Catching limits of grouper for everybody on the boat during hot summer days doesn't happen for me very often. Grouper fishing in shallow water gets tough once the water temperature exceeds 80 degrees and, for every degree above 80 it seems like my catch shrinks by about 5%. I don't expect to catch a lot of big grouper right now, but I'll come in with a nice box of fish because I‘ll work my "Hot Water Game Plan."

With my "Hot Water Game Plan," grouper are targeted but I'm using a "shotgun" approach for other fish too. When the water is hot, I fish the biggest spots I can find with tall ledges, wrecks, and rocks being best. On a typical "hot water" day, barracuda often provide the most spectacular action. Barracuda hang out over high rocks and wrecks, picking off stragglers from bait schools, and often, fish off your hooks. Yeah, I hate to lose a good fish to a ‘cuda, but for folks who have never seen it happen, it just might be the most exciting part of the trip. To land a ‘cuda, you either have to get mighty lucky with a mono leader or have a three-foot length of #2 wire. The #2 wire is only 27-pound test and mighty hard to see. No weight or float is needed. Live sardines, cigar minnows or a two-foot-long Spanish mackerel all get bit by the ‘cuda. Spinning tackle or heavy freshwater bait-casting gear is all that's needed. Expect lots of high jumps and screaming runs. Barracuda aren't docile in the boat, so use a lip gaff if you want a picture, or better yet, release them at boatside. I've eaten barracuda, but be advised they can carry Ciguatera poisoning. Spanish mackerel, cobia, sharks, and an occasional kingfish grab this line too.

A large pinfish hooked behind the dorsal fin on 30- to 50-pound gear with no weight or leader catches a lot of big grouper if the current isn't running too hard. First and third quarter moon phases usually have slow enough tides for this technique to work. The pinfish tries to get to the bottom but the drag of the current against the line keeps him from making it most of the time. He can, however, make it down into the strike zone. Grouper that are used to seeing baits tethered to four- to eight-ounce sinkers find an unweighted pinfish hard to resist. Probably the most common catches on this rig will be gag grouper, mangrove snapper, and jack crevalle—bigger than you might want to hook. Expect cobia just about every trip.

Then there is the basic bottom rig with a circle hook and live sardine or cigar minnow. I said "live," and I do mean live. Dead bait catches grunts, sea bass and, I'll admit, an occasional grouper or snapper. Most days in shallow, hot water, if it ain't live, you can forget grouper. Cigar minnows or blue runners really shine here. They are strong, active and mighty attractive to big grouper. Again, cobia grab these baits often.

If you can find a shrimper culling his catch, try to get a few dozen rock shrimp and small crabs. Fish these on a basic bottom rig and expect hog snapper (hogfish). Hogfish are seldom caught along the Gulf coast, with most being speared. They are excellent eating, maybe the best fish of all. A large rock shrimp or a two-inch crab really gets their attention and they darn near never take any other bait. The hogfish bite is always best very early and very late in the day.

Another rod rigged with a six-foot wire leader and 10/0 hook baited with a fillet from a jack crevalle or bonita is sure to get a shark bite. Most of the sharks we catch are less than six feet long, but once last summer we caught a hammerhead that was close to 12 feet. Hammerheads, blacktips, bulls, nurse and an occasional tiger shark, provide excitement nearly every trip. Occasionally, a big grouper or cobia grabs the shark bait too.

Hot water fishing is usually productive for me because I use my "Hot Water Game Plan"—unless I have folks who want grouper only. These folks don't know what they are missing. When I come in with five or six grouper, a cobia or two, several Spanish mackerel and maybe a couple of hogfish, I've had a pretty good day for mid-summer. The dozen or so other fish that aren't brought back to the dock plus a "sea monster" or two that got away are just bonuses. If you measure the success of your catch by the total pounds of fillets, you'd better wait until cool weather or fish with somebody who knows something I don't.