Saltwater · Year-round in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean; large schools all year, best in summer.
French Grunt
Haemulon flavolineatum
Probably the most common grunt on Caribbean coral reefs, unmistakable in its yellow livery. Huge daytime schools pour out of reef shelter at dusk to feed over grass beds.
Seasons · Peak
Identifying features
- Bright yellow stripes — diagonal below the lateral line — blue-bronze lines above, and all fins yellow
- Fins are yellow
- Deep, laterally compressed body typical of its family
- Thick lips and a small to medium mouth suited to picking invertebrates
- Up to 30 cm; commonly around 20 cm and well under 1 kg.
Habits
- Forms daytime schools of hundreds to a thousand fish on reefs
- Migrates at dusk to seagrass beds to feed on crustaceans
- Inside of the mouth is red — a classic grunt family trait shown clearly in this species
Distribution
Where to find them
- Patch reefs throughout the Florida Keys
- Bahamas and Caribbean coral reefs
- Reef-to-grass edges off Cuba, Belize and Puerto Rico
Where they live
How to catch them
Chumming over patch reefs Boat
Rig: Light spinning tackle, small split shot and a #2-1/0 hook fished in the chum slick
Bait/lure: Tiny shrimp pieces or cut bait
Key tip: Hang a frozen chum block in a mesh bag and feed small baits back with the slick; grunts and porgies gather behind the boat.
Reef bottom fishing Boat
Rig: Fish-finder / knocker rig: egg sinker above a swivel, 30-60 cm fluorocarbon leader, #1-1/0 circle hook
Bait/lure: Small pieces of shrimp or squid
Key tip: Anchor up-current of a patch reef, keep the bait tight to the bottom and reel steadily on the bite instead of striking hard.
Best baits & lures
Baseline setup
- Rod: Light to medium spinning rod 2.1-2.4 m
- Line: 10-20 lb braid or mono main line
- Terminal: 20-30 lb fluorocarbon leader, #2-1/0 circle hooks, egg or pyramid sinkers to hold bottom
Recommended gear for this species
Rod · Best value
7'6" medium-heavy jigging rod
≈ US$110-170
Works 2-6 oz jigs over rock and reef and still has the backbone to lift a halibut off the bottom.
Line · Budget
50 lb braid with 40 lb leader (200 yd)
≈ US$25-40
Thin braid cuts the current so jigs stay vertical; the leader shrugs off rock and teeth.
Terminal · Budget
Leadhead jigs, swimbaits and two-hook bottom rigs
≈ US$25-40
A leadhead with a swimbait tail is the universal bottom-fish catcher, from rockfish to cod to flounder.
Picks are never paid placements. Prices are guides; price links are coming soon and none is an affiliate link yet.
Typical size
Up to 30 cm; commonly around 20 cm and well under 1 kg.
On the table
Small but tasty pan fish; often eaten whole fried in the Caribbean.
Similar species
Bluestriped GruntBluestriped grunt has horizontal blue stripes on a yellow body and black rear dorsal and tail fins; French grunt's stripes below the lateral line run diagonally and all its fins are yellow.
Tomtate GruntTomtate is silvery with one bronze stripe and a tail-base spot; French grunt is yellow-striped all over with yellow fins.Regulations vary by area and can change in-season — always check the official rules for your area before you fish. Regulations guide →
Plan a trip for French Grunt
Build today's plan⚠ Heads-up: French Grunt doesn't occur around Vancouver, BC (or is very rare there), so it's not a sensible local target. Your plan stays in Vancouver, BC and is built around the fish that actually live there.