Along the Forgotten Coast of Northwest Florida, fishermen have a serious fever and it is spreading at the speed of light. Red snapper fever afflicts anglers of all ages and sexes and there is no medical cure. The only temporary fix for this malady is to enter the deep blue sea called the Gulf of Mexico, wet a line and pump and wind on chunky red snappers until the fever subsides. One could make a good argument that the Florida Panhandle has the healthiest American red snapper fishery in the state, if not the entire Gulf coast. The season for recreational anglers runs from April 22 to October 31, with a bag limit of four fish per person per day, at least 16 inches overall length. The Florida state record fish stands at 46 pounds, just off the world mark of 50.
WRECKS, REEFS AND RIGS On the Florida Panhandle red snapper habitat is plentiful. They live on artificial and natural, live bottom coral and limestone reefs. The five Air Force alphabet towers provide excellent opportunities for big sow snappers, especially during the summer spawning season.
Old shrimp boat wrecks are priority waypoints for snapper addicts. Out of Apalachicola, there are numerous popular wrecks available with lat/long coordinates available in the public domain. Every year some of the most productive wrecks include the Angela, Gilmore, Kendra, Stormy Seas, Flaming Star, One More Time, Miss Jem, Paula, Endeavor and Empire Mica. A secret employed by wreck pros is to look for offshore shrimpers anchored up during daylight hours. They commonly anchor over wrecks and you should punch the numbers into your GPS for future use.
Many moons ago, one would dive a wreck prior to wetting any fishing lines. It was important to know how various species of fish oriented to the wreck, as well as how much old rigging and superstructure remained. This information facilitated the anchoring process. Today, color sonar, bottom machines give us a clear, on-screen look at what is down there.
GET A HOOK One of the most important techniques used by snapper pros is correctly positioning the vessel at anchor. Normally, the area around a wreck is sandy bottom. Your standard Danforth anchor will work in sand, provided you have sufficient chain and anchor line to get a good bite in wind and current. If you don't have sufficient scope and drag your anchor, it is possible that it may hang up in other artificial reef material that has been deployed around the wreck over the years.
Depending upon factors like water depth, wind speed and velocity of the current, your best boat position may be 100 feet up current from your marker buoy on the wreck. Snappers will orient to the up current side and this will allow your chum/chunk baits to drift back to target fish.
Another successful anchoring technique is to use an aluminum wreck anchor and intentionally drop it into the wreck superstructure. The aluminum tines will straighten and come free under power and they are simply bent back into the proper position. An old trick is to drop a weighted treble hook on heavy mono into the wreck and cleat it. This method will not work in heavy seas or strong currents. Also, remember that snappers are experts at running you down into the wreck and breaking off.
Once you are anchored, you can find new fish by turning your outdrive back and forth in the current. And moving forward and back on your anchor line will sometimes put you over a new show of fish. This simple process can be very rewarding.
LURE 'EM IN All snappers respond well to chum if it is fresh and presented properly. Mangroves (gray), lane and beeliners (vermilions) are other targets of opportunity on wrecks. Chumming and chunking will put more quality fish in your box. Favorite chunk baits will include cigar minnows, sardines, pogies (LY's) and fresh cut baits like bonito. When snappers are on the bite, they will eat almost anything. Cigar minnows are pricey, when sardines sometimes work as well. Have a designated bait cooler for large quantities of precut chunk baits. Separate your chunk baits in freezer bags and keep them on ice and out of the sun.
An excellent tool used to introduce large amounts of chum in the water is called the Chum Churn. It is a plastic tube with holes cut in the side. Small fish and cut baits are loaded into the tube where stainless blades slice it up with a churning action in the water. The tool simplifies the effort of cutting large amounts of chunk baits onboard.
Once at anchor, begin chunking slowly. The basic objective is not to feed the fish, but induce them into eating by sight, smell and sound. A quality pair of polarized sunglasses will enable you to see chummed-up fish near the surface. Larger red snappers will swim to the sides and below schoolie fish. Adding a small egg sinker to your flat line baits may be necessary at times. Large snappers can be so leader-shy that they will not take baits presented on 20-pound fluorocarbon leaders. The solution is to tie a small live bait hook directly to your running line. Just be aware that it will twist in current with no barrel swivel.
Chumming the fish up near the surface is the easy part. Getting them to eat your offering is the trick. Sometimes you will see fish that will not eat. We'll call them "lookers." Others may be smaller, schoolie fish swimming together. We'll call them suspenders. Then you will see your primary targets: the biters. They are always the most aggressive eaters who are super competitive and chase other snappers and triggers away, as they take multiple chunks. Presenting your bait to one of these teased-up, individual targets in cobalt clear water is the ultimate sporting challenge. This exciting fishing experience is a highly sensory one, simultaneously visual and tactile.
GOT GEAR? Tackle for chunky snappers varies based upon the size of the targets. It runs the gamut from wispy fly rods to 50 pound meat sticks. Generally, 20 to 30 pound class gear is appropriate. There is one absolute in snapper fishing: lighter stuff with fluorocarbon leader will "out catch" heavy gear. Having said that, heavier rods and reels will give you a chance at a quality fish on a wreck full of snags. Many charter clients are comfortable with 20-pound spinning outfits like Penn 9500s and Shimano Spheros 14000s mounted on stout graphite sticks. Silky smooth drag systems are necessary, especially when a king or cobia swims into the chunk baits and wants to play. Sharp out of the box, small circle hooks work just fine and allow for a healthy release of short fish. Small, 100-pound class barrel swivels work best for leader-shy sows.
LIVIES Live bait catches more and bigger snappers. Over the years the best experiences have been with small pogies, finger mullet, cigar minnows, pinfish and hardtails. You can trap your own pinfish, castnet pogies and mullet, and sabiki cigars and hardtails south of the Cut on navigation buoys and live bottom. Spending extra morning time catching live bait always pays off with a better overall day's catch.
HEALTHY FISHERY? The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) put a moratorium on the issuance of all new guide permits for the taking of Gulf reef fish in federal waters. That includes red snappers. Whether the species is being over-fished depends upon who you ask. The age-old finger-pointing process will not end. The average fisherman claims that commercial fishermen are allowed to over-harvest this valuable marine resource. The commercials blame the guides and recreational anglers for decimating the fishery. Shrimp trawls are blamed for taking tons of juvenile fish. Historically, the trend of fisheries management in the Gulf is likely to continue. When fish stock assessments are done and decisions implemented, the result typically is that recreational bag limits are reduced and size limits are increased.
One proactive and revolutionary program is underway that is successfully stocking red snappers in the Gulf. It is a mariculture center that catches sow snappers and raises their young in captivity. The juvenile fish are transplanted to select reefs for ongoing study. If these types of stocking programs are successful on a wide scale, the future of red snappers and other species may prove to be a more sustainable marine resource.
LOGISTICS/TRIP PLANNING Resource information for a red snapper fishing adventure to the Forgotten Coast: Splash your vessel: Ten Foot Hole (Apalachicola City docks and boat ramp, downtown ) Transient Marina (full-service): Scipio Creek Marina (850) 653-8030 Helpful info: Apalachicola Chamber of Commerce (850) 653-9419 Great eats: Owl Cafe (850) 653-9888 Beach rentals: Prudential Resort Realty (850) 927-2666 Comfortable accommodations: Bridgette's Bed and Breakfast (850) 653-3270