The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission recently announced a 78-day recreational harvest season for red snapper along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The dates include Saturdays and Sundays, starting the first Saturday in May, then daily, starting May 27 through 9 July. Following that, they will be open again on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in September and October – plus Labor Day. See www.myfwc.com for more details and up-to-date information.
This is exciting news for anglers who visit the Gulf Coast to catch and eat these tasty fish. Charter captains are expecting to haul many snappers from the waters along Franklin County and are no doubt pleased to have the extra days to provide more opportunities for their clients.
People all across the country seem fascinated by these bright-red, beaming finfish and understandably so. If you’ve ever tasted them, you know they’re delightful. If you’ve ever caught one, you know what a fightthey provide.
Snapper fishing in this area is without a doubt a family oriented adventure. This is not a complicated fish to target, but they do get big so small children may require help. Drop live or cut bait in front of them in a variety of presentations and depths, and provided they’re present, they will typically pounce on your hook. A simple dropper loop rig is easy to tie and extremely effective for presenting both live or cut bait. Weight sizes will often vary depending on depth and current.
State law requires the use of circle hooks and that you have a de-hooking device on board your vessel. Therequirement to have a venting tool on board has been removed, but I highly suggest you have one. Fish coming from deep water often need to be vented and you should be able to perform this duty on any fish you don’t plan to keep.
Chumming for red snapper is perhaps the most fun, and the crystal clear Gulf water here is perfect for this technique. A pile of chopped cut bait thrown over the side will bring the biggest ones in the school right up to the boat. Drift a small chunk of that same bait on a 5/0 circle hook along with the next handful thrown over, and you can watch the fish swim right up and eat it, but you better hold on because that fish is going head straight for the bottom!
Restrictive harvest measures taken over the last several years are perhaps paying off, but some would argue that the snapperpopulation has never been in decline. Many local anglers would tell you that there are, and always have been, plenty of them to be had.
There’s no shortage of first-rate charter captains available to get you out for a red snapper adventure, but booking early is always a good idea.
For more information about guides, launch sites, tackle shops and more, go to www.floridasforgottencoast.com.