Peak fishing season for Mangrove snappers is July and August. The best methods for catching Mangrove snappers are bottom bouncing, drift fishing and jigging just offshore around reefs and shipwrecks.
Habitat: Bay, Ocean
How to identify Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove snappers can be identified by their large mouths, pointy snouts, and slim bodies. They have short pectoral fins that never reach the rounded anal fin. It’s impossible to tell the sex of mangrove snappers by their external features. Young mangrove snappers are generally gray-green with tinges of red and small red-orange markings on their sides. Their paired fins are lighter than the median fins, which have a yellow/white edging. Younger mangroves have dark striping that runs from their snout past the eyes. Just below the eyes in the cheek area is a subtle, blue stripe.
Where to catch Mangrove Snapper
These fish can be found in bays, marinas, docks, and inshore structures. Mangrove snappers are heavily present in distributed areas that include the southeast coastal U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Brazil up to southern Bermuda. Their habitats range from lagoons, shipwrecks, reefs, and beds of seagrass. Concentrations of these fish are found in reefs and shipwrecks just off the shore.
The following are habitats where you can catch Mangrove Snapper:
- Estuaries
- Channel Entrances
- Coastal Waters
- Jetties and Breakers
- Man-made Structures
- Mangroves
- Reefs, Wrecks and Shoals
- Rocky Sea Floor
- Saltwater Weed Beds
How to catch Mangrove Snapper
Peak fishing season for the mangrove snapper is from June through August. Although they gather in large schools, it’s challenging to catch them. They can be found in large numbers around the reef line during July and August – especially when the moon is full. Anglers can use the same tactics to catch mangrove snappers that they use to catch yellowtails. Just like yellowtails, mangrove snappers respond well to chumming. Some of the most common techniques for catching mangrove snappers include bottom bouncing, drift fishing, jigging and spin casting just off shore near reefs, wrecks, mangroves and other cover.
The following are effective fishing methods and techniques for catching Mangrove Snapper:
- Bottom Bouncer
- Chumming
- Drift Fishing
- Fly Fishing
- Night Fishing
- Saltwater Jigging
- Spinning
- Still Fishing
Best Lures, Bait & Tackle to catch Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove snappers can be caught using live bait, cut bait or lures. The best bait is shrimp, though fish and crustaceans work well too.
The following are fishing lures, bait and tackle that can be used to catch Mangrove Snapper: