
Kinney says anglers should look for small rises and contours on their bottom machines, and adds that a hard bottom will usually show up as orange or yellow on the screen.

#Red snapper fish trial
Many of his best trophy-snapper spots feature hard bottom with some coral that he discovered by trial and error. These red snapper fishing loocations almost always hold big red snapper - her biggest of 2018 was 32 pounds - along with cubera snapper, groupers, amberjack, and cobia. As she got into the business, she discovered additional cities, which describe areas of natural bottom rising 5 to 6 feet above the surrounding sand. “I fish isolated areas that I call cities,” says Helmey, who first fished many of the areas with her father, Moose, who was a charter captain. When she gets there, Helmey looks for a very specific type of bottom in 90 to 115 feet.

When Helmey guides anglers for big red snapper fishing, she typically fishes what are known as the snapper banks, located 28 to 35 miles offshore. Yes, anglers can and sometimes do luck into a 20-plus-pounder or even a 30-pounder, but to consistently catch the big girls, success typically depends on three factors: Fishing the right spot with the right tackle and optimal bait, says Capt.

Catching trophy red snapper is another story. In fact, some grouper fishermen will tell you that it’s too easy because the aggressive snapper will get to their baits before a grouper can even think about eating them. Jason Arnold / Ĭatching red snapper is easy. With more-generous seasons for anglers, bragging-size red snapper will be more sought after than ever.
