RED SNAPPER FISHING

The red snapper is native to the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico, where it inhabits environments associated with reefs. This species is commercially important and is also sought-after as a game fish. The northern red snapper’s body is very similar in shape to other snappers, such as the mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, lane snapper, and dog snapper.

This species commonly inhabits waters from 9–60 m (30–200 ft) but can occasionally be caught as deep as 90 m (300 ft). They stay relatively close to the bottom and inhabit rocky bottoms, ledges, ridges, and artificial reefs, including offshore oil rigs and shipwrecks. Like most other snappers, northern red snapper fish are gregarious and form large schools around wrecks and reefs. These schools are usually made up of fish of very similar size.

Red Snapper Fishing in Louisiana

Red snapper is one of the most abundant species in the Gulf of Mexico. Congregating in large schools, they inhabit oil rigs, sunken debris, and bottom structure. The limit on Red Snapper is two per person, and they must be 16″ or larger. They range in size from 5lbs to 30 lbs. The average size we catch is 10 to 15 lbs.

We typically bottom fish red snapper with live baits in less than a few hundred feet of water. If the conditions call for it, we occasionally use chumming and other rigging methods. We often fish them with jigs and heavyweight lures that sink to the bottom. Some days fish can be caught near the surface, while other days, they relate to the bottom.