|
This page is a way for
all of the hog hunters to share their knowledge about where,
when, and how they get their hogs. The reason we want to
develop this page is not to exchange GPS coordinates,
although that would be nice, but to share facts, discuss
techniques, and to get a better understanding of hogfish in
general. People from all over the world, using many
different techniques, come to the warm waters of the
Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean to find these fish.
We would like to exchange information with a variety of
people from many different locations in order to compare the
behaviors of these fish in different spots. When we receive
information from others we will update our Hog Knowledge
page. If we can do this then hopefully everyone will be
filling up his or her cooler more often.
Hogfishworld’s ever improving Knowledge:
Where to find hogfish?
-
- Hogs can be found in the
warm waters around Florida, Dry Tortugas, Bahamas, Cuba,
Caymans, Belize, Bermuda, as well as many more islands
throughout the Caribbean.
-
- Due to our frequent visits
to the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, most of our information
on Hogs comes from there. We hope to have additional
information from other areas soon.
-
- Water Depth: 5
- 120 ft.
-
- Bahamas depth:
most frequently found 10 - 45 ft.
- - Best Structures:
there are two types of structures or bottom that we have
found to hold the most Hogs.
Bottom Type 1:
Scattered small coral heads with grass between the heads.
The grass should come all the way up to the reef. These
spots are commonly found on the inside of the barrier reefs
in the Bahamas as well as the Keys. You can find hogfish all
the way up to the island itself. The grass seems to be the
key to this type of structure. Areas with only a sand bottom
do not seem to have near as many Hogs.
Technique for
Bottom Type 1:
With this type of structure spend more time swimming around
the outside edge of the coral head if you want to find the
Hogs. Make sure you put an emphasis on covering lots of
area. This is unlike hunting for grouper or lobster, where
you want to look into every hole you see. Move from head to
head making sure to look out over the grass flats for Hogs
feeding in schools. We have often seen up to 20 hogs at once
feeding with their noses down in the grass.
Bottom Type 2:
Scattered coral and rocky bottom with a lot of sea fans.
You can find these areas throughout the Keys and the
Bahamas. The sea fans seem to be the key to this structure
because we often find Hogs hiding behind them with their
noses up current. This type of structure can be tricky,
because there are many of these spots with little to no fish
at all, and others where the fish are everywhere. We have
found that if there are other large fish in the area, such
as muttons, grouper, and queen triggerfish, it might be
well worth your time to hang around for a little while.
Technique for
Bottom Type 2: With this type of bottom the
best technique is to again cover as much territory as
possible. An easy way to do this is to enter the water up
current and drift with it. Another way to cover territory is
to tow behind the boat with a ski rope. Once you are in the
water pay close attention to the sea fans. Hogs will often
camouflage themselves behind or next to the fans for
protection.
Some Hogfish Questions?
Hogfish or Hogsnapper?
- - Due to the
similarities in the taste between hogfish and snapper the
nickname “Hogsnapper” has become popular. But the fact is
that a hogfish is not part of the snapper family at all. It
is actually apart of the wrasse family. A typical wrasse is
a small and colorful tropical fish that you can find near
coral reefs and in aquariums around the world.
Can you catch hogfish with a rod
and reel?
-
- Many people believe that it is impossible to catch a
hogfish with a hook and line, but it is in fact possible.
The strange mouth that a hogfish has makes it very hard to
set a hook in it. But if you use the right bait, shrimp or
conch, you might have better luck.
-
Shark Safety Tips!
Tip
1: Never
Spear Alone!
- We believe that this is the fastest way to get in
trouble in the water. An extra pair of eyes can be a life
saver when spearing in sharky areas. We suggest that at least two people in the water at
all times. The optimum amount of people would be 3-4 divers and
2 people navigating the boat.
Tip 2: Never
anchor your boat!
- -
Spearfishermen
often get in trouble when they anchor because they often
drift down current before they spear a fish. Then you have
to swim against the current all the way back to the boat
with a heavy and bloody fish hanging from your spear. This
can cause many problems such as fatigue, panic, and time for
sharks to find you. The most effective way to spear fish is not to anchor
any way. As we said in tip 1, it is best to have at least 2
people to navigate the boat. This way the driver can hold
the boat a short distance away from the divers until someone
has speared something, then quickly drive the boat over to
the diver to retrieve the fish. The second person in the
boat will first take the wounded fish and spear out of the
water, and then will immediately hand another spear to the
diver. This will constantly keep the right amount of divers
and spears in the water.
a.
Tip 3: Get
wounded fish out of water immediately!
- -
We believe as soon as you shoot a fish that you
should bring it to the surface A.S.A.P. This will lesson the
amount of blood that is in the water, and reduce the risk of
an accident.
This obviously means that we do not believe in towing
a dive bag full of bloody fish around with you. This is
asking for a problem! Don't listen to your buddy who says
that he does it all the time. Besides, if your any good at
shooting fish that bag would be too heavy to tow around any
way.
More Topics Coming
Very Soon!
- Shark Dive Problems!
- Spearing Techniques!
- Equipment?
- Size Limits/Regulations?
- Boats!
- Recipes!
- And Much More Hog
Knowledge!
|
