Yellow Edged Lyretail Grouper

Fishing near blue water just at the edges of a reef, primarily looking for Sailfish, Wahoo, and Tuna. I was using a 10 weight with a fast-sinking line and letting the line get very deep.

We saw small school of baitfish nearer the shore and cast out and caught a Lyretail Grouper which came up from below. Surprise catch considering the conditions and our objectives but a lot of fun and surprise to bring it in.

I had to keep it off the reef as it dug down and headed there quickly which is why I quickly knew I wasn’t dealing with a Wahoo or Tuna.

It was not hard to pull in – I just had to turn its head from the reef.

Colorful fish:

This fish is unique in the Grouper species because of its yellow markings on its tail.

It is called a Lyre tail as the Caudal tail resembles the U-shaped frame of the Ancient Greek string instrument they used for songs and recitations. The actual instrument looks like this:

Like most groupers, it is very good eating fish, but this was a surprise catch and quick release.