Lane Snapper are an easy fish to catch, making them a great species to target with the entire family. Let’s dive in and talk about how to catch Lane Snapper.
How To Catch Lane Snapper
Lane Snapper are caught fishing offshore structures, including reefs, wrecks, rock piles, and various other submerged structures. Lane Snapper are most abundant in 40’ to 60’ of water where they are caught using live and cut bait on light fishing tackle.
When trying to catch Lane Snapper, the first thing you want to do is locate a reef or another submerged structure in 40’ to 60’ of water. Lane Snapper, like many other snapper species, are structured-oriented bottom-dwellers. Though Lane Snapper inhabit various bottom structures, they are typically most abundant on healthy, live reefs.
Expert Tips On Catching Lane Snapper
- Live shrimp is key: Lane Snapper are known to eat just about anything you send down their way, but nothing seems to outfish a small to medium-sized shrimp. Sometimes, when the bite is slow, simply by cutting the tail of a live shrimp, we can spark the school’s interest and get them biting.
- Chum, chum, chum: Like many species of Snapper, Lane Snapper can easily be chummed if you are patient. Often it will take 20 to 30 minutes of chumming the water before the bite turns on.
- Get out during the spawn: Lane Snapper have a long spawning season starting in March and ending in September, with July and August being peak seasons for their spawn. If you can get out on the water during their spawn, especially during the peak, you will dramatically increase your success catching Lane Snapper.
- Fishing where the grass flats meet the reef: If you can locate a reef directly adjacent to a live healthy weed bed, you are in Lane Snapper heaven. Lane Snapper are known to spend most of their juvenile years living in shallow grass beds, slowly making their way out to the reef as they mature.
- Free-line squid: Though Lane Snapper are predominantly bottom-dwelling fish, some of the larger snapper will rise higher in the water column to investigate the chum line. Make sure you have a free-lined rod out with squid or other bait that can slowly sink in the chum line. I have personally caught my best Lane free-lining a squid head.
Top Baits For Lane Snapper
- Shrimp
- Squid
- Ballyhoo (Chunked)
- Pinfish (chunked)
- Silversides
Choosing the Best Fishing Tackle for Lane Snapper.
When fishing for Lane Snapper, using the correct fishing tackle will dramatically increase your success out on the water. Below are my tackle recommendations to help you get more fish in the boat.
Best Fishing Reel For Lane Snapper
The best fishing reel for targeting Lane Snapper will be a 3000 to 4000 size reel with a decent drag. Even though Lane Snapper are rarely caught exceeding 15”, they are aggressive fighters for their size. As soon as Lane Snapper bite, they attempt to dart into the nearest structure for safety, making it vital that your drag is set tight.
I like Penn’s Battle reels in either the 3000-4000. Battle’s are excellent reels built to last and are at a great price point compared to other reels of the same quality.
Best Fishing Rod For Lane Snapper
When fishing for Lane Snapper, the best fishing rod is a medium-weight spinning rod with a fast action tip. Some anglers will step up to a medium-heavy setup but from my experience, going too heavy on tackle takes the sport out of fishing.
When it comes to a medium-weight fishing rod, I don’t think another rod fishes better than the Stella Lite Spinning Rod by Star Rod. Star Rods are lightweight while still being incredibly strong.
Best Fishing Line For Lane Snapper
The best fishing line for Lane Snapper is a 20lb braided line. Always use braided line when bottom fishing because it increases sensitivity to your fishing setup, allowing you to set the hook and reel the moment the fish strikes your bait.
I love fishing with Power Pro’s Super Slick V2, which is abrasion-resistant, making for a great fishing line for reef fishing.
Best Leader Size and Length For Lane Snapper
When fishing for Lane Snapper, the lighter you can go with your leader, the better. I fish with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader cut at 4’ in length. Sometimes, if I am fishing an area that I know holds Lane Snapper, and I am not getting any bites, I step down to a 15lb, which usually does the trick.
Optimal Sinker Size For Lane Snapper
When fishing for Lane Snapper, you will want about 1 ounce of weight per 50’ of depth. If ocean currents are strong, you may want to increase that ratio to 1.5 ounces per 50’.
Best Hook Size For Lane Snapper
The best hook size for catching Lane Snapper is a 1/0 circle hook.
Lane Snapper Fishing Rig
Lane Snapper can be caught on various fishing rigs, with a knocker rig by far being the most popular rig used for them. A knocker rig has an egg sinker that slides up and down your leader, stopping at your hook. This rig is great for Lane Snapper because it allows your bait to flow freely once it reaches the bottom, giving your bait more of a natural appearance.
When Can You Catch Lane Snapper?
Lane Snapper can be caught year-round, with July and August being the most productive time to target them. Lane Snapper also move into shallower waters in the summer months, which makes targeting them even easier.
Where Do You Catch Lane Snapper?
Lane Snapper are caught in tropical and subtropical waters, often caught most abundantly in 40’ to 60’ of water. Lane Snapper prefer live coral reefs and other submerged structures, including wrecks, rock piles, and artificial reefs.
Best Fishing Spots for Lane Snapper
- Live Coral Reefs
- Artificial Reeds
- Rock Piles
- Wrecks
Let’s take a deeper look at how to catch Lane Snapper by learning more about the species as a whole.
What are Lane Snapper?
Lutjanus Synagris, commonly referred to as Lane Snapper, Mexican Snapper, Redtail Snapper, and Spot Snapper, is as the name suggests, in the Snapper family. Lane Snapper are one of the smaller species of snapper, rarely exceeding 15” in length.
Lane Snapper are pinkish-white in color with yellow horizontal stripes that span across their entire body. Lane Snapper have a dime-sized black spot that is just below their dorsal fin. Lane Snapper also have a vibrant pink tail that is roughly the same width as their body.
Natural Lane Snapper Diet
- Baitfish (various species)
- Cephalopods (Squid, Octopus, etc)
- Gastropods (abalone, conches)
- Crustaceans (Shrimp, Crabs)
Are Lane Snapper Good To Eat?
Lane Snapper are excellent eating. The flesh is white and flaky with a mildly sweet flavor profile. The sweet taste of Lane Snapper is attributed to their diet of shrimp and other crustaceans.
Is Lane Snapper High In Mercury?
According to the EPA, Lane Snapper is moderately low in mercury content, coming in at .182 PPM, roughly half the mercury level of the commonly consumed Red Grouper.
Are Lane Snapper in the Snapper Family?
Lane Snapper are in the Lutjanidae family, making them one of the 100’s of fish in the snapper family.
Do Lane Snapper Have Scales?
Lane Snapper have small scales that start from the base of their gill plate and end at the start of their tails.
Do Lane Snapper Have Teeth?
Lane Snapper have multiple rows of canonical teeth on both their top and bottom jaws. Lane Snapper also have a few large canine teeth on both their top and bottom jaws.
Lane Snapper Size And Bag Limit
| State | Minimum Size | Bag Limit |
| Florida | 9″ | 20 |
| Alabama | 8″ | 20 |
| North Carolina | 8″ | 10 |
| Texas | 9″ | 20 |