Spawning takes place between October and March, during which time adult snapper will likely spawn several times. Each adult fish is capable of spawning millions of small (0.8-2 mm) eggs during a season. These eggs hatch after around two days.
What is the best month to catch snapper?
When is the best time to fish for red snapper? Well, the summer is when spawning season begins. The exact dates will change each year based on various spawning conditions. It hits its peak in June and July.
How old is a 50 cm snapper?
In waters off Shark Bay, pink snapper reach maturity after three to four years on average, when they are around 40 centimetres long. In contrast, in the cooler waters off the lower west coast, snapper may be five to six years of age and 50 to 60 centimetres in length by the time they reach maturity.
What is the best bait for 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.
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 tide is best for snapper fishing?
Snapper will use an incoming tide to corral bait schools against reef edges, shallow flats and prominent channel declines. On an outgoing tide, they will use channel entrances, eddies behind structure and bank edges to ambush baitfish forced from shallow bays and off the sand banks due to the lowering water level.
Where is the best place to catch 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.
What is the biggest snapper ever caught?
A youthful Mark Hemmingway with the current world snapper all-tackle record of 17.2kg, caught at Motiti Island in November, 1992.
How heavy is a 70 cm snapper?
6.3
Snapper
| Fork Length (cm) | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|
| 70 | 6.3 |
| 72 | 6.9 |
| 74 | 7.4 |
| 76 | 8.0 |
How long does it take snapper to grow to full size?
Snapper: Adult
Most snapper mature between 3 and 5 years of age or around 230 mm in length. Adult snapper can grow to 1 m in length (over 15 kg) and live to over 60 years in age.
What depth do snapper swim?
Snapper are commonly found in the depths of between 15 to 25 metres in larger bays, however, they can be found anywhere from 5 to 120 metres.
What size hooks for snapper?
Suicide hook patterns ranging from size 1/0 for pinkies, through to size 5/0 for large snapper are recommended. Best times would be early morning and evening although snapper can also be caught throughout the night. Medium-sized soft plastic lures in minnow or shad patterns are also very effective on snapper.
What makes a good snapper rod?
They need to be light and long enough to cast effortlessly, with a little tip action to work the lure and plenty of backbone to handle big fish. A ‘soft ‘rod which folds away under pressure is not practical because it is too hard to set the hook, and we have looked at how important this is.
How do you target snapper from the beach?
If you want to get fancy about it, you can buy some live squid or shrimp and use them as bait. Live minnows or pinfish are also good and will bring bites. As a general rule, live bait should be your only bet when trying to catch red snapper from shore.
How do you catch a big snapper from shore?
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 long should a snapper leader be?
At one time, 15 feet of leader was considered excessive. Today, for mutton snapper in particular, leaders between 40 and 80 feet are the norm.
What do snapper fish eat?
Red snapper feed on fish, shrimp, crab, worms, cephalopods (octopus or squid), and some plankton (tiny floating plants and animals). Young red snapper are food for the large carnivorous fish that share their habitat, such as jacks, groupers, sharks, barracudas, and morays.
Where does snapper feed?
Snapper can be caught over sand, mud, natural reefs, artificial reefs, rubble and in shallow and deep water. They will aggressively feed in areas with a fast running current and waters with no current at all.
Where are the biggest red snapper?
The Louisiana state-record red snapper weighed 50.25 pounds and was caught by Capt. Doc Kennedy in June 1996. Kennedy caught the fish in South Timbalier Block 185. This fish is also listed as the IGFA world record.
What is the season for red snapper in Florida 2022?
Florida Red Snapper Season – State and Federal
State Season (Gulf of Mexico) – The 2022 season is June 17th through July 31st. The season will re-open the following dates: Oct. 8-9 (Sat.
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.