Capt. Kevin Aley
The long awaited American Red Snapper (ARS) season is due to open June 11th lasting through July 25th for recreational anglers. Season for Federally permitted For-Hire Vessels (charter captains, like myself) opens June 1st lasting through August 2nd. Many anglers in the SW Florida area love ARS season and will push themselves and their boats to the extreme in order to land these bright red beauties. With these short windows of opportunity to catch and keep the delicious red snapper, it is important to understand their habits and feeding tendencies. Red snapper are most times ferocious feeders; however, strong tides and full moons can definitely take a toll on your success. The full moon often times slows a snapper bite to an almost complete halt due to the fact that the fish have fed all night and have ceased feeding by the time you reach your fishing spot, which is typically well after the sun has broken the horizon. The best way to catch limits of ARS on a full moon is to fish at night; although it can be unnerving to be miles from shore after the sun goes down, you will be rewarded with bent rods and full boxes by the time you see the sun again.
The next problem you will face fishing on a full or even a new moon for that matter is a ripping tide. The biggest problem when fishing a strong tide is getting your bait to hit the bottom where the fish are sitting. Most times inexperienced anglers will anchor their boats directly on top of their spots so they can see the fish on their sonar, but as they drop their weights towards the bottom, the current will sweep the rig out of the back of the boat causing their baits to land well down current of the fish. If you get to your spot and find that the current is running much harder than anticipated, there are several things you can do to increase your chances of filling your cooler with Red Snapper. The first is to increase your weight size. On my charters I bring a conglomerate of weights ranging from 1oz-20oz, this insures that no matter the conditions or depths that I end up fishing, I will be prepared. Another way to combat the tide is to drift fish. Get well up current of your spot; deploy your lines off of the up current side of your boat and let your baits drift through the area that the fish are in. Once you pass the fish, reel up and start over. This is a deadly approach and if you are patient you may find a new area several hundred yards away that you never knew was there.
Most tackle used for ARS are traditional âgrouper rigsâ; a medium to heavy rod, a 2-speed reel with drag capabilities of 30lbs or better lined with 80lb braided line, tied to a 8ft piece of 80lb fluorocarbon with an egg sinker slid on to it, the line is then tied to a 100lb swivel. On the other side of the swivel tie another piece of fluorocarbon ranging from 40-100lbs and between 4-10ft in length, tied to a 5/0-9/0 inline circle hook (Owner SSW 7/0s are my favorite). Many variables come into play when tying your red snapper rigs, such as the type of bait you will be using, water clarity, depth, and the size fish that you think inhabit the area you are fishing.
Water depth is a very important factor when it comes to a successful red snapper trip. Do not waste your time looking for red snapper in 100ft of water, you will not catch any. Instead keep running west until you reach 130ft or better. If you get to your spot and you do not see any fish on your depth finder keep idling around the area until you locate them. You will not always see a giant school of fish, but if you see one or two marks, typically in the shape of an elongated âSâ, anchor up and fish it. I cannot tell you how many times I have anchored on a small mark, hooked a fish on the first drop, only to have the depth finder turn fire red with fish; it important to remember that ARS are a schooling fish and are very inquisitive, when one of their comrades start to struggle on the end of your line, the whole school will rush over to get in on the frenzy. I offer two different ARS charters, a 12hr or a 14hr. These long days allow me to run up to 100 miles offshore in search of giant ARS, Scamp, Black, Red and Gag Groupers as well as an assortment of other reef fish.
I also bring a variety of live, dead, and artificial baits on my charters including live pilchards, pinfish, spot tailed grunts and mullet. Frozen squid is always in my cooler, as are a couple boxes of frozen sardines. The live pilchards are great for finicky ARS, but you wonât usually catch any of the grouper species on them. A frozen sardine is a great all-around bait that can be used for all of grouper species as well as ARS. One of my favorite types of artificial baits is a Shimano flat fall jig. Used at the right time, these jigs can out fish live bait 5:1. If you do not have the knowledge, gear or boat capable of making the journey out into the Gulf in search of the delicious Red Snapper, please feel free to contact me for a charter.
239-297-6404
@capt_kevinaley (Instagram)
