Red grouper fishing out of Hernando Beach is bottom fishing on rock piles and reef structure, with boats running about 15 to 20 or more miles out. The target is red grouper, and this guide covers the grouper side of the trip: when the fish are around, how far you run, which structure to drop on, how it is fished and who runs it. The wider picture is in the red grouper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico fishing guide.
The numbers below are meant to help you decide where to drop. They don’t guarantee fish.
When red grouper are around Hernando Beach
The only calendar available comes from a local charter. Angling Adventures’ trip calendar lists March to June and September to December for half-day offshore trips.
That is an operator’s schedule, not a fishery season. It tells you when a working boat runs these trips and nothing more. Seasons for the fish themselves are set by the agencies; see the Regulations section below.
| Window | Months listed for half-day offshore trips |
|---|---|
| Spring | March to June |
| Fall | September to December |
How far boats run
Angling Adventures runs two trip types, and they imply two different reaches:
- Half-day offshore trips cover about 15 to 19 miles.
- 5-hour trips cover 20 or more miles.
- Fuel and time scale with the run, so plan the longer trip as a separate day from the shorter one.
Before any run, check the official NWS marine forecast for wind, wave height and period, and base the go/no-go call on those numbers.
Half-day runs (15 to 19 miles)
The target on a half-day run is rock piles and reef structure in the 15 to 19 mile band.
5-hour runs (20 miles and beyond)
5-hour trips run 20 or more miles out. Bendickson Reef (Army tanks) is listed about 20 nautical miles west of Hernando Beach, which puts it at the outer end of that run.
Grounds and structure that hold them
Every listed depth falls between 18 and 26 ft. The culvert, rubble, tank and reef-ball sites are all concrete or hard structure set on the bottom, which is the kind of ground red grouper relate to.
| Site | Structure | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| A.H. Richardson Reef | concrete culverts | 18 ft |
| Richardson Reef | Skyway concrete rubble | 20 ft |
| Jim Champion Reef (sites 1 to 4) | reef sites | 20 ft |
| Bendickson Reef | concrete culvert sites | 25 ft |
| Reef Ball Reef | reef balls | 25 ft |
| Bendickson Reef | Army tanks, about 20 nautical miles west | 26 ft |
| Ghost Ship | decommissioned concrete sailboat | |
| Gomez Rocks (north and south) | pilings with rocks between them |
Richardson reefs: A.H. Richardson culverts and Skyway rubble
A.H. Richardson Reef is concrete culverts in 18 ft, the shallowest named site on the list. Richardson Reef is Skyway concrete rubble in 20 ft.
Jim Champion Reef: sites 1 to 4
Four sites, all in 20 ft.
Reef Ball Reef
Reef balls in 25 ft.
Bendickson Reef: Army tanks and culvert sites
The Army tanks sit in 26 ft, about 20 nautical miles west of Hernando Beach. The concrete culvert sites are in 25 ft.
Ghost Ship
A decommissioned concrete sailboat.
Gomez Rocks: north and south
Pilings with rocks between them, split into a north and a south site.
Chart layers are not for navigation. Use your own charts and electronics to find these sites.
How it’s fished here
The local method is bottom fishing with live pinfish or live sardines. You are dropping bait onto hard structure in 18 to 26 ft, so the work is setting the boat over the piece you picked and getting the bait down to it. For general rigging on reef fish, use the technique guide.
Who fishes for them out of this port
Two operators list red grouper:
- Angling Adventures: a Sea Fox 256, a 26-foot offshore boat with twin 150 HP Yamaha outboards. It runs half-day trips at about 15 to 19 miles and 5-hour trips at 20 or more miles.
- Thunder Fishing Co: the 42-foot Thunder, with twin diesel engines. See Thunder Fishing Co’s party boat for the vessel and trip listing.
If you are weighing Hernando Beach charters before running your own boat, the two differ in size and format: a 26-footer and a 42-footer.
FAQ about red grouper fishing out of Hernando Beach
What months do Hernando Beach charters list for half-day offshore trips?
Angling Adventures’ trip calendar lists March to June and September to December. This is an operator calendar, not a regulation.
How far out do boats run for red grouper?
Half-day trips run about 15 to 19 miles. 5-hour trips run 20 or more miles. Both distances are per Angling Adventures’ trip types.
How deep are the reefs off Hernando Beach?
The named sites range from 18 to 26 ft. A.H. Richardson Reef is the shallowest at 18 ft. Bendickson Reef (Army tanks) is the deepest at 26 ft.
What bait is used locally?
Bottom fishing with live pinfish or sardines.
How far is Bendickson Reef?
The Army tanks site is about 20 nautical miles west of Hernando Beach, in 26 ft. The culvert sites are in 25 ft.
Which charters target red grouper?
Angling Adventures runs a Sea Fox 256 with twin 150 HP Yamahas. Thunder Fishing Co runs the 42-foot Thunder with twin diesels.
