Hogfish fishing has become a fall staple for nearshore fishermen off the Gulf Coast of Florida. In the last decade or so, the pursuit has become particularly popular on a stretch of Florida coast from St. Petersburg to Sarasota, and captains are also targeting them on the Gulf side of the Florida Keys.
As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to drop, minds conjure images of the red and orange colors of turning leaves. These hues just happen to be the colors of hogfish. With cooling water temperatures, hogfish show up on reefs, ledges and hardbottom areas in 35-foot depths. They congregate into larger groups to prepare for spawning season, which stretches from late fall to spring.
Why is it Called Hogfish?
Hogfish, sometimes called hogfish snapper, are an interesting species. They are a wrasse, not a snapper, and the name hogfish is thought to come from the way they feed. With elongated snouts and protractile mouths, their jaws extend and retract as they dig around in the sediment for crustaceans, like hogs rooting in the dirt.
Probably because of this rooting behavior, hogfish were once thought to be impossible to target effectively with a rod and reel. Spearfishers used to be the only ones who enjoyed their mild, sweet fillets. Not anymore. Hogfish have become the prized catch of fall, because hogfish fishing trips are typically full of action and provide some of the best eating ever.
How to Find Hogfish
In fall, larger dominant males gather up a harem of multiple females and defend a territory. Younger, smaller fish are thought to live in separate groups. When you find hogfish, there will be a number of them, along with numerous other species that inhabit the same structure.
Hogfish fishing is not hard, but it sometimes takes patience to weed through the other species. Find some good hardbottom with rocks and sea fans, and you are probably in the right place. Utilize relief shading on your mapping system to find ledges and plateaus.
Make sure to fish both the sides of the relief, as well as the top. Some of my best spots are actually the tops of rock formations, which may seem a bit counter intuitive as we often fish next to the ledges for bottomfish. If the action doesn’t start almost immediately, try another spot. There should be plenty of life around as these fish are typically not loners.
Hogfish Fishing
Most trips start with a bang, and by bang, I mean the solid thump of a hearty grunt, porgy or triggerfish. It’s a good news, bad news thing. The best bait for hogfish is shrimp, and that brings a lot of other players to the party. The good news is plenty of action, especially if you have kids or impatient anglers aboard. It’s also fun because there’s such a variety of species that hang out in the same area. You might catch a triggerfish, small groupers, snappers or any number of bottom dwellers, and the action is usually nonstop.
The bad news is you’ll need to weed through them, as hogfish take their time milling about and getting their nerve up before moving in to eat. Keeping the frenzy going down on bottom seems to make hogfish curious.
When a hogfish picks up your bait, it’s a noticeably different strike. They tend to check out baits carefully before fully committing. For this reason, your setup can be a real game changer.
Hogfish Fishing Gear and Tackle
A sensitive rod and a high-speed spinning reel are handy, as hogfish tend to tap at the bait lightly at first. You’ll need sensitivity to feel the taps and then a fast reel to react and come tight. Remember, regulations require circle hooks with natural bait on the bottom, so setting the hook is done by reeling, not lifting.
I’ve found the G. Loomis IMX Pro Blue 843 and G. Loomis IMX Pro Blue 844 have great sensitivity and are super fun for handling this task. Pairing those rods with a Shimano Saragosa 5000 or Shimano Saragosa 6000 gives you 41 inches of retrieve to come tight quickly. You will know when you have a hogfish on versus the others, as they don’t just pull straight down. They dart side-to-side a lot and will keep at it until you bring them over the side.
The rest of the rig is simple. A basic knocker rig with a 2-ounce sinker and a 1/0 to 4/0 circle hook will do the trick. Various types of hogballs work well, too, and can be helpful for keeping your line from twisting around the hook. A hogball is a live-bait jig with a swivel mechanism that allows the hook to swing freely. Either way, the idea is to keep your bait right on the bottom.
I use straight 20-pound-test mono as a leader from my braid to the hook, as teeth are not a big problem with anything you are likely to catch.
The Best Bait for Hogfish
The reason hogfish are such a delicacy is because they primarily feed on crustaceans. But there’s no need to get crazy with your bait choice. Hogfish love shrimp, and that’s the best bait to catch them with.
I like to use half of a live shrimp fresh out of the live well. There doesn’t seem to be a need to use a whole one, and I’ve found the smaller baits sometimes attract fewer of the less desirable species. Plus, because of the fact that you will have so much bycatch, it’s nice to make the bait last longer with smaller pieces. Dead shrimp works too, and I’ve done well on both. The live shrimp stays on the hook better. Live or dead, you’ll need a lot of shrimp. Plan on bringing at least four dozen shrimp per person.
Proper Care and Handling of Hogfish
Once you land a hogfish, it’s important to handle them correctly. Hogfish are protogynous hermaphrodites, which means they are all born female and some, when they reach a certain size, transition into males. The smaller fish are females and should be handled carefully to ensure survival, as they are a bit delicate.
They start changing from female to male right about the time they hit the legal size of 14 inches. At this size, their distinctive snout starts to protrude more, which makes it easier to quickly determine if a fish is close to making the cut into the cooler.
The keepers require proper handling as well, to yield the highest quality fillets. Use a brain spike to euthanize the fish quickly. This keeps them from suffering, and it also stops the release of stress hormones into their delicate flesh. I also like to bleed them, but even without dispatching and bleeding them, the filets are snowy white and delicious.
