaries, and mangrove swamps. As they become older, they move to shallow, tropical waters and can be found around coral, rocks, mud bottoms, and man-made structures, up to 150 feet deep.
When should I catch Goliath Grouper?
The great thing about goliath groupers is that they can be caught year-round. However, the peak season is from May to October during and right after their spawning season. The early morning and late afternoon is the time of day for the best bite.
How do you catch Goliath Grouper?
As mentioned, goliath groupers are known for their aggressiveness, strength, and ability to muscle their way through reefs and rocks to break lines. This means that strong gear is absolutely necessary, including line with a minimum 300 pound test, and 16-20/0 sized circle hooks crimped solidly to the leader, and a 50-80 wide reel.
Goliath groupers eat sea turtles and crustaceans, but some great bait to use include burrfish, catfish, toadfish, octopus, ladyfish, and jack crevalle. In whichever you use, natural bait works best, as lures tend not to tempt them. Also, with any of these, be sure to anchor close to the reef so that the fish will be lured out to take the bait, possibly bouncing it off the bottom, however far enough that you have a chance to pull them away before they break the line on any structure.
Are Goliath Grouper good to eat?
Goliath groupers were once known to be a very highly regarded quality seafood, making them an ideal target for fishermen. But they quickly became overfished which led to strict bans on keeping them in areas they’re found including the United States, the Caribbean, and Brazil, in order for them to be able to regrow their populations. Due to long lifespans and slow growth rates, it is expected to be a long road to recovery, and these fish should always be handled carefully and released to live another day.
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Other Fishing Species
- African Pompano
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- Blackfin Tuna
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- Hogfish
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- Jack Crevalle
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- Lemon Shark
- Leopard Shark
- Mahi Mahi
- Mako Shark
- Mangrove Snapper
- Mutton Snapper
- Nurse Shark
- Perch
- Permit
- Pink Snapper
- Rainbow Runner
- Red Grouper
- Red Snapper
- Redfish
- Roosterfish
- Sailfish
- Scamp Grouper
- School Shark
- Sheepshead
- Skipjack Tuna
- Snook
- Snowy Grouper
- Spanish Mackerel
- Speckled Trout
- Stingray
- Strawberry Grouper
- Striped Marlin
- Swordfish
- Tarpon
- Tiger Shark
- Tilefish
- Triggerfish
- Tripletail
- Vermillion Snapper
- Wahoo
- Warsaw Grouper
- White Marlin
- White Seabass
- Yellowfin Tuna
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- Yellowtail Snapper
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What's biting?
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