Fishing for Red Snapper Hosted by Bob Fowler bob.fowler@marinemax.com (850) 708-1317 Presented by Ron Barwick Service Manager, Half Hitch service@halfhitch.com marinemax.com treasureislandmarina.net halfhitch.com 1
American Red Snapper Season As of 11 May 2013 In State Waters ( shoreline to 9 miles ) June 1 through July 15, 2013-44 Days In Federal Waters ( beyond 9 miles ) June 1 through June 21, 2013-21 Days Limit of 2 per person 16 inch minimum length All above information is subject to change 2
MRFSS / MRIP* 2013 Red Snapper Quotas Red Snapper 8.08 million pounds ABC (Acceptable Biological Catch) Recreational 49% Commercial 51% Not enough 12-20 year old fish Heavy fishing in 70 s & 80 s reduced stock * Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) * Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) 3
Red Snapper Rebuilding Plan 74% Shrimping Reduction of by-catch Commercial Red Snapper IFQ (Individual Fishing Quota) Commercial Red Snapper 13 size limit to reduce discards 4
State and Federal Waters Texas/Florida 9 miles, all other Gulf States 3 miles Indicated on chart as Natural Resources Border 5
Compliance Kit Pliers will meet dehooker requirement however; fish flipper do work faster and better. Required: Dehooker Venting Tool Both must be used 6
Release Brochure Venting tools allow air to be removed from fishes air bladder so they will be able to return to the bottom http://catchandrelease.org/catch_and_release_web.pdf 7
Rod Leverage Shorter rod increases angler s leverage, longer rods increases fishes leverage Shorter people need shorter rod butts Rear Butt Length STD 12-16 Angler leverage Fish Leverage 8
Conventional vs. Spinning Spinning reels by nature twist line & have poor leverage Conventional reels offer greater leverage and better drags 9
2 Speed vs. 1 Speed vs. High Efficiency Gearing 2 Speed reels give extra leverage in low gear to get large fish away from their hole & off the bottom. High efficiency gearing allows for best of both worlds easy cranking like low speed & fast retrieval like high speed 10
Fluorocarbon Great Leader High abrasion resistance Stiffer Larger Diameter Same density as water Carbon fleck stops light transmittal Has UV inhibitors last longer in sun 11
Tie vs. Crimp Best to tie all mono under 80lb 80lb-125lb can tie or crimp 150lb & up best to crimp Remember when crimping, use a mono sleeve & compression style crimper Barrel sleeve Mono sleeve When a Barrel sleeve is crimped only limited contact with the surface of mono. Mono sleeves compress all around mono for more contact and holding power. 12
Hooks Circle Hook Rule Circle hooks required when using natural bait for Reef Fish Why Circle Hooks More hook-up in jaw Greater survival possibility Less gut hooked fish Circle Hook J Hook Circle hook definition: Generally round in shape & point 90 0 to hook shank 13
Circle Hooks Required by law when fishing for reef fish Less gut hook fish Less release mortality Offset vs. non-offset Circle hooks work best for live baits. Remember with circle hooks, don t jerk, just reel. To be a legal circle hook, the hook point must be 90 degrees to the hook shank. 90 ------- 14
2 Hook vs 1 Hook 3-Way Swivel Lead 1 oz. of lead per 10 More with larger lines & stronger currents 15
Weights Egg leads work great for single hook rigs. They are able to slide to reduce the feel when a fish strikes. Use torpedo or bank leads below the hooks when fishing with multiple hooks to keep hooks separate and untangled. 16
Catching Bait with Sabiki s Generally will bite bare hooks on the fall Most people don t use heavy enough weight Great bait catching places are: Tide lines for bait schools watch depth recorder Buoys, C Buoy 17
Dead & Cut Baits Squid Bonita Belley Northern Mackerel Best to hook larger bait in the nose so they descend like a torpedo & not spin, twisting around your line Cutting off the baits tail will also help prevent spinning 18
Live Baits Thread Herring Cigar Minnow Shrimp Blue Runner Squirrel Fish White Snapper (Pink Pogie) Pinfish (Choffer) 19
Traditional Jigging Traditional Jigging with lead heads & hook on the bottom are fished by jerking the jig up and letting it fall, most strikes occur on the fall 20
Vertical Jigging Different from past jigging in that you keep the jigging moving all the way up the water column Hooks are at the top, not the bottom and are hanging free To be effective must use Braided Line with long mono leader High speed narrow reel prevents crowning of line 21
Chumming Frozen fine ground chum works best Add menhaden oil Dry most tend to float & larger pieces Menhaden oil floats great for surface feeder Menhaden milk oil adapted to mix with water great for all water levels 22
Bottom Chumming Get the chum to the bottom to start feeding faster 23
Depth Recorders & Fishfinders Need for DGPS & Color Bottom Machine Color bottom help to identify harder bottom & fish size Thru Hull vs. Transom Mount Transducer Thru Hull will give much better picture Transom mount has most turbulence 24
Buoy Buoy gives a point of reference i.e. stump to know your location and to notice your movement. Easy way to know current speed and direction. Drift direction is effected by wind, waves and current, know the net effect of all 3 will save time and catch you more fish American Bandit Suremarker 25
Best Places http://www.myfwc.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs/ Artificial Reefs rubble, boats, bridges Natural Bottom coral reefs, lime stone bottom Snapper prefer structure up in water column Bigger Snapper generally caught 30-60 ft. off the bottom. 26
MEETINGS Gulf Of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting Schedule 2203 N Lois Avenue, Suite 1100 Tampa, Florida 33607 USA Toll Free: 888-833-1844 Email: info@gulfcouncil.org gulfcouncil.org Next Meeting Schedule June 17-21, 2013 Crowne Plaza 200 E. Gregory Street Pensacola, FL 32501 http://www.gulfcouncil.org/ http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/ 27
MEETINGS Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Farris Bryant Building 620 S. Meridian St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 (850) 488-4676 June 11-13, 2013 Hilton Garden Inn 3839 Don Emerson Drive Lakeland, FL 33811 Saltwater Regulations myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/ 1:00pm June 11 8:30am June 12 & 13 28
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How To Measure Mouth closed, Must pinch tail to get total length 31