Jigging at night for snook, bonus grouper

JW_YakAngler

Opening day of snook season was a blast. I got a nice thick snook, and a goliath grouper that hit the jig so hard it tilted my kayak. I keep my drag really tight when jigging at this bridge because if you let the bigger snook(or the occasional black drum or grouper) get a running start there is no stopping them, your only option is palm the spool and hope the line doesn't break. With heavy drag the overslots tire quick and get to go back to the deep with no hardware attached.

https://youtu.be/nfRhhwA-LiU

The Cat's Eye

Very professional video. Nice work.

John McKroid

Looks like a lot of fun!  I wish the bridges around me were that productive.

Wra22

Great video. Thank you. 

Doc Stressor

You can't legally take a Goliath out of the water.  A kid in the Keys just went to jail for posting a picture like yours. 

krash

The difference is the kid referenced, and jail is a stretch, s his photo posted on FB was taken in his home and the fish was obviously dead...
He was picked up and taken to the police station, spent some time in a holding cell, and was then charged with the violation of an endangeded species act and released to be seen at his fair trial... 

FWC states: 

• Removing smaller goliath groupers from the water to remove hooks is not necessarily a bad practice, but this process must be done with care, using proper fish handling techniques, and the fish must be returned to the water as expeditiously as possible.

JW_YakAngler

Doc Stressor said:

You can't legally take a Goliath out of the water.  A kid in the Keys just went to jail for posting a picture like yours. 

Doc, thanks for pointing out the need to protect these fish and follow the law. FWC allows the removal of juvenile goliaths to remove the hook and briefly photograph. The student you mentioned transported the grouper over 100 feet across land to his dorm room to take the photo.
Removal from the water for hook removal of juveniles is a necessity at Piers/Docks and on kayaks. From a boat you can safely lean over and remove the hook. In a kayak your head and shoulders must stay between the gunnels or you risk flipping. It is not impossible, and I have risked hook removal without landing before when it is necessary, like when I leadered a 100 lb tarpon. It shook and broke the leader at the jig. There is no reason to take the risk with a 15 lb. fish that can be briefly handled without harm.
As you saw in the video, he kicked off strong enough to get me wet with almost no revival needed. After reading the press release from the FWC regarding the event, I will refrain from measuring goliaths in the future to speed up the release.

Spineyman

J W, what color jig do you throw?

JW_YakAngler

Spineyman said:

J W, what color jig do you throw?

My normal preference is white head with white body and blue tail, just because I have hooked up early in the evening before it got dark with that color. The last few fish I caught were with the same jig, a red head, white body, red tail. I do think color is overrated with these jigs and designed to catch us more so than the fish. I think guys will switch color and hook up on the next throw and assume it was because of the color change when it just happened that the bite was about to turn on. The bite tends to turn on and shut down real quick, sometimes in 15-30 minutes. When they are biting they seem to hit every color. I've caught plenty on chartreuse/chartreuse/blue and white/pink/red as well. I am fairly certain the jig works because of the "noise"(vibration) it makes in the water. That pronounced lateral line that snook have is what makes them so dominant in the dark.

Spineyman

JW_YakAngler said:

Spineyman said:

J W, what color jig do you throw?

My normal preference is white head with white body and blue tail, just because I have hooked up early in the evening before it got dark with that color. The last few fish I caught were with the same jig, a red head, white body, red tail. I do think color is overrated with these jigs and designed to catch us more so than the fish. I think guys will switch color and hook up on the next throw and assume it was because of the color change when it just happened that the bite was about to turn on. The bite tends to turn on and shut down real quick, sometimes in 15-30 minutes. When they are biting they seem to hit every color. I've caught plenty on chartreuse/chartreuse/blue and white/pink/red as well. I am fairly certain the jig works because of the "noise"(vibration) it makes in the water. That pronounced lateral line that snook have is what makes them so dominant in the dark.

Thanks for the info. I am heading down to ENP in a month and will likely fish Hillsboro Inlet as well. So just checking to see what I might need for the trip.