What are the best techniques and or lures/bait for catching grouper, snapper, & other large fish species?

Question

I'm fishing on a saltwater charter boat tomorrow and would like to increase my chances of catching a larger species fish. I'm not a "sport fisherman" and have no idea what a lot of the terms in the local bait/tackle shop are. I've heard that clarkspoons are good but have no experience whatsoever with how they are used. Also, what are fishing skirts used for and how do they work?

Answer 1

Snapper & Grouper like ANY live or cut bait. (Anchovies, Sardines, Squid, Herring, Medhadden, ect)



Most jigging is done with silver spoons, or with skirted lures. The skirts add a life-like effect to the jigs.

Answer 2

any large reel and rod should be sufficent. try for a Penn power stick or a Shakespeare ugly stick. for a reel, maybe an Okuma or Pfluger, but if youre on a budget, most sporting stores sell a decent deep sea Shakespear for about $30. for tackle, try live bait, if the boat caries it, or a nice lure like any large Rapala Magnum or a Mega Bite. squid strips work well on lures as well to keep the fish on.



oh yeah, and good luck, get the big one!

Answer 3

I tend to just pull my shopping cart up to the cooler and start filling it up. They have all kinds of stuff at the grocery store and typically it isn't hard to get.



Sometimes you may get an overzealous shopper who thinks they need to take it all. You can either a) ram them with your cart, or b) make friends with the dudes in the meat dept and have them bring out some fresh stuff for you.



Happy fishing!

Answer 4

Hey, email me at [e-mail]. I fish quite a bit in the gulf of mexico. Send me an email, nothing I like talking about better than fishing.