I fished Wednesday, 9/29, with Jerry Rudan and friend, Brian, about 18 miles off New Pass. We fished with live shrimp, and caught thirty-one keeper lane snapper and a keeper yellowtail. We released a short mutton snapper, along with lots of gag grouper to 21 inches. We were broken off twice by what were likely large grouper.
Friday, I returned to the same fishing area, 18-21 miles off New Pass, hoping to catch some of those larger grouper that cut us off on Wednesday. I fished with Bill & Nancy Stephens, in 50 feet, and we had a productive half-day of fishing, with five gag grouper to 27 ¾ inches, an 18 inch yellowtail snapper, six keeper mangrove snapper, and a few keeper lane snapper. We released a lot of gag and red grouper shorts, and we were broken off once by either a large gag or a goliath grouper. We used live shrimp for the snapper and one 26 inch gag. The rest of the gags bit live grunts or pinfish.