How Do We Catch Mangrove Snapper?

As a captain for over 15 years in the Tampa Bay area, I have learned how to target these great eating and fun to catch fish. There are numerous ways to catch Mangrove Snapper in Tampa Bay, and I am going to tell you how to below!

• Have Plenty of Chum

  I always like to have plenty of chum to get the Snapper up off the bottom. This can be done by catching a bucket of chum after filling the live well up with live baits. If bait is hard to catch you can buy a chum block at the bait shop. Another option is to use some frozen shrimp or any other type of frozen bait you may have. The idea is to bring the Snapper to you.

• The Right Equipment

  Another great tip is using a great sonar with side imaging to find the rock piles and ledge in the area you are fishing. This mixed with a GPS trolling motor will make life easier and put more fish in the boat. Since switching my electronics to include side imaging, I have increased my productivity of Mangrove and all bottom fish productivity.

• Fishing The Tides

  Fishing around the tides is another key to success with Mangrove Snapper. Look at a tide chart and try to plan your trips around the slower tides. If you are fishing around stronger tides then you want to try and plan the Snapper fishing around the start and stop if the areas you plan to fish have a lot of tide. During the stronger tides plan to fish areas that don’t have so much current. The idea is to use the chum to draw the fish off the bottom.

• The Right Tackle

  Use a Fluorocarbon lighter leader. I like to start with about 3 feet of 20lb leader but if the Snapper are not biting try to downsize to15 lb. I also try to use the Daiichi #1 circle hooks as well. Smaller tackles will result in more hookups. Snapper fishing can be very challenging at times as they are very picky. Using lighter gear will make free spooling the baits easier and also a rod with a sensitive tip will ensure you feel the bite. I typically use my St Croix inshore Mojo rods medium action.