Great wreck fishing for groupers and snappers

Ever

Some days, the keep on biting.

For Capt. Bouncer Smith, Sunday was one of those days.

Instead of fishing for dolphin, Austin Downing, his father, David, and two friends wanted to go wreck fishing. So Smith went out Government Cut on Bouncer’s Dusky 33 and hopped from one wreck to another in 200-300 feet.

By the end of the trip, the Downings and their friends had caught black, red and gag groupers, mutton snappers and amberjacks.

“It was like you could do no wrong,” said Smith, who used live pinfish, grunts and herring for bait. “The first wreck we caught a gag grouper. The second wreck, David was fighting a fish on the bottom and he was just winding and winding and winding.”

Fortunately, Smith said, “therewere no sharks in the Atlantic Ocean,” and Downing eventually landed a 30-pound black grouper before it got eaten.

After hitting several other wrecks, Smith trolled for a little bit. His anglers caught a kingfish and another one that got chomped in half and a couple of bonitos, then asked Smith if they could go back to wreck fishing.

Smith noted that after a slow day Saturday, his luck changed that evening while fishing around Government Cut. Near theendof the trip, the snook suddenly turned on and his anglers caught and released five big fish.

Sunday’s trip was followed fish just by an inshore trip on Monday that produced five snook, a mutton snapper, 10 jack crevalles and a tarpon that jumped off.

Tuesday, Smith guided two dads and their 10-year-old sons to a bunch of bonitos, kingfish and barracudas. Then Smith put out a live bait on the surface and two shark baits. A sailfish ate the live bait and the youngsters took turns reeling it to the boat.