In an unthinkable feat, a group of anglers landed a 300-pound goliath grouper using fly tackle.
You don’t hear about goliath grouper being caught on a fly rod often. And catching a 300-pounder on fly tackle is unheard of. A group of anglers fishing off the coast of Clearwater, Florida, managed to haul a fish estimated at 300 pounds up from the depths with a fly rod in late March, accomplishing the not-quite-impossible.
“I was completely stunned,” said Christian Graham, a 26-year-old from Johnstown, Colorado, that landed the giant grouper. “It was quite the experience.”
Several years ago, Graham was fishing with friends David Danforth and Mitch Bainter on a trip that began at a Denver Fly Fishing show. In addition to his day job he and his brother-in-law own a “pooper scooper” yard clean-up business. Graham is also a professional photographer who does lifestyle, outdoor and even some studio work, but he specializes in fishing and hunting and especially fly fishing.
“I started fly fishing about nine years ago and then got into photography a few years later,” said Graham. “I thought I would join the two passions.”
After that first show, Graham invited Danforth to go fishing for wild trout in the Colorado mountains. Danforth also paints saltwater fish.
“He showed me his fishing world, so I wanted to share it with him,” Danforth, a 38-year-old from Tampa, said. Several weeks later, after a show in Florida, it was Danforth’s turn to host. After fishing around Clearwater and the Florida Keys for some fun, the two went to the Florida Keys for more.
“I was like, ‘This is awesome,’” Graham said. “It ruined me. Bigger fish. Better weather. More water. We’ve been getting together to fish ever since and have made Florida fishing a yearly trip.”
During a recent trip, they teamed up with Danforth’s longtime friend, Mike Wilhite, and rode Wilhite’s Parker 40 miles offshore to fish some structure. A new 12-weight fly rod Graham had just built on a Blue Halo fiberglass blank was eagerly awaited. The reel, a Postfly Pelican, was moderately priced.
“I just love the feel of glass,” Graham said of the slow action of fiberglass rods. “It’s what my grandfather always fished with so there’s also some nostalgia about it.”
At the end of the trip, the group came across an amberjack school that was feeding on the surface. When Graham tied a streamer similar to a Clouser minnow to a fluorocarbon leader, he said, “I was at the back of the boat and a ton of amberjack snapped at my fly. It was very exciting.”
Graham snagged up with a fish around 30 pounds. Danforth and Wilhite grabbed fly rods as well, and were soon hooked up while Bainter took pictures of them. “Those guys got their fish in,” Graham said, “but mine went straight to the bottom.” And that’s where it stayed. “Mike said a grouper probably ate it.”
Danforth was not surprised. “They are a nuisance,” he said. “Anything that struggles on a line, they eat.”
As Wilhite suggested, Graham should break off the big fish so he could have fun again. However, Graham had other plans. “I stayed at the back of the boat and just held on while the other guys stayed up front catching fish.” Graham began making progress after an hour and 15 minutes. Sometimes I gained a little line, but when I got all the backing in, the fish would go for another short run.
It finally surfaced 30 yards behind the boat, Graham said. “We all started screaming,” he said. A few minutes later, the fish was next to the boat. What now? They couldn’t haul a fish the size of a refrigerator into the boat because Goliath grouper are protected.
“Mike said, ‘You should jump in with it,'” Graham said. After taking photos of Graham with the fish, his fly rod clenched in his teeth, Danforth’s Instagram account went viral. As Danforth reached over the side and carefully vented the fish’s swim bladder, the amberjack was deep in the grouper’s gullet, so the leader was cut.
Graham said he gave the fish a nudge and it swam away. “It was incredible.” Not ready to leave, the men returned to fishing. Except Graham. “I was wiped out,” he said. “I just sat down for an hour and a half.”
Eventually, he returned to fishing and joined his friends as they caught several more fish, including a blackfin tuna and snapper. After returning to shore around 6 p.m., they didn’t exactly celebrate. They piled their gear into a car and drove to the Keys to catch more fish.
Sources: SaltwaterSportsman
