Goliath grouper season

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This attitude towards sharks and goliaths is why I generally can't spend more than ten minutes reading Spearboard threads before my blood pressure goes into the red zone. Some folks forget the ocean is a wilderness and not their own personal game larder. Occasionally the fish will get the better of you; if you can't deal with that pick up another hobby.

We are the dominant species. Everything this earth has to offer was given to us by God Almighty. It was by his direction that we were given the opportunity to eat Jew Fish (ironic huh), lol.

---------- Post added July 13th, 2014 at 08:43 PM ----------

You misread my post.

Yes he did.
 
Go with Kevin of Underwater Explorers out of Boynton Beach. He will bring you to the right spots. I've gone with him early September several times and always see large groups.

[vimeo]73668074[/vimeo]
 
You misread my post.

Sorry about that; I was actually agreeing with your line of thinking there and the mockery of the standard complaints against goliaths. This is what happens when you try to get involved in discussions after chaining together a short week of work, an apartment move, a full seven days of fieldwork, and then another day of prep for the next round. If I still got it wrong, mea culpa.

As far as the "dominion over all animals bit" - I'm going to try and avoid that third rail, but I figure if God wanted me to have dominion over groupers and sharks as a hunter I would not have been designed as a thin-skinned, small-jawed, blunt-toothed, finless, air-breathing biped with poor underwater senses. I don't have anything against spearing or hunting in and of themselves; I just see it as we have to enter their domain using a whole lot of clumsy gear that's somewhat effective for only a short period of time. That makes me the interloper who ought to be thankful for what he can get from the ocean using his equipment and skills - not the one who owns the place and everything in it. I don't have an absolute moral objection to the idea of spearing goliaths and sharks; I just would rather the reason be something more than "they get in my way."

Back on the topic, I agree that late August through the end of September they'll be a-hoppin' in Palm Beach County. Most of the wreck sites like the Castor, Mizpah Corridor, Governor's Riverwalk, and the Jupiter Wreck Trek will be packed and so will the Hole in the Wall on the Jupiter Deep Ledge. Dive operators will probably be up to your personal preference; the last two years I've used Narcosis out of Riviera Beach but most ops in the area will be doing goliath spawning dives at that time.
 
If you want to see Goliath/Jewfish, just come diving with me - see them every time I spearfish, more than even sharks, which I see an awful lot of as well. The Goliaths are more of a danger to us while spearfishing than the sharks. I try to poke them away but there are times that we have come VERY close to having to defend ourselves.
 
What is a Goliath grouper. Maybe I'm old school but I know what a Jewfish is and it really isn't a trick to see one. I can take you to as many as you can stand any time you choose. They are a bloody pain in the ass around here. We see all sizes from half pound to over 500. I took a group out to the gulf 2 weeks ago and there were 37 over 200 lbs on the tower off pavilion key. We were catching permit and cobia and they were rolling on 25-40 lb fish before we could get them to the boat. But I agree once ther put a fish under protection it takes a lot to take them again. As for eating them...anything over 50 lbs or so is course, tough and full of worms.

Let me know if you want to see some. I guarantee you will.
 
I just see it as we have to enter their domain using a whole lot of clumsy gear that's somewhat effective for only a short period of time. That makes me the interloper who ought to be thankful for what he can get from the ocean using his equipment and skills - not the one who owns the place and everything in it. I don't have an absolute moral objection to the idea of spearing goliaths and sharks; I just would rather the reason be something more than "they get in my way."

That was a well thought out, well written response. It's total crap. But well written crap. Should our blunt tooth be spent eating much tougher meat like pork, chicken, steak, etc? Or the tender goodness of grouper? Secondly, if your gear is clumsy and only somewhat effective, I suggest you work on getting better gear, or perhaps better skills. My gear is awesome. It's tight, streamlined, and just frigging stellar. Oh, and it works for a bit longer than a "short period of time" How about 10 hours at virtually any recreational or technical depth. But, even if we eliminated all that gear, and only relied on our own abilities and a pole fashioned out of a branch of wood, it'd still be possible to slay Jew Fish free diving. Again, God said we could eat pretty much every animal. Oh and lastly....I don't remember ever saying I did it because they get in my way. Jew Fish taste great. That's why I want to shoot them. Food is yummy. Jew Fish food is even more yummier than most other non Jew Fish food. :)

---------- Post added July 18th, 2014 at 12:25 AM ----------

anything over 50 lbs or so is course, tough and full of worms.

.

That might be the case with Jew Fish from the Gulf. I know the larger grouper I've shot there were wormy. We don't really have the same issue on the Atlantic side. I'm not sure if that has to do with water temperature or depth or what, but it hasn't been my experience on the East Coast.
 
Dang now I will be more thoroughly inspecting my blackened fish for worms! Thanks for the visual...:wink:

Mike
 
wow did this get off topic.

Thru august and September i'll be taking people out for grouper aggregation dives on several different charters from Jupiter and the Palm Beaches. These dives are always awesome experiences. The grouper are even friendly and often interact with divers. Mostly because they are so damn big they are not scared of anything. Look for the Vero Beach Scuba club on facebook and come grouper dive with us!
 
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