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hickroots07 · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:43 pm Post subject: Grouper ID

Being only able to get offshore on the calmest of days I dont quite have my grouper species totally figured out. Can yall help me on identifying this one?

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Great captains, the stuff of legend, are made not by what they have caught, but by what they have given back.

CaptinAcademy · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 3:16 pm Post subject:

I'm definitely not an expert on grouper either, but looks like a baby Black Grouper to me...
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/black-grouper

How did you catch him?

From what I know they often hang out high in the water column and will hit trolled baits on the surface.

They get really big
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Steve-O
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My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt

hickroots07 · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:41 pm Post subject:

Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:50 am Post subject:

Picture isn't coming through for me.

(Edited - Not just your picture, but the 'Quick Trip' shots from Zia ain't coming across either??? Time to troubleshoot Windows 10 and php code used for CorpusFishing.com. Arrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh).

I'm pretty good at fish ID.
Another link available?

CaptinAcademy · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 9:37 am Post subject:

TexGator · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 22 May 2012 Posts: 429

I'm originally from Florida and I would say Gag Grouper but it may be a baby black. Can be hard to tell the difference between them when they are young

CaptinAcademy · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:43 pm Post subject:

Yeah, could be gag, but I don't see any blue tinge to the tail or white edges on anal, second dorsal or tail.
Also not sure which would be more likely to in that close and shallow?
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Steve-O
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My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt

hickroots07 · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:18 pm Post subject:

hickroots07 · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:22 pm Post subject:

awesum · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 7:29 am Post subject:

I enlarged your pic to show detail and sent it to a friend of mine who's an offshore charter captain with extensive grouper knowledge.

He says it's a baby Black grouper.

Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:13 am Post subject:

At first glance, I was going in an entirely different direction : Comb Grouper (Mycteroperca acutirostris). The dorsal blotches on sides are just not 'rectangular' enough for my to say Black Grouper. I'm also not seeing the narrow pale margins of the soft dorsal, caudal, or anal fins......

But, ...... the preopercule looks more rounded than having a distinct notch??? And the anal fin is more rounded than a comb grouper.

So absent having fish-in-hand, or a 'Life-Line call', My Final Answer is I'm going with juvenile Black Grouper.

(Edited - And why I mention fish-in-hand, black grouper are notorious for having very low gill raker counts, and it would be easy to distinguish it. It's a 19-27 range, vs a 45-56 range for those two species).

(This is my go-to guide for grouper ID in the Gulf : https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/Technical%20Report/tr118opt.pdf

Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:14 am Post subject:

And for some reason it's all the images associated with imgbb that are not loading on my version of Firefox? Rolling Eyes

Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 12:58 pm Post subject:

Yea, nah..... It's only the Office computer and Firefox that has the images unable to display. Home computer is fine. (Just a setting within the Office version).
But way better pictures, and I'm sticking to my 'Final Answer', but would still liked to have access to the gill raker counts, just to be sure.
I certified a YUGE !!!!! black grouper a number of years ago. It had many local folks stumped, and it was the gill raker count that was the tell-tell. See if I can't dig out an old photo of that beast.

CaptinAcademy · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 1:09 pm Post subject:

Was that "little Timmy" Oestrich on Dolphin Docks?
He has or had the State Record Black Grouper..
_________________
Steve-O
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My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt

awesum · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2022 6:41 am Post subject: