There is no comparison to anchoring versus drifting for grouper fishing. Catching grouper and big snapper consistently requires you to set up in one location. But there is a time and place for everything. Bear with me…
For grouper and big snapper fishing, you have to anchor or use a long-shank, GPS trolling motor—like a Rhodan—to keep your boat in place. I have discussed this in previous articles. Next, you need to “set the table” for the gags, reds, and scamps. While anchored with 4 or 5 anglers on board, we send down several rounds of whole squid, regardless of what comes up. Whole squid dropped on Decoy Jigs create a chum slick on the bottom directly below the boat. After three or four rounds of these “freebie” squid offerings, we send down the live baits on Decoy Jigs. This offering is more than grouper and big snapper can mentally digest. They see a live bait caught by a crab or squid. It’s a Happy Meal to them. For this to be effective, your boat must remain in a fixed position.
There are now a few brands of powerful, long-shank, GPS equipped electric trolling motors on the market that allow offshore anglers the same benefits enjoyed for years by coastal and freshwater anglers. These machines will enable you to anchor “virtually” or set a heading, among other things. They are an absolute game-changer. I use a Rhodan, so that’s what I’ll call it.
Using the Rhodan alone is my preferred method. It will keep you in one spot, and it’s so much easier than anchoring in deep water. It is accurate, fast, effortless, and time-efficient.
If the water is too deep or the current is running too hard, we will sometimes drift with the Rhodan. We use the trolling motor to slow the drift from barely in gear up to full speed. It creates a good situation in which to drop baits for bottom fish while flying a kite out of the back of the boat. The Rhodan keeps the bow pointed into the wind or current, allowing you to deploy kites with live baits while also bottom fishing. It’s possible to fish for pelagics like wahoo and dolphin while catching bottom fish simultaneously. The kite will work the Rhodan hard and reduce battery life, so keep this in mind.
A traditional anchor allows you to fly a kite with baits out for wahoo while also bottom fishing without taxing the Rhodan to keep the boat in a fixed position. This combo, however, can only be used with a light wind. If the wind or current is up, a slow drift with the Rhodan is the best way to drop baits while tending the kite and float baits.
As I said, there is a time and condition for one or all of the combos, but I’m sometimes old-school, and you just can’t beat an anchor for grouper fishing when the water depth and current speed are proper.
SALTWATER TACKLE YOU MAY WANT TO TRY:
7/0 and 11/0 J-Hook Chin Weights: Target fish include Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi or Common Dolphin, King Mackerel, Wahoo, and more. Easy to rig!
4 oz. Crab Decoy Jig: Target fish for Striped Bass, nearshore Drum, Snook, Grouper, west coast bottom fish, and more.
4 oz. Tuna Squid Decoy Jig: From the eastern, western, Alaskan, and gulf coasts, target fish include: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Fluke, Flounder, Striped Bass, Seabass, Amberjack (east coast), Yellow Tail (west coast), California White Sea Bass (west coast), Grouper, Snapper, Halibut, Ling cod, and all Alaskan bottom fish.
8 oz. - 12 oz. 10/0 Squid Decoy Jig: Catch BIG Grouper, Amberjack, Giant Stripers, and more.
