little fish

[4wheels]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/04/27-pound-grouper-caught-in-gulf-mexico/?intcmp=latestnews

Just what would you do with a fish this big?

[louieagarcia]

Wow, you don't see many that big anymore. Grouper is one of my favorite fish!

I remember seeing Jeremy Wade (River Monsters) catching a 250# one in brackish water in Florida. Crazy stuff.

[GarGuy]

There are some monsters in the ship channel down at Texas city. Im told its illegal to even boat one of them though. I have a buddy that caught some giants there using big stingrays for bait but released them.

[AtTheWall]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/04...cmp=latestnews

Just what would you do with a fish this big?

My hope is....release it. They don't eat well at this size.

The record fish hit 681lbs (FloridA) and they can go up to 1,000lbs. The fish here, is still a pup and they can grow up to 10ft in length if they are allowed to get there. They are a slow growing fish and live a super long time...at least they are making a comeback. There was a point where we nearly fished them into extinction along the SE US coastlines.

We caught a few around the 100lb and smaller mark in the Everglades. By catch chasing poons with live bait in some of the backbay areas. They root up under mangroves and lay up in shade along channels. If they are left alone, many will live under docks and pilings in relatively shallow water (20 - 60ft) in areas like the extreme southern reaches of Florida. Here in Texas, they center up on oil platforms with the biggest typically taking position dead center between the pilings. There was an old helicopter wreck under one of the rigs offshore where a big old Jewfish made his home inside the fuselage. Very adaptable fish but they take decades upon decades to grow - lives probably upward to 100 years old.

[J-Bob]

Fish fry!!

[stickerpatch59]

i thought that they were illegal to keep as well. on protected / endangered species list????

[Cazador]

i thought that they were illegal to keep as well. on protected / endangered species list????

The Goliath Grouper also known as Jew fish are protected. I think they quit calling them Jew fish for PC reasons. The one in the article is a Warsaw Grouper which are not protected.

[AtTheWall]

Good Warsaw

Here's the world record from Florida.

Live around 50+ years.