Hog question

[Punisher]

I have heard that the hogs in miami are typically larger that the hogs in the keys. Is this true. I only go spearfishing in the keys i drive down from miami. We do catch several hogs but they are all just on or a couple of inches large than the limit with only some slightly largr. We do see lots of smaller ones though but no really big ones. Does anone know why. Last winter we did do really good on bigger hogs however. We caught our limit. Do the bigger hogs migrate down south in the winter?

[mushkee]

how shallow were you? in miami, in the 30-40 ft depth my biggest hog was 23" inchs...but locals who scuba, sometimes get some big ones...plus now fall is coming, and more big fish should frequent the shallow reefs...

[Rolo]

Most of the big "Hogs" in Miami are the ones you roast on Christmas eve:D .

Really, It depends. I've seen large hogs in the keys and I would assume they are more prominent down there than in the overfished Miami waters. The problem with Hogs (although very tasty) is that most novice spearos tend to overfish them, because quite frankly they are the easiest fish to catch and some biggies reside in shallow waters.

In Miami, I've seen large ones (22"-23") in less than 30'. As a matter of fact, I have a very nice waypoint, which I call "Hog Heaven" in Miami. This point has between 10-20 hogs at any one time. I always leave it for the end or will take a new spearo so they can catch their first fish.

So to answer your question, you can find nice Hogs in Miami, but of course the deeper you dive the bigger the fish...usually. Although, you can still find decent ones in under 40'. Personally, I would rather catch other species of fish mostly because of the challenge. Hope I cleared things up somewhat...

Dive Safe,

[Punisher]

So from your replies i am realizing that if i want bigger hogs i wll have to go deeper. I usually fish for them in patch reefs at around 20-25 ft. deep. i dont have enough skill to freedive at 45 ft right now but should get there soon. However i have tried to freedive at the edge of the reef like at 35-40 ft. and never really had much luck. Maybe im just trying the wrong spots.

[Rolo]

Pun,

Not necessarily. There are still very nice fish within 40', you just have to know the right spots or hope no one else has raided them. As I stated in my previous post, you can still land some decent ones if you're diving the right spots. Just remember to leave the small ones alone. I would not shoot one unless they are at least 16". Just because they are regulation size doesn't mean I'll pull the trigger.

As you dive further down you'll encounter other spearable fishes. You'll tend to see a few nice muttons, triggers, and in certain reefs, blacks or reds. But if you want Hogs the size of ones caught out in the middle grounds, then the shallow Miami waters are not the appropriate hunting grounds.

Dive Safe and good luck increasing your depth,

[Punisher]

Thanks alot for your help RJ