Keys Grouper

Well, finally made it down to Florida after all the mayhem with the Covid-19, the restrictions, and all that BS. I made sure to get there for the grouper opener so I was really excited about that. We hit the water on day one but we were “flying” blind, didn’t really have any numbers. We tried multiple patch reefs, this spot and that other spot but the fish were really scarce. Even after all these new seasons, bag limits, size requirement increases etc.... I honestly can’t see the difference and quite frankly I think it’s directed towards the people with the least impact. We saw numerous hogs in the 8-10” but not a single mutton though. Not even barracudas were hanging out at their usual spots. Lobsters were plentiful but out of season so no go. We ended up with 1 black, 1 red, 1 mangrove snapper and a small Spanish mackerel. The water was 81 degrees, maybe that’s why we couldn’t find anything in the 50-40ft range. But if that’s the case the only way around it is SCUBA, the seasons are fixed. All in all I am having a great time away from my cold and gray home state of Washington.