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Dock talk throughout Florida's west coast will have more mentions of grouper for the next couple of months, as the Gulf fish start moving into shallower water.

Having spent the summer in deep, cooler spots of 80-plus feet, many gag grouper will be heading inside the 60-foot mark and in some areas, as shallow as 30 to 40 feet.

This is a double blessing for bottom fishermen, as fuel bills decline in the cooler months, plus shorter trips mean less time plowing through the rough seas typical of fall.

Moreover, it's not just a proximity thing — fall grouper are very aggressive. Knowing that cooler weather means the departure of the large baitfish schools that hung around offshore structures during the summer months, gags will be looking to fill their bellies.

As the fall movement gains steam, anglers will be heading out of popular sportfishing ports at Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, Madeira Beach, Sarasota and Port Charlotte with their sights set on some of the Gulf's most prized filets.

Stout boat rods, 4/0-class reels and 50- to 80-pound line are the tools of this game. All you have to do is find the right spot, and it's game-on.

Grouper favor hard bottom structure such as ledges, rocks and reefs, both natural and artificial. The edges of shipping channels from the Cross Florida Barge Canal off Yankeetown, to Tampa Bay's Egmont Channel and the Boca Grande Channel leading into Charlotte Harbor hold gags along their rocky and undercut edges.

This time of year, Capt. Don Chancey of Homosassa will be dragging his Mann's Stretch 25 and Stretch 35 plugs across rocks in 30-plus feet of water, while Tampa Bay Capt. Randy Rochelle and Vance Tice of Tight Lines Tackle will be trolling Bubba jigs with white, pink or chartreuse curl tails along the bay's shipping lanes. Rochelle and Tice use planers to place their jigs in the strike zone.

Go natural

Despite the proven productivity of artificials, some grouper diggers live by the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, Baby."

That means natural baits, and tops on the list of livies is the pinfish, a tough, durable bait that you can catch in a cast net, or with cuts of squid fished on small hooks over grass flats. Shiny and highly visible, pinfish emit strong panic vibrations that send grouper over the edge.

Other inshore baits such as scaled sardines ("whitebait") and threadfin herring ("greenbacks") also tempt gags. Offshore, catch a couple dozen grunts, blue runners or spots ("sailor's choice") and you're in business.

Don't fret if live baits elude you — the dead stuff works just fine, too. Even with a well full of livies, savvy grouper diggers won't go offshore without at least a couple boxes of frozen sardines and squid.

When gags are fired up, they'll pounce on live baits right off the bat. In most cases, you'll need to get the spot going. Frozen chum blocks help, but drop down a couple of stinky dead baits and the scent will kick start the action.

Keeper grouper regularly fall for dead sardines — whole or chunked — and pieces of squid. Often, the smaller fish will swarm around dead baits until a big gag runs them off and grabs the meal for himself.

Freshly dead baits will also get the job done. This may be some of your live baits that die in the well, or reef rates like porgies, spots, butterfish, vermillion snapper or lizardfish. The smell won't be as intense as the dead stuff, but my friend DuWayne Crofton of Tampa showed me how he increases the appeal of a dead bait with a butterflied presentation.

After reeling up a small vermillion, he cut the flanks away from the backbone and left them attached just below the gills. Flapping in the current, butterflied dead baits exhibit a lively appearance, while releasing blood and scent that appeals to any hungry gags in the area.

Tactics

When a grouper strikes, don't jerk the rod tip — this isn't bass fishing. Line stretch absorbs most of your intended pressure anyway and all you do is twitch the bait just enough to spook the fish into letting go.

When you feel a fish come tight, simply reel your rod tip down to the surface to pull your hook into the fish's mouth. Once you're connected, tuck the rod butt under your armpit and fight the fish with a smooth cadence of reeling down and lifting with short, controlled strokes.

Some opt for pegging the rod end against their waist. If you go this route, you'll appreciate a fighting belt or a Rod Hookie — a T-shaped fighting brace that slips over the rod butt and provides a broader surface to brace against your waist.

With an aggressive nature and a powerful fight, the gag grouper may be one of the Gulf's most underrated sport fish. Not so on the dinner plate. Fried, broiled or grilled, this fish is just one more reason to love fall in Florida.

Keep it legal

Legal gag grouper must measure at least 22 inches in the Gulf. Daily limit is two per person and gags count toward the daily grouper aggregate of four.

Remember, federal regulations in place since last summer mandate the use of non-stainless steel circle hooks for all Gulf of Mexico reef fish. Offset circle hooks are allowed in federal waters (past nine nautical miles), but inline circle hooks are required for state waters. All boats targeting reef fish in the Gulf must also carry hook removal devices and venting tools.

Editor's note: David A. Brown has a B.A. in journalism from the University of South Florida and you can see his work in Florida Sportsman, FLWOutdoors.com, Cabela's Outfitter Journal, TIDE, In-Fisherman, Louisiana Sportsman, The St. Petersburg Times and Saltwater Angler. He also ghost-wrote and published "Fish Smart — Catch More!" for Tampa's cable TV host Capt. Bill Miller (www.billmiller.com) and a couple more publishing projects will be docking soon. He operates a professional writing/marketing agency, Tight Line Communications.