Snapper will be the fish to target during the month of February. There are multiple species of snapper and they will be on the hunt for food in the Treasure Coast waters this month.
Mutton snapper are one of the most sought after in the snapper family. Muttons can be found near any kind of structure: man made or natural. Mutton snapper seem to stay in the sandy areas around the structure and are very skittish fish. It is recommended to use a long fluorocarbon leader no more than 30 pounds.
Another snapper species to look for is the mangrove snapper. These fish are also found around structure man made or natural. The difference between mangrove and mutton snapper is that these fish are caught much closer to the structure. They often hide in cracks and crevices waiting for food. Mangroves are not as skittish as mutton snapper. So you can use a shorter leader between five and ten feet. You will still want to use 30-pound fluorocarbon leader for these fish to withstand their teeth and abrasions from the structure.
The lane snapper bite will also be good this month. Lane snappers don’t get as big as mutton snapper or mangrove snapper, but they can get up to 4.5-pounds. These are a tasty fish with a good fight for their size. They, like the mangrove snapper, will hold tighter to structure. You will catch these while bottom fishing for mangrove and mutton snapper.
Mutton and mangrove snapper will take a smaller live sardine or dead baits such as a sardine plug, squid or a chunk of ballyhoo. Even a nice hand-picked shrimp will be appetizing to these fish. They can all be found from the beach out to 150 feet and beyond just find some structure and put a bait on the bottom.
Each variety of snapper has a different size limit so be sure to know the legal sizes for each fish you catch. Also, be sure to have a venting tool on your boat for any bottom fish that you may catch that is too small or needs to be thrown back.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Danny Markowski
LottaBull Fishing Charters
Phone: (772) 370-8329
Email: lottabull4@bellsouth.net
www.lottabullfishingcharters.com
