How To Catch Red Snapper

Red snapper is a popular fish found on the Gulf and southeastern coasts. It is a favorite of anglers as it is abundant, puts up a good fight, and tastes good. Do you want to learn how to catch red snapper? Catching red snapper is not challenging as it is catching trophy red snapper, but you will need to find the areas that have red snapper and have the right bait and equipment. In this article, we share information, tips, and fishing methods to help you catch more red snapper.

How To Catch Red Snapper

Red snappers are bottom feeders and can be found more often in the open ocean than close to the shore. Most anglers use a boat to fish for red snapper. There are a number of fishing methods used to catch red snapper from a boat.

Drifting, casting baits, trolling, jigging, and still fishing are some of the fishing methods used to catch red snapper on the ocean. All of these fishing methods involve setting the bait, whether live, dead, or artificial, on the line and dropping it into the water. When there is a hit on the line, don’t yank it right away. Instead, wait for the second bite and then pull the hook in. Reel it in slowly.

Red Snapper Tackle

When it comes to tackle, you have options for red snapper. If you will use lures like soft plastics or jigs, a 7 to 8-foot medium to fast action rod will work with a 4000 to 6000 series reel. Braided lines with a 20 to 50-lb test range are a good choice when using lures. Hooks in the range of 4/0 to 8/0 will work for red snappers.

How To Rig For Red Snapper

Properly baiting the hook is very important for catching red snapper. It can be the difference between feeding the fish or catching many of them. When you have a live bait, route the hook through its lips, nose, and eye sockets when trolling. When drifting, pass the hook through the tail’s base. When you use frozen baits, pass the hook through the eyes and then the back of the fish.

How To Catch Red Snapper From Shore

Red snapper is found more often in the open ocean than closer to the shore. However, you can find red snapper around structures like piers, wrecks, reefs, and other man-made structures near the shore. When fishing for red snapper from shore, cast your line with the bait, preferably live bait, and wait for a bite.

Study the water and look for troughs, holes, and deep pockets that red snapper might be in waiting to ambush baitfish. Let your bait drift with the currents and move along the entrance of these structures when red snapper will be waiting for baitfish.

Best Red Snapper Bait

1. Ribbonfish

Ribbonfish is an effective bait for not only red snapper but other fish like Kingfish. it is best used when trolling in a boat just above the idle speed.

2. Pilchards

Pilchard is a small oily fish like herring that is used as bait for red snapper and other fish like Kingfish, snook, wahoo, grouper, and many others.

3. Cigar Minnows

Cigar minnows are also very good bait for red snapper and other fish like Kingfish. They cast well and are not costly like other baits.

4. Herring

Herring is often used by anglers as bait to catch red snapper and other fish like pollock. Anglers often use strips of herring rather than the whole as bait when fishing. It is more effective to use the strips or parts of the herring as bait.

5. Squid

Squid is also used as bait by many anglers to catch red snapper and other fish like pollock. It is often used for bottom and floating rigs as well as when trolling.

6. Menhaden

Menhaden are also used by many anglers as bait for many types of fish including red snapper.

7. Mullet

Mullet as dead bait works well for red snapper as they seem irresistible. Other fish like grouper and tuna also find it very hard to resist dead mullet as bait.

8. Pinfish

Pinfish, like squid, pogies, and cigar minnows, work well as bait for Red Snapper.

9. Mackerel

Mackerel is often used as bait for not only Red Snapper but other fish like Kingfish and Pollock. Anglers often used strips of mackerel as bait for catching Red Snapper.

10. Eels

Eel is also a good bait that anglers use to catch Red Snapper and other fish like Pollock, and Kingfish.

11. Pogies

Pogies also work very as bait for Red Snapper just like mullet, squid, and cigar minnows.

12. Tomtate

Tomate, like pinfish, squid, and pogies, are very good bait for Red Snapper.

Best Red Snapper Lures

1. Shrimp Lures

Shrimp lures prove to be very effective when fishing for Red Snapper. They quickly attract Red snappers as most fish like to eat shrimp.

2. Squid Lures

Squid lures are also very good for catching many types of fish including Red Snapper.

Red Snapper Fishing Tips

1. Red snapper can be found in deep and shallow waters.

2. Use chumming to attract red snappers.

3. The summer, especially June and July, is the best time to fish for red snapper.

4. Red snapper likes structures like wrecks, piers, reefs, and seawalls.

5. Red snapper can be found at depths between 30 and 200 feet.

6. Use live bait for the best results when fishing for red snapper.

7. You can use vertical jigs to catch red snapper and they work best in shallow depths of up to 30 feet.

8. Red snappers prefer baits that remain in one place despite the currents.

9. Red snappers are cautious and will not bite down on the first hit. It will test things out first before going all in for the bait. When you feel a hit on the line, don’t yank it immediately. Wait for the second hit before pulling the hook in.

10. Circle hook is a good option for red snapper fishing.

11. Red snappers like to find food that is not too far from their dwellings.

12. Still fishing, drifting, trolling, jigging, and bait-casting are some of the fishing methods used by anglers to catch red snappers.

13. When a big red snapper is hooked on your line, it will try to go back to the structure to break the line.

14. Red snapper is a schooling fish that travels and feeds in schools.

15. The red snapper likes water temperatures ranging from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

16. When caught, red snappers will put up a hard fight using a lot of head-shaking movements.

17. When fishing from the shore, look for structures like troughs, holes, and deep pockets where red snapper might be holed up waiting to ambush baitfish.

18. Light lines and hooks that the fish can’t see will produce more fish.

19. Red snappers are soft biters.

20. Red snapper is responsive to different types of baits at different depths, especially during spring and summer.

The Bottom Line

Red snapper is a popular species of fish found on the southeastern and gulf coasts. It is easy to catch, abundant, and tastes great. To catch red snappers, you will have to find the spots where they are located, use the right bait, and have the right equipment.

In this article, we discussed how to catch red snappers by sharing information on their habits, fishing methods, and tips to increase your chances of catching more red snappers. If you are interested in catching groupers, yellowtail snapper, surfperch, and tarpon, then read how to catch grouper, how to catch surfperch, how to catch yellowtail snapper, and how to catch tarpon.