Lately, I have been asked by anglers to make a list of the best fishing lines for grouper. Most are surprised to know that there are almost as many choices of lines as there are fish. The following is based on my experience only - both catching and rigging grouper over the years. It represents what I consider to be a variety of effective choices.
Rigging grouper on a boat is not the time to be improvising or trying something new - especially when you have a fish hooked and it's swimming under your boat! In fact, I believe one of the most common mistakes made by anglers in rigging their grouper as well as other fish species is being impulsive and not being prepared. The rigging preparation should start with what fishing line to use. Using the wrong line can lead to a lot of wasted time, effort and potential danger if you are not familiar with it's characteristics.
Techniques used for deep sea grouper are usually very different from those used on reef fish species. For one thing, grouper fishing is done with much heavier tackle. That means you need a line that can handle the increased pressure and weight of your lure to put the bait in the right place for a good shot at it's prey.
Grouper live in deep water where they are very strong and an excellent fighter. They will use every trick in the book to get you to cut your line and free themselves. They can swim in all directions and during the fight they often turn around and head back in the direction where they started from. This means they will travel a great distance, so you need fishing line that is fast sinking with little or no stretch.
The characteristics of a good deep water grouper fishing line are: strong, abrasion resistant and in a clear color (for better visibility in the water). I like to use a braided line in 20-30lb test with a high strength to diameter ratio. This means that when I hook a grouper, even if it makes every effort to get away from me - my line will not break.
