by Capt. Bart Marx
Hello fellow anglers, June can be a fun time in the fishing community. The large schools of tarpon are here for your enjoyment, along with the tax collectors in the grey suits, yup the sharks, all makes and models, along with the snook on the beaches, with AJ’s and permit on the offshore wrecks. June, you got your red snappers that the season is so short and you can only have two per angler. It’s usually a long run to get to the red snapper grounds, thirty plus miles. The most current information I have the recreational season in Florida is June 11th – July 12th. Don’t take my word as the gospel truth, check for yourself first before you head offshore on the regulations. Be prepared to move from your red snapper spot if you have your limit; the law reads you are not to cull these fish. These fish can’t survive being brought to the surface and released, please be a good steward. Most of the areas that will be holding the reds is from 100’ – 160’ of water, 30-60 miles out into the gulf. Getting there is half of the battle and having the proper fishing gear is another factor. Some like the big spinning reels and some like the conventional style. Then you have your two speed reels, woo-hoo, that retrieve up to five feet of line in a single crank of the handle. And if you have the big stud hooked, you down shift into granny gear and keep cranking till you win the tug of war. This is helpful when the water is 160’ deep and you have nice fish on-twenty plus pounds. We like to use braided lines these days, nothing wrong with that. We have found that you can add a top shot of 150’ of monofilament for your fishing pleasure. This gives you the stretch that you need and the abrasion factor. Mono can take more abrasion that braid, fishing the hard bottoms for the reds, etc. You can use an old school knocker rig or a chicken rig, both catch fish. Just so you know, most of my fishing is anchored up for the snappers; you can chum them to your boat. If you do it right you can pull them off a wreck a hundred yards away. We plan to have our SCARAB permitted for red snapper season. If you are interested in an offshore trip give me a call.
