Red Grouper

Red grouper are stocky, reddish-brown fish with a pale belly, scattered white blotches, and a gently sloping head; their spiny dorsal fin lacks the strong notch seen in the gag. The eyes and mouth sit on a blunt, robust head.

They favor hard bottom, limestone ledges, reefs, and rocky areas of the Atlantic and especially the eastern Gulf of Mexico, where they actively excavate and tend shallow depressions in the seafloor.

Red grouper are bottom ambush feeders that take crabs, shrimp, octopus, and small fish close to their home structure. The standard method is bottom-fishing with live or cut bait on a knocker or fishfinder rig over hard bottom, carrying enough lead to hold in the current. They fight with sharp downward surges toward cover. Firm and mild, red grouper are a prized bottom-fishing catch.