Mangrove Snapper are easy fish to catch making for a great fishing adventure for the entire family. Let’s take a look at how to catch Mangrove Snapper as well as when to target them and where you can find them.
How To Catch Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove Snapper are caught bottom fishing in about 3’ – 150’ of water, ideally on shallow water structures. To catch Mangrove Snapper, use light tackle and live bait for best results; however, you can also use chunked bait or artificial lures.
Mangrove Snapper are targeted by anglers throughout tropical and subtropical waters using various fishing methods depending on the location they are being targeted. Different fishing methods are used depending on the location, and I outline 3 of these methods below.
Catching Mangrove Snapper in Shallow Water
When fishing shallow water structures, position yourself up-current from the area you are fishing and cast your bait just before the structure you are targeting, and letting the current do the rest of the work. Mangrove Snapper, especially the juvenile ones, love a natural bait presentation. Once your bait enters into the “strike zone,” get ready because there is a good chance you’ll get hooked up. ‘
Juvenile Mangrove Snapper can be caught by fishing shallow water structures, including docks, oyster bars, and mangrove islands. When fishing backwater structures for Mangrove Snapper, you can expect to catch very small juvenile fish with the occasional keeper. It is important to note that juvenile Mangrove Snapper prefer small shrimp rather than larger baitfish or chunked baits.
If you are fishing with are young or beginner anglers, it is best to add a small “bobber” or “popping cork” to the fishing setup. Adding this will dramatically increase the anglers’ awareness of the location of their bait and when they are hooked.
Catching Mangrove Snapper On The Grass Flats
Grass flats are another backwater location that is known to hold Mangrove Snapper schools. When fishing for Mangrove Snapper on the grass flats, using a “popping cork” is a must. You can manage where your bait is suspended in the water column by adding a popping cork to your fishing setup.
If you are fishing without a cork, there is a good chance your bait will become camouflaged in the grass, never to be seen by a Snapper. We solve this problem by adding the popping cork/bobber at a certain distance from the hook to suspend the bait just above the grass. We can effectively do this by identifying the depth we are fishing and approximating the height of the grass.
For example, let’s say you are fishing a grass flat that is 28” in depth with a grass height of 12” you would want to adjust your bobber to be a distance of 16” or less from your hook. This allows your bait to remain suspended just above the tips of the grass.
Catching Mangrove Snapper Offshore
Now, if you are targeting larger Mangrove Snapper, you will have the best results fishing wrecks or reefs in offshore waters. Though Mangrove Snapper can be caught in waters as deep as 600’, they are most prevalent in 50’ to 100’. Once you get out to the structure you plan to fish on, it is best to throw the anchor up current and allow the boat to drift back, settling just up-current from the structure.
When the boat is secure, it’s time to drop your baits down to the bottom. I always recommend using 1.5 ounces of weight per 30’ of depth and adding additional weight if current conditions are strong.
The moment your fishing rig hits the bottom, I recommend retrieving roughly 3’ of line. Doing so does two things; first, it keeps your rig from snagging the structure as the current attempts to pull your bait deeper into the wreck or reef you are fishing. Secondly, it gives you a fighting chance of turning a hooked fish before they dart back into the structure they have been hiding in.
Once you hook up to a Snapper, it is essential to reel them in fast to prevent another predator fish from taking your fish as a leisurely lunch.
7 Expert Tips On Catching Mangrove Snapper
- Use chum: This tip is number 1 for a reason, when it comes to fishing for Mangrove Snapper, there is no better fishing tip than to use chum. The moment you drop your chum into the water, small Snapper of various species will start to show up in your chum slick. As you continue to chum, you will notice bigger and bigger fish starting to get in on the action.
- Fish light tackle: Mangrove Snapper, like many other species of Snapper, have excellent eyesight. Because of this, it is essential to fish using light tackle. If you are fishing reefs, use 20lb test, and if you are fishing inshore grass flats and mangroves, you can step down to 10lb test fluorocarbon. Note: If a larger school of fish shows up, do not hesitate to increase your pound test. I always recommend using light tackle and only increasing the size if break-offs keep occurring. Doing so dramatically increases the amount of fish you will hook and slightly decreases the amount of large fish we can land.
- Fish at night: The fishest time to catch Mangrove Snapper is in the middle of the night. I can not tell you how many Snapper we have caught fishing reefs at 3am. At night, the smaller Snapper tend to tuck away for the night and the larger fish come out for dinner.
- Fish the full moon: During the Summer months, Mangrove Snapper spawn at night on the full moon and a couple days after. The spawn is perfect for mangrove Snapper fishing and is the best time to get out and catch some trophy-sized fish.
- Cut bait for the big ones: Though Mangrove Snapper will feed on a long list of baits, you can easily weed through catching the little ones by switching over to fresh chunked bait. The best chunked bait we have found to use for Mangroves are Ladyfish, Pinefish and Ballyhoo.
- Small Shrimp for the Juviniles: When fishing the backwater, Mangrove Snapper can not resist small shrimp freelined or underneath a bobber. As an angler with small kids, its essential to not only know how to catch the big ones but also understanding how to easily catch the small ones with the family.
- Fish with Braid: Fishing with braid is a must when fishing for Mangrove Snapper, especially when you are targeting them out on deepwater structures. Braid has little to no stretch allowing you to quickly turn the fish before they have the chance to dart back into the structures they were inhabiting. If using monofilament, your line could easily stretch a couple feet the moment the fish is hooked, giving them the chance to break you off in the rocks.
What Do Mangrove Snapper Eat?
Fishing with live or fresh cut bait will dramatically increase your success when fishing for Mangrove Snapper. Below is a list of the top baits used for targeting Mangrove Snapper:
- Shrimp
- Finger Mullet
- Pinefish
- Ladyfish (Chunked)
- Ballyhoo (Chunked)
- Silversides
- Menhaden
- Threadfin
If you are looking to target Mangrove Snapper, but you do not have any live or cut bait, don’t sweat it; Mangrove Snapper can be caught on a variety of artificial lures.
Here Are The Top Artifical Lures For Catching Mangrove Snapper
- Gulp Shrimp
- DOA Shrimp
- Paddle Tails
- Jerk Baits
When Can You Catch Mangrove Snapper?
Mangrove Snapper are caught year-round, with June and July being the fishiest time of year to target them. The best time of day to catch them is at night, especially during a full moon when they are out spawning on the reefs.
Where Do You Catch Mangrove Snapper?
Mangrove Snapper are caught fishing various structures, including; reefs, wrecks, mangroves, oyster bars, and bridges in tropical and subtropical waters.
Best Fishing Tackle For Mangrove Snapper
When it comes to targeting Mangrove Snapper, using the correct fishing tackle will dramatically increase your overall productivity on the water.
Best Fishing Rod For Mangrove Snapper
When fishing for small to midsized Mangrove Snapper, using a medium-light fishing rod is ideal. As you get into deeper water where larger Snapper congregate, you may want to increase the rod weight to a medium.
Best Fishing Reel For Mangrove Snapper
Fishing with a 3000 to 4000 sized reel is ideal when fishing for Mangrove Snapper. Mangrove Snapper have a strong initial bite, so a reel with a max drag of at least 15lb is recommended.
Best Line To Use For Mangrove Snapper
The best line for targeting Mangrove Snapper is a 20lb braid. Using braid will increase the overall sensitivity of your fishing setup giving you a better chance to hooking up.
What size Leader To Use For Mangrove Snapper
The ideal leader size for Mangrove Snapper is a 10lb to 20lb Fluorocarbon leader. If you are fishing inshore, a 10lb test will work great, whereas, in offshore fishing applications, a 20lb test is recommended.
What Size Hooks For Mangrove Snapper?
A 1/0 circle hook is the optimal hook size for targeting Mangrove Snapper.
Let’s take a deeper look at how to catch Mangrove Snapper by learning more about the species as a whole.
What Are Mangrove Snapper
Lutjanus Griseus, commonly referred to as Mangrove Snapper, Grey Snapper, and Mangos by anglers are bottom-dwelling fish prominent in tropical and subtropical waters. Mangrove Snapper are charactezied by many distinct features, including their reddish bronze backs that slowly fade to grey towards their bellies, sharp canine like teeth, and a dark line that starts from their top lip and fades as it approaches their gill plate.
Mangrove Snapper are predominantly bottom-dwelling fish that inhabit mangroves and other inshore structures as jevuniles. As Magrove Snapper grow, they move into deeper waters where they congregate heaviest around wrecks and reefs, both natural and artificial.
Are Mangrove Snapper Good Eating?
Mangrove Snapper are excellent to eat. The flesh of the fish is white and flaky with a mild buttery flavor making for exceptional table fare. It is one of my personnel favorites!
Is Mangrove Snapper High In Mercury?
According to the EPA, Mangrove Snapper have low mercury levels coming in at .175 PPM. To put that into perspective, that is about a quarter of the amount of mercury that is found in the frequently consumed Yellowfin Tuna.
Is Mangrove Snapper Toxic?
Though it is rare, Mangrove Snapper have been known to carry the Cigueterea toxin, which is a toxin prevalent among reef fish.
According to the CDC, Cigueterra poisiong often shows itself with a range of symptoms, including headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness.
To limit your chances of ciguatera poising, it is best to harvest smaller Snapper that typically have lower levels of ciguatera and fillet the fish carefully, not puncturing any internal organs where most of the toxins reside.
Are Mangrove Snapper and Grey Snapper The Same Fish?
Mangrove Snapper and Grey Snapper are the same fish, just called by different names.
Does Mangrove Snapper have scales?
Mangrove Snapper do have scales that start from the base of the tail and terminate at the beginning of the gill plate. Mangrove Snapper scales are small but tough, often requiring anglers to sharpen their fillet knives periodically while cleaning the fish.
Do Mangrove Snapper Have Teeth?
Mangrove Snapper have two to four large canine teeth on their upper jaw and a row of canonical teeth as well as a row of canonical teeth on their bottom jaw.
Mangrove Snapper teeth are incredibly sharp, so it is best to exercise caution when handling these fish.
Mangrove Snapper Size & bag limit
The size and bag limit for Mangrove Snapper varies depending on the area you are targeting them.
Here in Florida, you can harvest 5 fish per person per day, measuring over 10” in length.