How do you fish for mangrove snapper in the Keys?

Asked by: Misty Northcutt

All kinds of baits work for mangrove snapper. Small live baits such as cigar minnows, pilchards, pin fish and grunts are perfect gum drops. More mangroves have been caught on grunt plugs and lips than any other bait there is and the frozen sardine or cigar minnow is a close second.

What is the best bait to catch mangrove snapper?

All kinds of baits work for mangrove snapper. Small live baits such as cigar minnows, pilchards, pin fish and grunts are perfect gum drops. More mangroves have been caught on grunt plugs and lips than any other bait there is and the frozen sardine or cigar minnow is a close second.

How do you fish for mangrove snapper in Florida?

One of the things that we like to do for mangrove snappers is use fresh cut bait. And so when you're out here fishing for keeper size snappers you can see them busting in the chum slick here.

What is the best time to catch mangrove snapper?

The fish, typically found around seawalls and docks in the Intracoastal Waterway and Biscayne Bay, and around mangrove islands in Florida Bay and Everglades National Park, move offshore to spawn in July and August. “At times they won’t feed,” Poveromo said, “but when they decide to eat, it’s just bar-the-door fishing.

How do you catch mangrove snapper in Islamorada?

That's right we got chum in the water just ground up fish with some oil mixed in there put it in the bag. And let it thaw. And uh it brings the fish in we don't use a whole lot of chum in the back.

How do you target mangrove snapper?

The best way to catch a mangrove snapper is to use a small hook like a #2 J hook or a 1/0 circle hook and a small piece of shrimp because these snappers are excellent bait stealers. You will also want to use a light 8 to 10 pound fluorocarbon leader because they have great eyesight.

How do you fish mangroves?

Just right across the point that way I can reel my line. Right along the trees as close as possible to those mangroves right on point because again that's where statistically.

What is the best time to fish for snapper?

Best Times for Snapper Fishing

Early morning and evening is the best time for snapper, since many fish feed at night and rely on low light for camouflage, especially in shallow water.

What lures to use for snapper?

Popular options include ZMan 5″ Scented PaddlerZ, 6″ SwimmerZ and 8″ Mag SwimZ. It’s the jerkbait style plastics that dominate the snapper catches however and these are the best starting point for those getting into offshore soft plastics fishing.

How do you catch snapper?

Get the lure down to where the fish are. Put it in the right holder. Just the drag let the rocking the boat do the rest of the work.

How do you catch red snapper in the Florida Keys?

Live bait, dead bait, jigs, lures and more can be used to catch Red Snapper. Their aggressive nature and fearless attitude make them an easy target for anglers. They seem to eat first and ask questions later. Red Snapper roam in large schools and once you are on the right spot it can be non-stop action catching them.

Where can I fish for snapper in Florida?

Snapper will be caught on the flats along mangrove shorelines, bars, and over grass flats. Structure such as bridges, docks, seawalls, artificial reefs, and natural rock ledges will also hold plenty of these tasty saltwater pan fish. Anglers can find current Florida snapper fishing Regulations on the FWC website.

Is there a season for mangrove snapper?

Open year-round.

Can you eat mangrove snapper?

Although Mangrove Snapper are generally a small fish, they rank right up at the top of the list for white, sweet, flaky meat. Fried, baked, or broiled, mangrove snapper ranks as one of the most delicious species.

What is the legal size for snapper?

Table 1: Individual species daily limits within the combined bag limit

What’s the biggest snapper ever caught?

According to the International Game Fish Association, the All Tackle World Record was caught June 23, 2007 by angler Marion Rose on Garden Bank off Louisiana and weighed an incredible 124 pounds, 12 ounces. Kirkhart recently guided an angler to what is a pending IGFA line class world record for cubera snapper.

How old is a 30cm snapper?

around 4yrs old

AGE & GROWTH
Snapper reach full maturity around 4yrs old and about 30cm in length. The average schooling snapper that are encountered can be anything from 4 to 10 years old and the larger snapper around 5+kg can be anything from 20 to 60 years old.