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. However, if you know where to look, you can find good fishing spots year-round.
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 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’s the best bait for snapper fishing?
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.
Where is the best red snapper fishing?
Here’s a list of the top Red Snapper fishing spots in the nation to help you decide.
- Tampa, Florida.
- Cedar Key, Florida.
- Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
- Pensacola, Florida.
- Dauphin Island, Alabama.
- Biloxi, Mississippi.
- Venice, Louisiana.
- Grand Isle, Louisiana.
How do you attract snapper?
Best lures
Snapper will take a wide variety of lures. Soft plastics would be up there with the most effective methods. Examples include Squidgie whip baits, Zman Jerk Shads and Zman Grubs. Snapper will also take hard and soft vibes, trolled hard body lures and even metal slugs.
How do you catch a big snapper?
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. Whilst snapper can be caught on faster moving lures and live baits, these are generally far less effective.
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.
How deep do you fish for snapper?
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.
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.
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?
Size 7/0 to 8/0 for larger reds and 4/0 to 6/0s for smaller fish is good starting point.
What is the best red snapper rig?
Types of Rigs
- The Three-Way Swivel – The most commonly used bottom rig, the three-way swivel combination, works best when you fish wrecks or rocky bottoms.
- The Knocker Rig – Popular for hooking smaller snappers, the knocker rig is a good choice for fishing near wrecks or directly over reefs.
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.
Where does snapper go in winter?
Inshore in winter
Some snapper (I’m guessing about 20-25% of them) stay inshore, mostly tucking up in heavy, shallow foul or high-current areas such as channels. The colder water slows their metabolisms, so they do not feed as actively as during the rest of the year, and bite times can be short.
What is the biggest red snapper ever caught?
“This Cubera Snapper weighs 137 POUNDS and was caught on June 3rd, 2022 in the Gulf of Mexico by Braden Sherron with freediving spearfishing!
Are snapper easy to catch?
Catching red snapper is easy. In fact, some grouper fishermen will tell you that it’s too easy because the aggressive snapper will get to their baits before a grouper can even think about eating them.
What kind of rod do you use for snapper?
Most Snapper fishos recommend a good strong rod with a fast taper around 7 foot in length.
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.
What Colour are snapper attracted to?
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.
How much drag do you need for snapper?
Registered. My rule of thumb is pretty standard – like amaracfina – set the drag to about 1/3 the breaking strength of the line with the lever at the strike position.