Gag Grouper

Gag grouper are large, brownish-gray groupers with faint wavy or marbled markings, a boxy head, and darkening toward the tail and fin edges. They resemble black grouper but are separated by subtle differences in fin and body patterning.

They relate to reefs, ledges, wrecks, and rocky bottom across the Atlantic and Gulf. Juveniles spend their early life on inshore grass flats before moving offshore to hard structure as they grow.

Gags are powerful, structure-bound ambush predators that engulf baitfish, squid, and crustaceans and then bolt straight for a hole. Anglers drop live pinfish, grunts, or cut bait on heavy bottom rigs, and also work vertical jigs and deep-diving plugs over structure. Stout tackle and an immediate hard lift off the bottom are essential, because a gag that reaches its hole will rock up and break the line.