About Spearos Kitchen
Spearos Kitchen is an ocean to table education platform focused on helping the recreational spearfishing and fishing communities responsibly utilize their catch through recipes, species guides, fillet tutorials, and educational content.
The Plan
When I first moved to the Florida Keys back in 2022, I didn’t have a boat. I would occasionally go out with friends that had boats, but most of them weren’t into spearfishing. My only mode of transportation at the time, was my trusty Hobie Kayak. This particular day I was supposed to go out on a boat with a guy that I had just met – who later actually became a good dive buddy of mine. Unfortunately things didn’t work out for what we had planned and he wasn’t able to come down and dive, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and go on my kayak.
I was used to going offshore a few miles in my kayak to fish when I lived in South Florida, so going out to the reef in the Keys wasn’t all that daunting to me. The problem in the Keys, however, was that the reef was much further out – about 5 miles. I ended up launching my kayak out of Marathon, where the reef looked to be the closest, and headed straight out almost 5 miles. I can’t remember how long it took me to get out there, but I imagine it was a few hours, at least. I had no idea if it would be worth it, but I wanted to give it a shot.
The Fish
I finally got to the chunk of reef that I had found on Google Maps, I then anchored up and got in the water. Immediately, I saw a good-sized Black Grouper dart into a cave right over by me. My heart started pounding right away, but luckily I was only in about 15 feet of water. I dove down and couldn’t find him under the rock, I only saw a smaller one and I knew that couldn’t be him. I knew he had to be in there, so I dove on the same rock again, and there he was!
I aimed my gun and got a perfect shot right thru his cheeks, I didn’t stone him, but I knew he wasn’t going anywhere. I then surfaced and started breathing back up, I knew he wasn’t going anywhere but I wanted to get him out of the rocks pretty quick. Some large nurse sharks decided to show up. I wasn’t really concerned, but they kept trying to get under the rock and get my fish. I ended up having to pull one by the tail and push him away so he wouldn’t get my fish. The hole that the grouper was in was much too small for the shark to get into.
Eventually the sharks ended up leaving and the sand finally settled so I could see the fish. The shaft was angled so it wouldn’t come out, but once I readjusted it, everything came out with ease. I took him to the surface and let out a little yell. It was my first Florida keys black grouper, and I was so stoked! I was only in the water for maybe 15 minutes that day. The fish ended up being 30 inches.
I decided to call it a day out on the reef after quick success and head back in to some shallower spots to do some lobstering. The trip back in didn’t seem as long as the one out because I was so hyped up after getting my first Florida keys black grouper. Once I got back closer to shore, I was also able to somehow get a limit of 6 spiny lobsters within about 30 minutes, a great way to end the day!
What I Made
I’m honestly not 100% sure what I ended up making with this Florida Keys black grouper, but I can promise there were some sort of sandwiches that were made, most likely with some arugula and a remoulade sauce. When I was living in South Florida, I rarely speared grouper so this one was a welcomed delicacy for sure, that was also probably shared with friends and neighbors.
What I Learned
My first Florida Keys black grouper taught me a lesson about perseverance and adaptation even when things might not go according to plan. I was originally supposed to go out on a boat with someone who had knowledge of spearfishing these fish and knew where they lived, but when that didn’t work out, I was forced to become resourceful on my own.
Not only did I not know where to go look for these fish, but I also only had a kayak to get out there. Nonetheless, I didn’t let any of those factors stop me, and still somehow landed my first Florida Keys black grouper. I also think there may have been a little luck involved, because I ended up in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that just how the world works!