TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Recognized for their speckled brown spots, flared tail, and delicious flavor, Scamp grouper are highly sought after in the Gulf.

Scamp grouper are typically found in deeper waters, requiring anglers to venture further offshore. Captain Ryan Amaturo from Reel Nauti Fishing Charters mentions achieving success at depths of 150 to 250 feet. However, they tend to come closer to shore during their spawning months in the spring.

On a fishing trip with him, Amanda caught a sizable scamp at 180 feet deep. Amaturo noted, “They’re really enjoyable to catch and currently open for keeping, making them an excellent choice for a meal at home.”

Tasty but oh so pretty as well!

“They’re an awesome looking fish. Their tails, how it flairs out like that, just so cool,” said Amaturo, “Sometimes they’ll be real dark and then lighten up. They’ve got beautiful blue eyes.”

They like a variety of baits, both live and cut bait. Amaturo said live pin fish and greenbacks work well for him but he actually has a lot of success with slow pitching vertical jigs.

As far as tackle goes, Amaturo said he has caught scamp on all different sizes of leader and on anything from an old school knocker rig, a fish finder rig or even a chicken rig.

They are a species that like hard bottom, not sandy reef. Look for structure on your sounder, like rocks, ledges, wrecks and holes. Anything that will give them a spot to hide.

Scamp grouper are not as big as many other groupers but what they lack in size, they make up for in flavor! It is a tasty fish that has very flaky meat that is not fishy at all.