TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — American red snapper are a fun species to catch and even more delicious to eat. The recreational season to keep red snapper runs through the end of July in the Gulf of Mexico with five additional weekends (including Fridays) in October and November.
This week, Amanda sat down with Captain Kyle Applefield with Loaded Down Sportfishing to get some tips on how to catch these prized fish. They are out there right now at depths of anywhere from 110 to 250 feet.
“There are plenty of fish, it can be spotty but when you find them, you can pick out the nicer fish anywhere from 110 all the way out to 150 feet with the higher concentrations being closer to that 150 foot depth,” he said.
Getting out to those depths is the easier part of the day. It is what your looking for on your sounder when you get there that can be a little trickier.
“Some of the bigger ledges and higher profile structure out in the deeper water will hold red snapper.” However, he finds that the smaller structures hold the bigger fish.
“We find that the bigger fish like the smaller pieces of bottom. The flatter lime rock with potholes, the stuff that’s harder for your average guy to find,” Applefield said.
But don’t let that discourage you. He said to take your time, look around and it will pay off.
As for the tackle, Applefield said “use a conventional rig for shallower depths.” He uses 50 to 60-pound leader. If you’re going to use a heavier weight to get to the bottom, like a four, six or even an eight ounce weight, he suggested to use a conventional rig, which is a slip weight to a swivel, a good amount of leader to your hook.
You can use lighter tacker as well.
“With a lighter weight, we use a knocker rig and something as light as a 1 oz. to a 2 oz. weight. If we’re a little deeper, it drops the bait down slower and sometimes those bigger fish up in the water column will eat a bait on the way down.”
You can even use a jig head on a spinning rod to put a little more sport to it.
As for bait, Applefield said they are not picky eaters. He likes to start with frozen cut bait like a sardine or threadfin herring to get the fish chewing. Then they throw in a live pin fish or a conventional rig to target some of the bigger reds.
Amanda did ask about how the moon affects the bite and Applefield said he does notice the bite to be a little slower about three days on the back side of a full moon, because they might be a little fuller after feasting all night. The three days leading up to the full moon seem to do really well.
American red snapper pull hard. They’re not too difficult to target and they’re willing to take a bait, so it is fun to get out there and find those fish. Along the way, you’ll also find yourself catching red grouper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper and even yellowtail, vermillion are also a good bycatch for red snapper.
You can keep two per person that are at least 16 inches to the tail. Happy fishing!!
