As with most groupers, the snowy prefers hard-rock bottom. Adults tend to be offshore fish. They have been recorded at depths of down to 800 feet.

WARSAW GROUPER
Second in size only to the Goliath grouper (formerly known as the jewfish, Epinephelus itajara), the Warsaw grouper is the behemoth of the Gulf fishery. The Goliath is a protected species, leaving the Warsaw as the largest of the family that can be harvested.

An offshore species, the Warsaw prefers depths of 250 to 650 feet, and is usually found around irregular bottoms or dropoffs.

These fish are grayish to dark reddish-brown all over, and their dorsal fin has a very long second spine sticking up. Warsaw grouper reach lengths of six feet and weights of more than 550 pounds.

SUMMING IT UP
Whether you're heading out for a day of snapper fishing or are targeting grouper specifically, you stand a good chance of tangling this spring and summer with one of these "bulldogs" of the reefs.

Either way, hang on tight to your rod -- that is, if you plan to take both it and the fish home at the end of the day!