Outdoors Column | Nothing like the smile on a kid who just caught a big fish

When angler Joey Hubbard took his 4-year-old son Wyatt fishing, Wyatt probably didn’t realize he was about to catch a fish bigger than himself.

Hubbard has dialed in a system to target goliath grouper that live around bridges. He hand lines them in a tug of war, using 400-pound cable on dock rope, a 12/0 hook and 16-ounces of lead to get big baits down in heavy current. Goliath grouper have been estimated to grow to 1,000-pounds, so going pound for pound against fish as big as a car is quite the challenge when they try to escape to structures. Hubbard’s system has caught him over 100 goliaths up to 300 pounds through the years.

“They’re a lot of fun and a great fish to take pictures with. We use live catfish for bait, so Wyatt and I went down to rocks near the bridge,” Hubbard said. “We used shrimp and a small hook for the catfish and walked back up to the bridge. It was right at the tide change with slack tide.”

On the hot July day the duo waited as the current picked up. Hubbard wrapped the dock rope around the bridge as their bait swam around a bridge pylon. It wasn’t long before a tug of war began.

“We waited 15 or 20 minutes and the hand line got real tight and started coming off the bridge. That’s when I ran over and set the hook and pulled him out of the pylons. Wyatt got up on the rail and started pulling the goliath in with his hands,” Hubbard recalled.

“I put my hands around his waist and held on to him. He was ecstatic because he’s never caught a fish that big and it was just wonderful to see the priceless look on his face.”

The battle was quick as the 60-pound goliath, smaller for it’s species, reached the surface fairly quick. Hubbard guided it to some nearby rocks where he and Wyatt kneeled beside to take a picture. The goliath was unhooked and released without leaving the water.

“I’ve never in my life seen a kid smile so big the way he did that day,” said Hubbard cheerfully. “My heart will forever hold that memory of him with that smile on his face.”

This system could be implemented at many of the local bridges around Tampa Bay and intracoastal waterways. Captains who fish offshore wrecks and reefs will often let clients tug on a goliath with a hand line and big baits as well.

Goliath grouper fishing remains catch and release with their protected status and should not be removed from the water.