Saltwater · Year-round in deep water when seas allow; a rare encounter in any season
Warsaw Grouper
Hyporthodus nigritus
A giant, rare deep-water grouper listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered — treat every encounter as special. US rules tightly limit it, often to one fish per vessel per trip, so check the current rules before any trip and favour releasing these slow-growing giants, especially the largest breeders.
Seasons · Peak
Identifying features
- Uniform dark brown to almost black body with no spots or blotches in adults
- The only grouper with 10 dorsal spines — all others have 11
- Very steep, broad head profile with a big mouth
- Massive, deep body; even average deep-drop fish are heavy fish
- Juveniles are mottled brown with a yellowish tail, unlike the plain adults
Habits
- A solitary giant of deep slopes, holding on wrecks, ledges and rough bottom
- Feeds on fish, crabs, lobsters and other large bottom prey
- Extremely slow-growing and long-lived, so old giants are irreplaceable breeders
- Rarely encountered — most deep-drop anglers never catch one
- Females change sex to male with age, as in other groupers
Distribution
Where to find them
- Deep breaks and wrecks in the northern Gulf off Louisiana, its main US ground
- Deep slopes off the Florida Keys and the Florida Panhandle
- Occasional deep-drop captures off Texas and, rarely, the Carolinas
Where they live
How to catch them
Deep dropping whole fish baits Boat
Rig: Heavy deep-drop outfit, often an electric reel, with a single large circle hook on a heavy leader and 3-6 lb sinker over structure in 400-1000 ft (120-300 m)
Bait/lure: Whole bonito, mullet or blue runner
Key tip: A warsaw is a rare bonus on deep grouper grounds — if a giant comes up, favour a quick release unless the current rules clearly allow keeping it.
Heavy deep-drop rigs on offshore breaks Boat
Rig: Bent-butt rod with a heavy hand-crank or electric reel, multi-hook deep-drop rig with large cut baits fished on offshore breaks and wreck edges
Bait/lure: Large cut baits and whole squid
Key tip: Wind steadily and keep pressure on — a hooked warsaw heads straight for the structure.
Best baits & lures
Baseline setup
- Rod: Heavy bent-butt deep-drop rod, hand-crank or electric reel
- Line: 80-130 lb braid
- Terminal: 12/0-16/0 circle hooks, 3-6 lb sinkers, 200-300 lb leader
Recommended gear for this species
Rod · Best value
9' 5-weight fly rod outfit
≈ US$180-260
Covers chironomid lakes and small rivers with one setup.
Flies · Budget
Chironomid assortment (30 patterns)
≈ US$25-40
Chironomids are 60% of a lake rainbow's diet in spring.
Picks come from our rule library — never paid placements. Prices are guides; affiliate links may earn us a commission.
Typical size
Common 20-80 lb (9-36 kg) when encountered; giants to about 7 ft (2.1 m) and over 400 lb (180 kg)
On the table
Good firm white flesh, but as a Critically Endangered species release is strongly favoured, especially for large fish.
Similar species
Snowy GrouperSnowy carries white snowflake spots over a dark body and has 11 dorsal spines; warsaw is uniformly dark with no spots and only 10 dorsal spines
Yellowedge GrouperYellowedge is far smaller, plain brown with yellow-edged dorsal and tail fins; warsaw is a uniform dark giant with a steep head and 10 dorsal spinesRegulations vary by area and can change in-season — always check the official rules for your area before you fish. Regulations guide →
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