‘It’s huge!’ 18-pound black grouper was on this Tampa Bay fisherman’s holiday wish list

When I fished with Jay Travis a few weeks ago, we stayed shallow, catching hogfish and gag grouper.

“Shallow” to us has become a funny thing — depths less than 150-feet of water just don’t seem to be as deep as they used to be. In shallower depths, we always talk about running deeper and had a plan to get back off before the year’s end.

So we planned. A deeper trip was on the horizon and good weather greeted us at the beginning of the week.

“I asked for calm weather, big gags and black grouper,” I messaged him after Christmas.

“Yeah buddy! I’ll do my best Santa impression for you,” he replied.

As we ventured offshore, Jay had a plan together. Get some big baits and then head deeper for black grouper. I’ve caught smaller ones, but a big one has always evaded me. They get to 100-plus pounds, and it’s a bucket-list fish in the Gulf.

After a stop at the Fin Barge, we had some cigar minnows and a few bigger baits.

We pointed south and stopped at a ledge in 120-feet on the way to deeper waters. It was supposed to be quick to put some meat in the box, but after the first drop produced a nice mangrove snapper and the second a yellowtail snapper, we stayed longer than anticipated.

Along with Tony Summers, we eventually put together a three-man limit of snapper, and I landed a 28-inch monster mangrove snapper while dropping an 1/8-ounce jighead with a threadfin. A pair of surprise December mahi also paid a visit as we were chumming.

And more importantly, we had a livewell of big blue runners for the black grouper.

Running deeper into calm seas, it didn’t take long to get to the black grouper lair. I tied up a 150-pound fluorocarbon leader to 150-pound braid on a bent butt 30-wide reel. Travis rigged up a 3-pound bait with the giant circle hook and sent it down.

I watched his rod tip bounce and dance. In no time, he was hooked up and the rod doubled to the water’s edge. A locked down drag line was still peeling out, and his best effort resulted in heartbreak as the fish pulled itself into a break off.

The next big bait was readied by me and sent southward. After a few minutes, it was doubled down once again, but the result was the same.

The rerigging process was repeated, and this time when the bait hit the bottom Travis stayed at the helm. When the line came tight and another fish was hooked, he put the twin 300 Yamahas into gear in an attempt to pull the fish away from it’s rocky home.

I held onto the reel and rod to keep them in the boat. It seemed to work, and we slowly went forward as the line still pulled back. But the stress became too much, and after about 20-seconds the Power Pro gave way.

We headed back and instead of a bait I rigged up my GoPro to drop to the bottom to see just what was down there. Travis took a turn on the big rod and was hooked up once again. This time the fish came to the surface but he said it felt different, and different it was. A big sandbar shark showed. It was a different kind of heartbreak.

I brought the GoPro to the surface as we started to head to different waters, but instantly turned around. “It’s huge!” we all said simultaneously, seeing a big black grouper come into frame almost immediately as we watched footage.

The lure of a 100-plus pound monster was too much to leave.

After more big breakoffs, Summers eventually turned a fish to the surface on a spinning rod. It was a black grouper, about 18-pounds, a consolation prize with the beast below.

Eventually we ran out of big blue runners and changed plans, heading back east. It was a beautiful day on the Gulf and knowing we lost the battle only fuels the fire to return even sooner.

The next trip out, even heavier gear will be brought to attempt to coax one of the Gulf’s apex predators to the surface.