sunshine coast blue groper?????

[Noelm]

would they be the same ones as in WA? they call the blue bone over there


Daz

NO, Blue Bone are more like your Parrot Fish, Blue Groper are a much heavier built fish, similar sort of peg like Teeth, and very heavy scales that would rival a Barra for size and as tough as nails, big tough Blubber sort of Lips, a huge Powerfull tail, but they can indeed have some Blue Bones though

[mattooty]

I hooked my best groper as i was winding in, a wave washed my bait onto the rocks and the blue came up onto wat was previously dry rock, grabbed my crab and went with the current back out. He went 5.6kg. Nothing huge i know but still a bloody powerhouse.
The ONLY gear to regularly chase them with is a 650a alvey or the 7inch model filled to the bream with 50lb mono or heavier. Feel free to drop line class down a bit once you get a few.
Run a small ball sinker straight to the hook (dont worry with traces, swivels or anything else as you lose to much gear) and use a 2/0-5/0 mustad 542. Cheap hook, strong and has been the undoing of alot of groper.
If you're using hole crabs hook them from below and come out just near the back of the shell. this way they won't die very fast. Another way is cracking the crab in half which will attract alot more pickers like bream, pigs and trevs but can fire the groper up if they're not feeding on crabs. Wear a pair of steel studded rock boots so that you can occasionally "accidentally" tred on an urchin and kick it in.
After that the only thing to remmeber is to keep a very strong hold on them, don't let them take an inch!

[Leighton]

one of 3 we got, 50lbs main, 60lbs leader, small ball sinker straight on top of the hook.
Hang on and Prey

[nuggstar]

that pic is making me itchy

[Leighton]

Pretty awesome fish, the Male has a few girls he keeps happy in his patch but if the females loose the male one of the Females changes sex.
A mate who dives regularly said they are like Puppys, friendly and approachable. This is the reason spear fisho's gave them a caining
all thats said, they are crafty buggers that would pull a sailor off your sister and taste damm good too.
That big Blue went 12kgs