Red Grouper Fishing Charter in Marco Island, FL

Red grouper are found throughout the eastern Gulf of America out to 250 feet of water.  They're also considered one of the best-eating fish we have around Marco Island, Florida. It is a white fish with a mild flavor, one of my personal favorites. Red grouper can mostly be found on or around natural limestone rock bottom. The limestone is bedrock. The rock bottom is mostly flat, like a tabletop, and has various-sized holes, sort of like Swiss cheese and ledges. Although the majority of the bottom around our area is sand, there are patches of limestone rock throughout the southeastern Gulf. The rock in the southeastern Gulf runs mostly north and south. 

Marco Island Goliath Grouper Fishing Charter

The Goliath Grouper ranges along the entire Florida coast, stretching from northeastern Florida down through the Keys and into the Gulf of America. They are most heavily concentrated in the warm, shallow waters of southern Florida, the Ten Thousand Islands, the Florida Keys, and the central Gulf coast. This puts Wild Thing Charters right in the heart of the densest population of Goliath grouper in the entire state of Florida. The largest recorded specimen weighed an astonishing 680 pounds, though they can potentially exceed 1,000 pounds. If you're looking for a Goliath Grouper Charter in Florida, give me a shout!

Goliath Grouper Fishing FL

Goliath Grouper Facts

Juvenile Goliath groupers spend their first 5 to 6 years hiding in mangrove estuaries and brackish waters (like those in Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands), safely gorging on crabs and shrimp before moving to deeper offshore reefs.


Mature Goliath grouper move to offshore environments, typically found at depths of 150 feet or less. They are territorial and prefer natural and artificial reefs, shipwrecks, and rocky ledges. 


They are ambush predators with a massive mouth that allows them to create immense suction and swallow prey whole, including crustaceans, stingrays, and small sharks.

They are long-lived and slow-growing, capable of living up to 37 years.


Due to their slow growth rate and tendency to gather in large, predictable groups (aggregations) to spawn, they were historically overfished. Because their populations faced severe decline, the species has been protected under federal law in United States waters since 1990.


Research shows that Goliath groupers act as ecosystem engineers. By excavating sediment from the base of shipwrecks and natural reefs, they actually increase the structural complexity of their habitat. This behavior provides essential shelter and increases the variety of other marine life living in their vicinity.

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Goliath Grouper Fishing Florida

So What About Goliath Grouper Fishing in Florida?

Florida lifted the 30-year blanket ban on Goliath Grouper in 2023 to allow a highly regulated, permit-only harvest of 200 fish per year in select state waters. However, harvesting remains strictly prohibited in federal waters and most of Southeast Florida. Marco Island is located in an area where a permit holder can actually harvest a Goliath grouper. That runs from March 1st through May 31st. The success ratio for Goliath grouper is over 90%, and they are caught on my 4-hour trips, 6-hour trips, and 8-hour trips. 


On the 4-hour trip ( which is the most popular trip in general ), the size of fish can range from 20 pounds to 300 pounds. Customers have caught as many as 20 Goliath grouper on a 4-hour trip. On the 6-hour and 8-hour Goliath Grouper fishing trips, you don't catch as many 20 to 40-pound fish, and you typically catch more fish in the 100 to 400-pound range, with the majority of them in that are landed 100 to 200-pound range.


The 200-pound to 400-pound Goliath Grouper are much more difficult to get off the bottom simply due to the massive amount of power they possess. It has to be experienced to fully understand their power!

goliath grouper Florida

What Type of Angler, Gear, and Areas for Goliath Grouper Fishing in Florida

When strictly targeting the large Goliath Grouper (100 or more pounds), I use a Penn 50 International reel with 200 yards of 300-pound test braided line topped with about 50 yards of 300-pound test monofilament line.


I use about 16 oz of lead weight, a 400-pound barrel swivel, 300# wire leader, and a 20\0 circle hook. Almost any large bait, dead or alive, will catch one of these beasts. There are times when fishing for other species of fish, the Goliath will eat fish that are hooked by the angler while reeling the fish in. That can sometimes be quite frustrating when the angler is trying to put dinner on the table.


I target these beasts on the many artificial reefs and wrecks in our local waters. The artificial reefs are made up of concrete; they can be concrete pilings, concrete culvert pipes, and concrete slabs. The wrecks are old barges that were intentionally sunk for fish habitat or barges that sank accidentally, as well as many shrimp boats that have accidentally sunk over the years. The majority of the time, you will be standing up while you fight the Goliath Grouper; however, in the right situation, you can at times have a seat on the cushion while fighting the fish. In the almost 40 years of guiding here in Marco Island, I have helped and watched hundreds of people land these beasts, from as young as 5 years old to a person in their 90's. With the help of the captain and crew, we have landed some very large Goliath for customers of all ages.

What Else Should I Know About Fishing for Goliath Grouper?

We catch the Goliath Grouper from as close as a couple of miles offshore out to 50 miles offshore. Being that the Goliath is a protected fish, we are unable to keep them; the only way to keep a Goliath grouper is to possess a permit for Goliath grouper. The fight of a Goliath grouper is not considered a long fight, most lasting only 10 minutes or so. The fight is like a tug of war. Reef fish are structure-oriented fish and use the reef as their home and will always want to go back home after feeding or for protection. What the angler is trying to do is keep the goliath from getting back to the reef, and this can be quite the battle, especially with the larger ones. When the Goliath is able to make it back to the reef, they can break you off or get you stuck in the reef. He is saying I'm going back home and you are saying, " No, you are not. This is not a fight you will soon forget!"

Got Questions about Goliath Grouper Fishing Trips?

Feel free to fill out the form below if you have any questions or would like to inquire about our Goliath Grouper charters in Marco Island, FL.  You can also book a trip on our booking page, or call 239-821-7054.

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