1. Where the Wild Fish Are. Red snappers are both deep water and shallow dwellers. You can find them at any depth between 30 and 200 feet, usually huddled by nearby protective structures.
How far should snapper be from the shore?
Generally a 40-100m cast is necessary. Snapper are more commonly caught on our inshore and offshore reefs by the boat anglers. The vast majority of landbased anglers rarely catch snapper, and rarely specifically target them from the shore.
What is the best time to fish for snapper?
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 depth do red snapper live?
30 to 620 feet deep
Where They Live. Red snapper are generally found at 30 to 620 feet deep in the Gulf of Mexico and along the eastern coasts of North America, Central America, and northern South America.
How far out are red snapper?
The bulk of the big red snapper are 20 to 30 miles offshore, but I’ve caught them as close as 10 miles offshore. They never ever used to be in that close.” When fishing for big red snapper, Brown anchors over natural bottom, artificial reefs and wrecks — any structure that holds baitfish — on his boat Teaser2.
What is the best lure to catch 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.
What is best for catching snapper?
Snapper of all sizes, including huge 20 or even 30-pound fish are commonly caught on dead bait. Squid, pogies, and cigar minnows are always reliable and readily available. But if you want to try to target huge snapper, you need live bait and the bigger, the better.
How deep do you fish for snapper?
between 30 and 200 feet
Where the Wild Fish Are. Red snappers are both deep water and shallow dwellers. You can find them at any depth between 30 and 200 feet, usually huddled by nearby protective structures. Favorite hot spots include piers, seawalls, and old wreckage.
What month is best for snapper?
When is the best time to catch Snapper? The most ideal time to target snapper is between late spring and early summer. (October and December) This is due to the shift in seasons. Larger schools of snapper move closer in shore, into channels and harbours for more balanced water temperatures.
How do you attract snapper?
Snapper take a variety of different baits and lures ranging from soft plastics to jigs. On a boat, flicking soft plastics has become highly popular, however you can still live bait and also use dead baits. Snapper eat a wide range of baits.
Where do snappers hide?
These fish are happiest on the bottom of the ocean, hiding in reefs, deep water structures, wrecks, and debris. You’ll find them in a wide range of depths, from 35 feet to almost 200 feet deep. This gives you plenty of opportunity to find red snapper while deep sea fishing.
Can you catch red snapper in shallow water?
Although you can catch a Red Snapper in shallow waters, the vast majority of them will be found in the deeps. Depending on your luck, you may find one ranging closer to the shoreline. However, they mostly tend to congregate in small groups near structures such as oil rig platforms or buoys.
Where is the best place to fish red snapper?
Red snapper are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico, but they can also be found off the coasts of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. In general, red snapper fishing is best in the spring and summer months.
How long can you leave snapper before gutting?
If the fish hasn’t been kept cold enough the flesh wont have ‘set’ and will be soft and harder to fillet. I often leave whole fish overnight in ice or an ice slurry and fillet them the next day. They are perfectly fine. I even prefer snapper to be at least 24hrs old before cooking to get the best flavour.
How old is a 16 inch red snapper?
between 2 and 7 years old
A 16-inch fish could be anywhere between 2 and 7 years old, a 24-inch fish could be 3 to 9 years old, and a 32-inch could be from 5 to over 35 years old. The two oldest fish in the study were 52.6 and 51.7 years old, but were only 34 inches and 34.5 inches long and weighed a modest 17.3 and 20.2 pounds.
Is red snapper a bottom feeder?
It might surprise you that the following fish and shellfish are classified as bottom-feeders: halibut, flounder, sole, cod, haddock, bass, carp, snapper, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, squid, octopus, catfish, shrimp, crabs, lobster, crayfish, snails and shellfish.
What Colours attract snapper?
Pink often works well for snapper! Bright pink is a consistent performer, but the reason for this is not obvious. As the light changes, so should lure colours.
What size rod should I use for snapper?
A “standard” snapper outfit is a 4000 sized threadline reel spooled with 20lb braid and coupled to a 4–7kg rod of around 7′.
What are snappers favorite food?
Snappers are carnivorous fish. The young often begin feeding on plankton but soon grow into hunters. Their primary diet consists of crustaceans, mollusks and smaller fishes.
How do you target a large snapper?
In rocky areas they will find food in the form of crayfish, kina and shellfish, dislodging them from the rocks with their powerful teeth. Exploiting these habits, the two primary methods for catching snapper from the shore are stray-lining (dead baits and soft-plastic baits) and fishing dead baits on the bottom.
How do you know when snapper is done?
The best way to tell if your fish is done is by testing it with a fork at an angle, at the thickest point, and twist gently. The fish will flake easily when it’s done and it will lose its translucent or raw appearance. A good rule of thumb is to cook the fish to an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.