How do you beat the heat and still get your fishing fix? Full moon mangrove snapper fishing is your solution. This is the time of year, when the seas are calm, the water is clear and bait fish are abundant – the full moon can create a mangrove snapper feeding frenzy. With superior eye sight and ideal hunting conditions mangroves will venture all the way to the surface and spread out across the reef to feed on crabs, shrimp, squid bait fish and anything else they can catch.
Mangrove fisherman have been perfecting their game for years and you will find the best of the best on party boats up and down the coast. Aboard the Ocean Obsession we have a lot of regulars that have a very strong mangrove game, but here are a few pointers to give you a edge. Mangroves have unmatched eyesight and, as they get bigger, they become very cautious.
You have to lighten up on your leader and use fluorocarbon, but — and there is always a but — you can go too light. Out of Port Canaveral, if you are fishing directly on the bottom, 40lb test is the absolute bare minimum. You should really start with 60lb test and work your way down until you get the bites. If you start breaking fish off, you will shut them down.
A sliding sinker rig fished tight to the bottom is the most effective rig for mangroves in this area. Use the smallest weight you can to hold bottom. Drop down to a 50lb swivel and drop down in hook size, but make sure you use a strong enough hook that allows you to pull. Mangroves are not as stupid as red snapper and they will find the structure in a hurry. Pay attention to details such as clipping the tag end of you leader short, and change any abrasion or fray in your leader (abrasion negates the purpose of your fluorocarbon). Bait presentation and leader length are very important. The very best advice that can’t be stressed enough is pay attention to the details. Everything matters when mangrove snapper fishing.
Mangroves up in the water column are an entire different animal than when they are feeding on the bottom. Everything has to be perfect to catch these fish. Drop down to 20-50 lb test and learn by practicing how to apply perfect drag pressure with your hand because perfect preset drag does not exist for this style of fishing. This can’t be taught because it is a feel and understanding of where in the water column you got the bite, how far the fish has pulled drag to the amount of pressure you apply before breaking the line or the fish gets you all the way back into the bottom. Bait presentation is key, hook has to be hidden and the bait has to fall at the same rate as chum without hooks.
All kinds of baits work for mangroves. Small live baits such as cigar minnows, pilchards, pin fish and grunts are perfect gum drops. More mangroves have been caught on grunt plugs and lips than any other bait there is, and the frozen sardine or cigar minnow is a close second.
We could write a book on tips and tricks for mangrove snappper fishing, but start by applying these few simple tips and techniques. Practice and pay attention to what other’s are doing that are catching the fish and you will find out how thrilling and rewarding this amazing fishery is. It also doesn’t hurt that they taste fantastic, too!
Join us on our full moon Fathers Day snapper trip on June 16th from 5pm to 2am. We are limiting the boat so there will be plenty of elbow room. $95 per person and dinner is included. We look forward to a great Fathers Day trip. Just because its Fathers day it never hurts to have lady luck onboard so all the female anglers out there are more than welcome.
Do you guys do this other nights?
They do night trips on select days. I know they’re doing night trips for the upcoming red snapper season — July 12, 13, and 19th. If red snapper interests you, book while you can, because those trips always fill up fast (if they haven’t already).
great report and tips also i remember going out of sebastian inlet and seeing the mangrove snapper feeding on the top .like a dolphin and catching them on a floatline