Spearing groceries in the Gulf of Mexico

I got a call from a friend asking if I would be interested in going offshore to look for some grouper and hogfish. It was a tough offer to pass up especially since I was fresh out of hogfish in my freezer. We headed out as the sun rose and made our way through the 2 foot waves out to our first spot. Once the anchor was set it wasn't long before we were pulling fish into the boat. Most were red snapper which we weren't allowed to keep and undersized grouper. So we decided to grab our spearfishing gear and find out what was down there. The maze of rock ledges and small caves were teeming with life. The visibility was decent and we were able to collect plenty of fish. The next few spots produced similar results and we saw all kinds of other marine life along the way. By lunchtime we had more fish than we wanted to clean and our boat limit so we pointed in the direction of the dock and headed home. After cleanup was done I stopped at a small local fish market to pick up some deviled crab to stuff the flounder I cooked for our dinner and made the wife happy. Which any married fisherman knows is crucial to being able to continue fishing whenever you want.