Need advice for fishing for grouper off of N.C. coast

Question

I'm going fishing soon and i need to know what bait to use to catch good sized grouper and how much the bait costs. last time i went fishing for grouper i bought crappy bait and i got barley legal grouper.

Answer 1

I've never fished for grouper off NC, but what works in Fl should be good off NC coast. Live pin fish are tops, big fish eat smaller fish. Would rate squid as just OK, but it does work. Frozen sardines or ballyhoo is also a bait that produces results. I would use florocarbon leader, but maybe not as long as suggested. I've gotten by with 6 to 8 feet, but that's just me and there may be a better way. Find hard bottom or structure, good chance keepers will be there in the deeper water. Grouper will head for the rocks when hooked so you need to keep them from going down. If they do rock up, be patient and give the line some slack. There's a good chance they'll come out after a bit and you can bring it up. Hope this helps some.

Answer 2

always take some frozen bait like squid or some cut bait. also buy some sabiki rigs [a line with 6 to 8 small jigs attached.] they are for catching small fish. when heading out go by  buoys and look for bait on the surface and on the fish finder. use the lightest sinker that gets bait to the bottom. its not uncommon to get a fish on every hook. just don't crowd the livewell. don't want the bait to die. then use live bait it works alot better for grouper.if  you can't catch any bait you can fall back on the frozen.plus use a 15 to 20 foot floura carbon leader at least 80 lb.