Thursday, February 18, 2016

Mangrove Snapper

One of the most common fish found off the Florida coast, is the Grey Snapper, or as it is more commonly known, the Mangrove Snapper.
Mangrove Snapper can be found anywhere in the Western Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Brazil, but the they thrive in the warm tropical Florida waters.  They are typically a grayish red, but can range anywhere from a bright red to a cooper red.  They also have a dark stripe running across its eye if observed from the top when its under water.  The species can reach up to 35 in, but the average length is roughly 16 in.
Mangrove snapper are a common target for the Florida fisherman, and are highly prized for their light and flakey meat.  You can use just about any bait, but frozen/fresh shrimp, squid and minnows are the most successful and useful in landing a decent size Mangrove Snapper.
My personal favorite way to catch Mangrove Snapper is on light tackle, and with frozen shrimp bait.  Snapper, unlike most reef fish are weary when it comes to eating, and it can take several tries to finally hook one on your line, but once you do make sure you fire up the grill and prepare yourself for a delicious meal.
A 20 in Mangrove Snapper, caught this past summer of Pacific Lighthouse in Miami

2 comments:

  1. We should go fishing one day, you seem like a great fisher.

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  2. I'll be on the look out for these next time I go out!

    ReplyDelete