Home Tournaments Calendar Weather Merchandise Sponsors

Go Back   Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum > United States Geographical Locations > Florida East Coast Spearfishing

Florida East Coast Spearfishing Let's talk here about spearing on Florida's Atlantic coast. Reports and other issues about this region belong here.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 07-08-2019, 08:34 AM   #1
sway21
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Posts: 52
Mangroves and Margate Question

Finally got out of Ft Pierce for a dive (after a year without diving...new baby will do that) and first off shout out to JFJF for recommending a Mako dive light. I feel like I was diving with a toy light compared to this thing! Very impressive to see way back in some of these deep ledges.

Anyways, we were treated with some good diving conditions flat seas and good viz. Tons of little mango snappers around. It seemed all the big mango's would get in the ledge and hide behind the Margates. Like there bodyguards.

-Do you guys shoot Margates? Some big ones down there, how do they eat?
-Also, I had a big Goliath following me and a good size Mango was sitting right next to him. I thought about taking the Mango but decided not to thinking the Goliath would of been a hassle. In hindsight I wish I would of taken the shot but what are your all experiences with Goliaths taking your catch?
sway21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 08:54 AM   #2
Diverboy067
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 162
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

I stopped shooting fish around Goliaths....they will take your fish and spear. Sometimes you will get your spear back, sometimes not. If you're not free shafting, you will have a fight to get your gun back and it is a good idea to have some type of device to cut the line. I have 400 lb test when using the line and it laughs at knives. Only thing I have found that will easily cut it one handed are the paramedic shears.....they are also very handy on lion fish fins. Margate are a decent to good quality food grade fish.....meat is closer to snapper than hogfish. Nothing wrong with them or porgies if you find them with good size to them. Smaller ones are good gutted, scaled, rubbed in olive oil and grilled with salt and pepper. Large ones can yield a nice sized fillet.
Diverboy067 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 09:55 AM   #3
jfjf
.
 
jfjf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Palm Bch County
Posts: 11,256
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Glad to hear you like that MAKO light. The latest one they are selling is really excellent. As for black margates, I have eaten smaller ones when really hungry. The meat is dark and the yield is low.

As for shooting around jewfish, sometimes it is zero problem, howeverIf they have learned to take speared fish, then they can be super aggressive. If they are following you, then this is a pretty good sign that they are going to be a problem if you shoot in front of them.

If one were following me on a scuba dive, I would try a hard poke with the gun and not in the eye. Their skin is incredibly tough, so a poke will not hurt them and it might get it to back off.

Also if you stone the fish and jump right on it, that is different to have it struggling on a line or shaft right in front of them.

On some of the local dive spots which are popular, i now notice gg with white marks on their face and head, and they often seem to show little interest in fish we shoot
On scuba.

People might find this old video amusing. If you haven’t seen it yet

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ApeL8czRf8I

Last edited by jfjf; 07-08-2019 at 10:03 AM.
jfjf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 10:32 AM   #4
sway21
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Posts: 52
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Thanks for the quick replies fellas. OK I'm glad I did not shoot near this Goliath then, he was definitely following me around unlike some others that just seem to sit under a ledge napping away. And based on that video worse case scenario it would stink to lose a spear or a gun thats for sure!
sway21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 11:38 AM   #5
Telecaster71
BO AND LISA GLOVER
 
Telecaster71's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Okeechobee,Fl
Age: 53
Posts: 302
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Some can be very aggressive more so during their spawning time july-sept,...margates are too dark and fishy tasting for me...what day did you get out of FTP,,,conditions?...good going on the baby and happy hunting
Telecaster71 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 11:42 AM   #6
sway21
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Posts: 52
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Telecaster71 View Post
Some can be very aggressive more so during their spawning time july-sept,...margates are too dark and fishy tasting for me...what day did you get out of FTP,,,conditions?...good going on the baby and happy hunting
Hi there. We went out yesterday, 7/7/19. No to light wind, I would say 1-2 ft waves 5 second period so pretty flat. Viz was great. We dove 50ft and it was clear from 0-35 ft then we hit a little cool thermocline with some snotty water. Then udner that at the bottom it was pretty clear around 20 ft viz. Nice diving lots of small reef life.
sway21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 11:59 AM   #7
Telecaster71
BO AND LISA GLOVER
 
Telecaster71's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Okeechobee,Fl
Age: 53
Posts: 302
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Telecaster71 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 02:14 PM   #8
Marcus
Naval gazer extraordinair
 
Marcus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 42,214
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

__________________
“If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of these organizers are always good? Do not the legislators and their appointed agents also belong to the human race? Or do they believe that they themselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind?”
― Frederic Bastiat, The Law
Marcus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 02:46 PM   #9
jfjf
.
 
jfjf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Palm Bch County
Posts: 11,256
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

That’s a white margate, he is asking about black margate, different fish
jfjf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 03:12 PM   #10
sway21
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Posts: 52
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Yea I don't think I have ever seen a White one.
sway21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 07:26 PM   #11
Diverboy067
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 162
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

There are multiple kinds of margates found in our waters, I wasn't thinking of the black margate when I said they were decent - good quality eats. I usually see white ones and they can get a little size to them and yield some meat. I put the white ones right there with mangrove snapper.....they are very similar meat.
Diverboy067 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 08:36 PM   #12
Alec
Registered User
 
Alec's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Denver/Palm Beach
Age: 29
Posts: 2,158
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

If it's a slow day shoot all the margate you want, a lot of the times out of Fort Pierce you just have to lay on the sand and wait for one of the bigger mangroves to peak out of the hole. I like shooting with one band when kicking up sand and grinding rocks trying to make those 4+lb fish come out of their caves. Try to avoid shooting fish directly in front of a jewfish, but if it's a once in a lifetime fish I say pull the trigger as long as you have a good buddy system going on and you both are able to horse the fish to the surface or poke away at the goliath as he tries to track the fish. Sometimes they are quick as bullsharks on fish, so just be smart. Happy hunting
Alec is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2019, 12:40 PM   #13
sway21
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Posts: 52
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alec View Post
If it's a slow day shoot all the margate you want, a lot of the times out of Fort Pierce you just have to lay on the sand and wait for one of the bigger mangroves to peak out of the hole. I like shooting with one band when kicking up sand and grinding rocks trying to make those 4+lb fish come out of their caves. Try to avoid shooting fish directly in front of a jewfish, but if it's a once in a lifetime fish I say pull the trigger as long as you have a good buddy system going on and you both are able to horse the fish to the surface or poke away at the goliath as he tries to track the fish. Sometimes they are quick as bullsharks on fish, so just be smart. Happy hunting
Interesting never really thought about kicking up sand. This brings me to another question.

I'm newer spearing fish then I am lobstering and I think some of my lobstering habits kick in where I end up covering more ground verse working a spot. How long will you work a single "cave" spot or big ledge holding fish?
sway21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2019, 08:03 PM   #14
Alec
Registered User
 
Alec's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Denver/Palm Beach
Age: 29
Posts: 2,158
Re: Mangroves and Margate Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by sway21 View Post
Interesting never really thought about kicking up sand. This brings me to another question.

I'm newer spearing fish then I am lobstering and I think some of my lobstering habits kick in where I end up covering more ground verse working a spot. How long will you work a single "cave" spot or big ledge holding fish?
If it continues to produce we'll stay on the spot until we've got a few fish in the cooler and leave a few fish for next trip.
Alec is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:00 AM.


The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Social Media Forum Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2002 - 2014 Spearboard.com