Gag grouper have a brownish-grey colored body with a dark wavy pattern on their sides and a pale belly. Older males develop a dark black patch on their belly. Gag is often mistaken for black grouper, which has darker coloring and spots all over. Gag have a large mouth and broad, slightly concave tail fin. The gag grouper, like many other grouper, are all female when young, then select fish turn male to take over that role. If the big male is removed from an area, a female will change sex to take its place. Grouper are slow growing and highly sought after.
Gag grouper are bottom dwellers. Adults live near reefs, rocks and any manmade structures in suitable offshore waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Juveniles grow up in inshore waters on structures, mangrove roots or grass beds. In Louisiana, gag grouper are caught on oil rigs, artificial reefs and natural bottom structures.
Most fishing for gag is done with live and dead bait, though jigs and lures will take gag, too. Heavy tackle is required to pull a gag from its lair. They bite and then charge back to the structures when hooked. They will “rock” you up or cut your line if you don’t turn them in the first few seconds of the fight. It is very challenging but also very rewarding when you succeed.