Hogfish

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Rare
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Hogfish

Post by Rare »

I got this on another forum sometime back. When Scotty and GK talking about spearfishing, i recalled this post in a way.


Since developing a way to catch monster hogs on hook and line, through a not so close anymore friend, the method we developed was leaked to locals here and subsequently some Wrightsville Beach charter captains.

There are several reasons why we did not want to reveal the method. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1 - Population structure - The hogfish population structure in NC,SC, and GA consist of older specimens that do not recover from substantial harvest. The fish are older, bigger, and reap higher yield during spawning seasons. Because the fish are protogynous hermaphrodites, the more fish taken from a popultion the quicker the change from female to male. This will growth stunt the population. An example of this is Florida. The Florida hogfish (same species) are much smaller than their northern counter parts. Due to the pressure and high rate of harvest, the population structure never has time to develop and a perpetual growth stunt is in place.

2 - Regulations - Once knowing of hogfish take on hook and line, (along with commerical spearing interests from FLA), NC institued a 5 fish per person limit. This regulation has since been proposed to be 2 fish per.

3 - Internet - We have already observed a decline on the local hogfish population since the method was leaked. It took quite a long time, effort, and money to develop a way to harvest a fish that was widely thought to be un catchable on hook and line in NC. It would absolutely suck for it to hit the internet. But....... I am told it is not any of my business what others do with info divulged to them.
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Re: Hogfish

Post by BoatlessFisherman »

OK What is the method?????? I know how we catch them but I really want to know what their secret is???? Give it up
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Re: Hogfish

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i really do believe that spearfishing should be outlawed
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Re: Hogfish

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gruntking wrote:i really do believe that spearfishing should be outlawed
Only you can say something outrageous like that on this Forum and always get away with it. But I also know you are serious .............because your grammar and spelling is perfect. Dead give away. It's like a "tell" in poker lol. Can't wait to finally meet you at the BBQ. I'll be the one wearing the big straw immigrant hat
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Re: Hogfish

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gruntking wrote:i really do believe that spearfishing should be outlawed
Why would you want spearfishing outlawed ?
Spearfisher-people deplete a much smaller percentage of the fish resources than pretty much any other method.
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Re: Hogfish

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are you kidding me ?
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Re: Hogfish

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gruntking wrote:are you kidding me ?
no fw
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Re: Hogfish

Post by gruntking »

miguel im still waiting for you to teach me something

i see more aholes holding guns with tiny fish
how many times have you seen a pic of a ten inch hog with a heald hole through it

seriously look around ig you see way more morons holding guns next to a pile of tiny grovers or small grouper
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Re: Hogfish

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BoatlessFisherman wrote:OK What is the method?????? I know how we catch them but I really want to know what their secret is???? Give it up
I have no clue... My point is that our hogfish are very small compared to other body of water in their respected state.

1 - Population structure - The hogfish population structure in NC,SC, and GA consist of older specimens that do not recover from substantial harvest. The fish are older, bigger, and reap higher yield during spawning seasons. Because the fish are protogynous hermaphrodites, the more fish taken from a popultion the quicker the change from female to male. This will growth stunt the population. An example of this is Florida. The Florida hogfish (same species) are much smaller than their northern counter parts. Due to the pressure and high rate of harvest, the population structure never has time to develop and a perpetual growth stunt is in place.

So if hook and line is not doing the high rate of harvest or pressure.....What is?
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Re: Hogfish

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gruntking wrote:miguel im still waiting for you to teach me something

i see more aholes holding guns with tiny fish
how many times have you seen a pic of a ten inch hog with a heald hole through it

seriously look around ig you see way more morons holding guns next to a pile of tiny grovers or small grouper
I guess I'm blind but I just don't see that far less than I see people with a bucket or cooler full of anything that bites, and the FWC guys dismiss that as "oh they are substinance" fishermen. I don't see either one posting pix about it though.
Go hang out at say the cleaning table at Dania or 15th St.. when the FWC guys are around and see what they say/do to spearfishing people or boat crews with over-limit or undersized catch....
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Re: Hogfish

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miguel456 wrote:One reason Hogfish are bigger in the Carolinas is because theres less fish harvested by both Anglers and Spearfishermen.
You putting Anglers in there does not help cause I have never heard of anyone that i go out fishing with say, hey lets go out and get us a hogfish on line and sinker. Has anyone in here gone out just to target them...line & sinker? When you do get them is cause you were targeting other fish and the hog hit your bait. Some of the guys I know say we are going spearfishing and targeting hogfish. The hogfish I do see on the net, just about everywhere has holes in their body.

IMHO...spearfishing + a high harvesting limit = perpetual growth stunt is in place. I believe they should drop the numbers on 1per day & raise that silly 12inch to 18in. Do i dare & say, a closed season for them as well. When you do speak with a FMB i would like to hear it, but you pretty much answered why they are so small.
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Re: Hogfish

Post by SaltyDog »

So long as its legal its cool to keep shooting them right ?

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Re: Hogfish

Post by krash »

Here is a Hook & line caught Hog in the Keys from yesterday, but no way I'm breathing a word of the secret method, but some can do it,
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Actually there was an article not so many months ago in FS or FSF magazine explaining sepecifically how to catch Hog-Snapper on hook and line.

Still no way do I believe that spearfisher people are depleting the stock.. do you have any studies that indicate this ?
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Re: Hogfish

Post by fishnfool73 »

Studies ? I would have to say for ever one hogfish I see or hear of caught on hook and line I see or hear of around 100 shot. Hmmm spearfishing banned how about cracking down on poaching by hook and line. I would have to agree that hook and line fishing does far more damage than spear fishing could hope to just by sheer numbers alone. It is no different than hook and line , the good resposible law abiding spearfishermen only harvest legal fishand generally target big fish. Just like the same thing applies to hook and line fishermen.
Dreaming the dream that one day I can be as good as some of the boatless pros and catch some 12 inch mangrove snapper.

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Re: Hogfish

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Studies ? I would have to say for ever one hogfish I see or hear of caught on hook and line I see or hear of around 100 shot.
We must be drinking the same purple stuff cause I was about to write the same. My point is that all the spear fisherman here in Florida i see have small cute little hogfish taking pics of them and their proud catches & the pic above is showing the same with line and sinker. Now watch one of you come back with a pic of one big hogfish vs the 100's of small one's out there. Again, as far as i know people just don't target them on hook,line and sinker at least in my circle or reports i see.

Overall, if you guys like catching hogfish there shouldn't be a problem in having their numbers double as well as their size if they change the regs. Even the grey snapper 10in regs should be changed in IMHO. If you guys like catching them small hogfish or as i call them piglets go knock yourself out. :lol:
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Re: Hogfish

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everyone is talking about hoggs but its grouper aswell
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Re: Hogfish

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Here is my open mind for ya. I really don't care for hogfish believe it or not. If I catch them & they have size to them...great. I have caught them in the keys like that one in pic and all went back in the ocean. I saw a 5-6lb hog caught on ch5 and it can be done....so what? I know friends who spearfish and know where they are at. I could get the numbers and run there to catch them but just not my cup of tea.
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Re: Hogfish

Post by Rare »

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recr ... l/hogfish/


A win? Your thoughts?

The FWC approved several management changes to hogfish at the November Commission meeting in St. Petersburg. These changes will go into effect in the near future. Please check back on this page for an effective date. Approved changes include:

Lowering the Atlantic recreational daily bag limit from five to one fish per harvester.
Setting an Atlantic recreational harvest season of May 1 through Oct. 31.

Increasing the Atlantic recreational and commercial minimum size limit from 12 to 16 inches fork length.

Increasing the Gulf recreational and commercial minimum size limit from 12 to 14 inches fork length.
Setting the minimum importation and sale size limit to 14 inches fork length statewide.

NEW: Hogfish is overfished and undergoing overfishing in the Florida Keys and East Florida. If approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, several management changes will go into effect in early 2017:
For persons harvesting hogfish in Gulf federal waters south of Cape Sable and in all Atlantic federal waters, new regulations include: a 16-inch minimum size limit, a 25-lb. commercial trip limit, a 1-fish/person recreational bag limit, and a May-October recreational season.
For persons harvesting hogfish in Gulf federal waters north of Cape Sable, new regulations include a 14-inch minimum size limit.
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Re: Hogfish

Post by Kingofthesea »

Dammit Rare.......read this thread from the beginning and you can see how rockin' this place once was. I think I'm gonna bump a bunch of the really fun older threads with some legendary guys that are dead today just to hear them speak once again. Like Zebco, Poseidon, Cvstrat, Chevy Juan and GK.

lol....I haven't even met GK in person when you started this one
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Re: Hogfish

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Aug 24 is the date for the new rules...I started this thread in 2014, there were other discussion about this subject which made me start this, but im glad to see this finally in the books.
Rare wrote:
IMHO...spearfishing + a high harvesting limit = perpetual growth stunt is in place. I believe they should drop the numbers on 1per day & raise that silly 12inch to 18in. Do i dare & say, a closed season for them as well. When you do speak with a FMB i would like to hear it, but you pretty much answered why they are so small.

State waters: The FWC approved several management changes to hogfish at the November Commission meeting in St. Petersburg. These changes will go into effect in on Aug. 24, 2017. Approved changes include:

Lowering the Atlantic recreational daily bag limit from five to one fish per harvester.

Setting an Atlantic recreational harvest season of May 1 through Oct. 31.

Increasing the Atlantic recreational and commercial minimum size limit from 12 to 16 inches fork length.

Increasing the Gulf recreational and commercial minimum size limit from 12 to 14 inches fork length.


Gulf Season: Open year around (closures only if annual catch limit is met or exceeded)

Atlantic state season: Currently open. The newly approved May 1-Oct. 31 open season will go into effect Aug. 24, 2017.
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Re: Hogfish

Post by Snapperfanatic1828 »

16" FL hog is gonna be tough for the hook n liners...lol

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Re: Hogfish

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Snapperfanatic1828 wrote:16" FL hog is gonna be tough for the hook n liners...lol
Just give it time. Them hogfish really do need to recover from where they are now. It's either this or continued their down fall for the next generation. Now, can they revised the 10in grey snapper? (tommy
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Re: Hogfish

Post by Snapperfanatic1828 »

Yea i agree...but they get hammered by the spearfishermen...but its a great way to bring back the fishery..now, i personally think they need to bring back the grovers to 10 pp 12"min...wasnt that the old reg?

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Re: Hogfish

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All the regulations in the world are meaningless with regulations. Anyone one caught with illegal dish first offense $250 or three hours cleaning a bridge up and 6 month license suspension second offense license suspended for a year and double above penalties third strike license is gone and jail time. Make it compounded for multiple offenses. So many poachers hit the Keys
Dreaming the dream that one day I can be as good as some of the boatless pros and catch some 12 inch mangrove snapper.

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Re: Hogfish

Post by Miami_Chris »

That mangrove regulation is a weird one as well. In federal waters (3nm from shore) the size limit is 12" and you can keep 10 per person. How the hell can they say where you caught the fish if they are found everywhere.

Poachers will poach, but the dudes on bridges hand lining a bucket full of fish doesn't bother me as much as the guys who come down and load up on 100s of lobster tails, or go along the jetties and spear countless snook. These guys know exactly what they are doing, and how to do it. They need more enforcement with stricter penalties, but it won't happen anytime soon.

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