[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ike the multicolored pyrotechnics of the July sky, Stuart’s offshore reefs will display their own brand of ‘Fish Fireworks’ of many colors, across many different species of fish, especially snapper during this summer month of fishing. One of the main target colors will be ‘red’, as a brief three-weekend mini-season will open for the “catching and keeping” of true red snapper, this July. (See http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishery_bulletins/documents/pdfs/2014/fb14-
038_sa_red_snapper_opening.pdf.) An eight-day season over the last three weekends of July, will allow anglers to experience the fishing excitement of strategizing to catch and box one of the most sought after saltwater fish in the ocean.
East of Stuart, red snapper are typically caught on reef structures (natural and artificial), from depths of 80- to 180-feet of water, with depths of 130- to 180-feet being the favored go to starting points. Some spots are more populated by true American red snapper, than others, which makes local knowledge one of the key components to catching success. Once anglers have dialed-in a zone to fish for true reds, several terminal tackle and bait configurations will yield successful results. Standard cut baits (squid, bonito, sardines, and grunts) on 4/0 to 5/0 hooks, deployed at the bottom of these reef structures to points just above (bottom), will snag the ever hungry American red snapper, multiple hook rigs, below a swivel, with a weight at the bottom- were even named “Chicken Rigs” based on the small to medium (red “chicken” snapper) that were attracted to this type of bait deployment. Single hooked live baits presented on a single 60- to 80-pound monofilament leader will tend to produce larger “reds” of 12- to 20-pounds, with fish pushing 30-pounds, which are frequently caught using this strategy.
In between brief flashes of “red”, there will be a steady, flow of other multi-snapper color on the southern reef line of Stuart’s world famous Six Mile Reef at depths of 60- to 80-feet of water. The naturally occurring reef line will be July’s home to mangrove, lane, vermilion, yellowtail, and mutton snapper. These local snapper inhabitants of the southern reef, will allow the trolling weary angler of summer to post up and become reef fish interactive in the best of colorful ways and enjoy the opportunity to “Snapper Slam” (that is, catching three different species of snapper in one trip) and collect fish groceries. Medium (8- to 12-pound) to large (15- to 19-pound) mutton snapper will be the stars of this reef collecting fireworks show and will be best caught by an anchored boat, with baits deployed on 40- to 80-feet long, mono leaders on the lower steps of the reef structure contour. In July, snappers of all colors, will rule the day.