Description: brownish gray in color with dark worm-like markings on sides; strong serrated spur at bottom margin of preopercle, less noticeable in large specimens; fins dark, with anal and caudal having white margin. Often confused with black grouper; tail of gag is slightly concave, black is square; gag has white margin on anal and caudal fins, black does not; under 10 pounds, gag's spur on preopercle is distinctive, where black is gently rounded
Catching them!
When the fish are cold and lethargic, they often take up to 20 or 30 minutes to bite. Thirty minutes, a little chumming and a dead sardine on a light leader (40- or 50-pound test) and sinker (1/2- to 1-ounce) and the bite begins. Even then it's often so subtle it's almost undetectable. It may feel like a snag and it's not until you start pulling that the fish starts to swim away. It pays to pay close attention to your bait without banging your sinker on the bottom. We supply the bait and tackle!
Where found: adults OFFSHORE over rocks and reefs; juveniles occur in seagrass beds INSHORE.
Size: common to 25 pounds, can go up to 70lbs.
Remarks: forms spawning aggregations in water no shallower than 120 feet in Middle
Grounds area, January through March; current reseach to identify similar
aggregations off Atlantic coast is ongoing. Young gags are predominantly female,
transforming into males as they grow larger; feeds on fish and squid..
Fishing Report Links
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