How to Catch Red Snapper: Expert Techniques, Locations & Bait Tips

Red snapper is one of the most, if not the most, popular of the snapper species in the United States and maybe even in the world. Even while they are heavily regulated in a lot of states, these fish are highly sought after and targeted due to their fighting ability, size, and table fare, making them a great game fish. In this article, I’m going to go over a variety of topics related to fishing for red snapper, including tips and tricks on how to catch them, biological details, habitat, lifespan, baits, and more.

However, before I get into the article, I think it is important for me to highlight an important tool that I use when I am fishing on my own, be it for red snapper or any other species. This tool, as you might have guessed from reading my past publications, is the Fishbox App. This app is filled to the brim with helpful fishing information and data that can help you get on the fish quicker. One of my personal favorite aspects of this app is the weather metrics it gives based on the location at which you are fishing. This includes everything from temperature to lunar phase. Having this extra information can be extremely helpful as it can give you yet another edge on the fish. You may be skeptical, but I encourage you to at least give it a try. Additionally, you don’t even need to download the app yet—just take a free quiz for your very own personalized fishing map. So don’t wait; get one more step ahead of the fish with the Fishbox App and free personalized fishing map survey. Without any more delay, let’s jump straight into the article.

What is a Red Snapper and Why You Should Fish for Them

Before we get deep into the meat of this article, I think it is important to first get a grasp on the species we are targeting. This includes looking at its biology, habits, habitat, value, and more. Without more delay, let’s look at what makes this fish so awesome.

Biology: While the government and various organizations deem the red snapper an “endangered species,” many of us anglers know the real truth. These fish are just about everywhere in the Southeast Atlantic Ocean and Gulf with any twinge of structure. Red snapper tends to populate areas with live or artificial bottom like reefs and wrecks. Additionally, it should be known that you rarely find one of these things alone. They’re constantly schooled up. Here in North Carolina, there are some spots so overrun by red snapper that you can’t get a bait down on the bottom in front of anything else. Okay, enough rambling. The red snapper, when caught, is typically between 10 to 20 pounds and on average lives about 40 to 50 years. These fish fight ridiculously hard and are frequently put very high on the list in terms of pound-for-pound pulling power. Lastly, the red snapper can grow extremely quickly, especially in its first few years of life. This allows them to reach maturity quickly and the size at which they can decimate bait populations at spots (1).

Value: In addition to the incredible biology of red snapper, these fish also have excellent value as both table fare and a sport fish. In my opinion, and among most anglers, red snapper is close to the top of the list for the best-tasting fish and can frequently be ordered at most seafood restaurants. While these fish are super tasty to eat, they also are extremely fun to catch. If you hook up to a bigger one of these things, I can assure you that you will know. The second they feel the hook, they will let you have it and try to get in the rocks. And unlike grouper, who fight that first 10 to 20 feet off the bottom, red snapper will fight all the way to the top. Keep in mind these fish can get huge. If you hook one above 20 pounds, I can assure you that you are gonna feel it the next day. Hopefully, you can see just from reading this that there are good reasons why this fish is extremely sought after (2).

Best Time to Fish for Red Snapper

Before I get into the section on the timing aspects of fishing for red snapper, it’s important to note that some of these details may vary depending on where you are targeting red snapper. These time frames can differ when fishing somewhere like North Carolina compared to the Gulf of America.

Monster Cobia and Endangered Red Snapper on North Carolina’s Coast

Below is a summary chart that takes into account everything discussed in detail throughout this section. If you’d like to know the specifics, by all means, read the entire section. However, if you’re in a time crunch and just need the broad overview, take a glance at the table and move on. Without any further delay, let’s get into the meat of this section.

Red Snapper Seasonal Fishing Summary by Region

Region / Season	Water Temperature	Behavior	Best Tactics	Notes
Gulf of Mexico – Spring	68–75°F	Move from deep to reefs; feed heavily before spawn	Jigs and live bait near structure	Calm seas and active fish
South Atlantic – Spring	65–75°F	Move inshore from deep winter spots; strong feeding	Light tackle bottom fishing	Good pre-summer action near reefs
Gulf of Mexico – Summer	75–85°F	Peak feeding and spawning on reefs	Bottom fishing with cut or live bait	Main open season; deep reefs best
South Atlantic – Summer	75–82°F	Spawn offshore; aggressive early and late	Cut bait or live menhaden on reefs	Check open federal days
Gulf of Mexico – Fall	70–78°F	Post-spawn feeding; move slightly deeper	Slow-pitch jigs and squid	Consistent bite, mild weather
South Atlantic – Fall	70–75°F	Feeding before winter; steady action	Jigs, squid, and live bait	Ideal weather and bite
Gulf of Mexico – Winter	60–68°F	Hold deep and sluggish	Heavy rigs, vertical jigging	Rough seas, limited access
South Atlantic – Winter	60–68°F	Deep and less active	Deep drop bait rigs	Cold fronts limit fishing windows

Read also: Your Comprehensive Guide to Red Snapper Season

Time of Year

• Winter: When the water gets cold during the winter, just like most other species, red snapper metabolism slows down, making the action drop off compared to other months of the year. Not only may thered snapper season be closed depending on where you are, but they also move further offshore into deeper waters. This obviously makes them harder to get to, but they will still bite nonetheless. Find the structure in the deep water, and you’ll find the red snapper.
• Spring: When the water warms up in the spring, red snapper will obviously become less lethargic and move into shallower waters the warmer it gets. During this time of year, red snapper will also begin preparing for spawn, which means gorging on food. Using live baits is never a bad option to figure out where they are. If you put a live bait in front of one, a red snapper will almost never pass it up.
• Summer: Summer is single-handedly the best time of year to target and catch red snapper for a couple of reasons. First, given that the water is so warm, the fish are always aggressive, hungry, and packed in schools on various kinds of structures. Second, the snapper season opens in a lot of different places, like in North Carolina (even if only for a couple of days). Third, the snapper pushes closer to shore than ever, where it is not uncommon to catch them in 50 to 60 feet of water.
• Fall: During the fall, the water is still warm but is cooling off, meaning the red snapper start to move offshore a bit. In general, hopefully you can see the trend: the colder it gets, the further the red snapper move offshore, and vice versa. Additionally, I can say from personal experience that there is still great fishing for red snapper in the fall, and several of the pictures of red snapper in this article were caught in the fall.

Overall, hopefully you can see that time of year matters so you should plan accordingly (3).  

Time of Day

Because red snapper are a species of bottom fish, the time of day doesn’t matter as much as it does with other saltwater species, but it definitely does have some effect. From both my own personal experience fishing for red snapper and the research I have done, the best times of day for targeting them are early morning and late afternoon into the evening. For just about every species, this holds true, but there are some exceptions. With red snapper, though, don’t worry too much about the time of day as opposed to other more important factors like bait and structure. If you have the right bait and structure, the time of day really won’t matter at all (2).

Weather

The best fishing conditions for red snapper are when you have calm weather and warm water, among some other factors. The reason we want calm weather is that we want good bait presentation. If our boat is bouncing up and down, our baits on the bottom will be bouncing up and down on the bottom and won’t look natural at all. Thus, we want calmer weather. Additionally, we also want warm water because that is when the red snapper will bite the best. Like I mentioned earlier, the warmer the water is, the more aggressive the red snapper get. Some anglers will say that sun or cloud cover has some effect, but when you bottom fish, those fish are far enough down that I really don’t believe—or have seen—that it honestly matters that much at all. This may seem like news to some, but you also have to realize these fish are often going to be at least 60 feet down in the water, where surface weather isn’t as much of a factor or concern. The single biggest thing is calm weather in terms of wave height (2).

Spawn Patterns

Red snapper tend to spawn anywhere from late spring to early fall. While this range can seem broad, it does take into account the widespread nature of this species and how spawn times will differ based on different locations in the world. Additionally, it should be noted that red snapper feed more before spawn to prepare, and some evidence even suggests that these fish may return to the same spawning grounds year after year (4).

Where Can You Catch a Red Snapper

Red snapper can be targeted and caught all over the world. That being said, here are some of the best and most well-known spots for targeting these popular gamefish.

Top US Destinations:

• Florida: Florida, much like for any other saltwater species out there, is a top destination for red snapper, boasting lucrative spots on the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast as well.
• Alabama: This is where the “red snapper capital of the world” is located. Alabama has access to some of the best red snapper fishing due to the Gulf of Mexico being right out its back door.
• Louisiana: Louisiana is another prime saltwater fishery boasting quite the reputation for red snapper fishing. As you hopefully can see, the best red snapper fisheries in the United States are found on the Gulf Coast, which these three states all have easy access to.

Top Global Destinations:

• United States: Without a doubt, the United States is one of the best places to fish for and catch red snapper in the world. The three states listed above are a great place to start.
• Mexico: Much like the stateside Gulf counterparts, Mexico also boasts a great red snapper fishery that is arguably more virgin than the US waters.
• Bahamas: In addition to the locations above, the Bahamas also boasts a strong red snapper fishery due to its proximity to a variety of reef and hard-bottom spots that these red snapper love to enjoy.

Different Types of Snapper

The snapper family is one of the largest families of fish in the entire world. In fact, there are hundreds of different species of fish that are classified as snappers. Although this article is focusing on red snapper and how to catch them, I do believe it is important to give some brief attention to the other popular snapper species you may run into while you are fishing (1).

• Mutton Snapper: While this snapper can be caught further north, most muttons are caught in Florida and further south. They are extremely similar in terms of targeting practices and fight compared to red snapper and are also great table fare. These fish also hang out on structure just like all of the other snapper species.
• Yellowtail Snapper: While the smallest of the snapper in this group, the yellowtail snapper is a great species to target on light tackle and can be caught in Florida and further south. Chum is often a great way to get these guys up to the top, and then you can freeline little baits back in the chum slick to catch them.
• Mangrove Snapper: This species of snapper can be caught closer inshore than all the others. Mangrove snapper frequently live near docks and inshore structure. These are also great table fare. Once again, these can be caught elsewhere but are mostly around more tropical areas like Florida and the Gulf.
• Cubera Snapper: This is by far and away one of the largest snapper species in the world. They are notorious for crushing huge baits like live lobsters and are caught near structure. They are one of the most sought-after species in the world due to both their size and fight.

Types of Bait for Red Snapper Fishing

There are a variety of different baits you could choose from when fishing for red snapper. In this section, I’m going to break them all down for you to make it easier to process. 

Artificial Baits

In general, live or dead baits are going to be the preferred option for the majority of anglers, but there is definitely still success to be found when using a couple different kinds of artificial baits.

• Swimbaits: Due to the rise in the population of red snapper and the popularity of throwing swimbaits in saltwater, a new avenue has opened to fish for red snapper. Fishing with these swimbaits typically involves a large and heavy jig head so that you can get the bait down to the bottom. Some sort of paddle tail or other kind of soft plastic swimbait is then threaded onto the jig head.
• Jigs: Jigs are on the rise for fishing across the world for a variety of different species due to the explosion in the popularity of this style of fishing. When jigging for red snapper, vertical jigs are going to be your best bet as they imitate a falling bait in the water column, which the red snapper simply can’t resist. Due to the fact that you’re likely fishing in deeper water for these red snapper, heavier vertical jigs are recommended (6).

Dead Baits

Dead baits can also be another highly effective strategy for catching red snapper out on the open water. Red snapper are not too picky, so let’s get into some of the popular dead and cut baits that you can use to target these fish. Additionally, I would like to note that it is important that these baits are presented on or near the bottom because that’s where these snappers will be hanging around (5).

• Pogies/Menhaden/Bunker: Pogies are a great place to start when talking dead or cut bait for red snapper. You can use these either cut in pieces or whole. Oftentimes, you can play around with this until you figure out what the red snapper want to eat the most. Additionally, bigger baits and cut bait pieces should yield bigger fish but sometimes fewer bites.
• Bonito: In this case, you’re not going to be able to use a whole bonito for bait, but cut bonito in chunks or strips can also be very effective because of how oily these fish are.
• Mullet: For this application, mullet can be fished the exact same way as the pogies, being that they can work whole or cut.
• Cigar Minnows: Just like the pogies and mullet, cigar minnows—and many other species of baitfish, for that matter—can be fished either cut or whole when targeting red snapper.
• Squid: This was definitely one that I was hesitant to put on the list. Yes, it can work for catching red snapper, but more often than not, some other species will get to the squid before the red snapper can, unless that is all that is down there.

Keep in mind that there are also other baits that can work for red snapper but only a few of the more popular baits are listed here.

Live Baits

Red snapper are not very picky at all when it comes to live bait. If the bait swims, it will likely be a meal for any red snapper close to it when presented correctly on the bottom. In this section, I’m not going to cover all of the different types of live bait you can possibly use for red snapper, but I will cover some of the more popular ones (6).

• Bunker/Menhaden/Pogies: When it comes to live bait for bottom fishing, you can never go wrong with pogies. They may not be the hardest of baits, but any red snapper will gladly inhale one if you put it in front of its face.
• Pinfish: Pinfish, on the other hand, are far hardier baits for bottom fishing and can honestly take quite a beating. They do require a bit more work because you really can’t just cast a bunch of them. To be honest, if you’re fishing for red snapper, yes, these baits will absolutely work; however, they won’t make enough of a difference in bites to justify using only these. A grouper, for example, would be a much better use for your pinfish.
• Mullet: Mullet are another hardy bottom bait that a red snapper will eat. While I haven’t used mullet as much as the other two, I can confirm from research that lots of anglers do use them, and they are quite effective.

Once again, I only mentioned a few of the more popular live baits for red snapper, but others do exist, such as cigar minnows, speedos, etc. Essentially, if the bait can fit in a red snapper’s mouth, then it will likely be eaten.

Red Snapper Fishing Tips and Techniques

Unlike other species of fish, there are only a few main ways that we can use to target red snapper. In this section, I’m going to break them down for you so that you can determine which methods are best for you and what you may want to try next time you’re on the water (6).

• Anchoring: Anchoring or “spot-locking” is definitely my preferred means of targeting red snapper. This becomes much easier to do if you have a trolling motor at your disposal, but an anchor can also work the same. This method typically goes like this: first, identify a spot with good bottom marks where there appears to be bait. Second, deploy your trolling motor or anchor a bit up-current from the spot where you’re targeting bait. Third, start dropping some of those baits we talked about above and wait for the fish to start biting. It’s also important to note that while anchored, you can jig or even chunk, which we’ll talk about below.
  • Chunking: Chunking is when you are anchored or spot-locked and are actively throwing chunks of cut bait or chum into the water. Oftentimes, this encourages red snapper to come up from deeper water and feed on the chum and then, hopefully, your bait. Once again, anchor or spot-lock up-current of the spot so that your chum and chunks can drift right over the productive bottom. From here, tie a simple hook-and-leader rig and pitch out one of those chunks on a hook until it gets bit.
  • Jigging: Jigging is another popular technique for red snapper fishing. If you have a trolling motor with spot-lock, spot-lock right on top of the good bottom. If you are using an anchor, be sure to go up-current from the bottom and then drop your anchor so that when it catches, you’ll be over the spot. From here, work your vertical jig however you’d like to entice the bite.
• Drifting: Drifting is the other alternative to anchoring. This can be a highly effective method for covering more bottom if the conditions are favorable. Favorable conditions include light to no wind as well as minimal current. These conditions allow your boat to drift slowly across the bottom, enabling you to cover more ground.
  • Jigging: Besides the usual live or dead bait bottom fishing that you can do while drifting or anchored, you can also jig more effectively because you are covering more ground horizontally as opposed to jigging up and down on the same spot if you are anchored. This can be a great way to find fish if you can get your jig action looking right.

In summary, your best bet for catching red snapper is going to fall into two categories. If you know the fish are there, you’ll want to anchor. If you don’t know precisely where the fish are, drifting is going to be your best friend because you can cover more ground with it. Lastly, I would encourage you to try different techniques to see what the snapper want, be it changing up baits or tactics.

Gear Overview

Once again, this gear section is probably where most people may have differing opinions. This is totally okay, though. A lot of fishing comes down to preference. I would say once you get past a certain threshold in rod and reel power, the choice is really yours to make in terms of gear. In this section, I’m just going to give you some of the more popular choices and what I personally have used for red snapper.

Tackle:

• Reels: Before I even get into this section, I would like to note that both spinning and conventional reels can be used to target red snapper. If you’re more comfortable using big spinning reels like a Penn Spinfisher 7000 or something of that nature, go ahead—that is totally fine. I will say that once you get into a bigger class of bottom fish, red snapper included, spinning reels become less and less effective against big fish. Some of these big bottom fish pull a lot of drag, and you need the ability to put some heat on them—something a conventional reel does better. 

For conventional reels, I prefer the Daiwa Saltiga 40 LH two-speed reel (7). While this is a very pricey reel, it is a lifetime reel and is constructed very well. One of the best parts about it is the fact that you can toggle between high and low gear, which makes turning the handle easier when fighting a fish with a ton of drag. Yes, there are certainly cheaper options, but I love the Saltiga, and I know it can handle anything that gets hooked on it.

• Rods: Once again, this section is heavily up for both debate and personal preference. You can use just about any heavier offshore rod you want, but I prefer the Star Aerial Jigging Rods (8). They make these in both spinning and conventional setups, but I obviously prefer the conventional. More specifically, I have the 6-foot extra heavy conventional rod. This thing is an absolute beast and gives me enough backbone to move a large fish, but also enough finesse to feel some of the less aggressive bites. Overall, it’s a great bottom fishing rod in general and can be used for far more than just red snapper.
• Line: Since you are just going to be bottom fishing with this setup presumably, you don’t need to be too concerned with capacity. I would recommend somewhere around 300 yards of line to be safe. For your main line, you’re going to want to use 80-pound braid. This may seem excessive, but because you are fishing with so much drag, your line is going to need to be able to take it. Beyond that, I have about 30 feet of 130-pound mono to give me a little stretch and abrasion resistance, and then past that, my rigs and other leader are around 100-pound fluorocarbon. This setup will work for almost all kinds of bottom fish—from groupers to amberjacks—and of course, it will whoop up on a big red snapper as well.

Electronics:

Electronics are massively helpful when it comes to bottom fishing, especially if you are trying to find new spots or even make it back to old ones. Knowing how and when to use these devices can determine whether or not your day on the water is a success or a failure. When using your sonar/depth finder to locate good bottom to fish for red snapper, you’re going to want to focus on the first 10 to 20 feet off the bottom on your screen. You want to see “marks” in this area, symbolizing that there is bait on the bottom. Follow the bait, and you will find the fish. Rinse and repeat this process at various spots to see what is down there. If red snapper are on that bait, it shouldn’t take too many baits to find out because of how aggressive they are. However, a word of warning: not all bottom marks mean that there are predatory fish. You have to experiment and fire down baits to figure this part out.

Charter or DIY:

Here we are once more, and I’ll say it again—this question really comes down to a couple of different factors such as time, money, and pride. If you have the money, don’t have a lot of time, and just care about catching some red snapper, a charter is going to be the way to go. However, if you’re someone who isn’t a big fan of spending money on a charter and would rather try to catch a red snapper by yourself, then by all means, try it on your own. In any case, I personally don’t have a problem with a charter, especially if I’m new to an area or it’s a new species I’m targeting. The question I always ask myself is how much better the charter is going to put me on fish as opposed to my own efforts, and then I determine from there if I think the charter is worth it. One last thing to consider is your access to the species. Given that red snapper are often found in deeper offshore waters, your backwater skiff may not be able to make it to them. That being said, either find a buddy with a boat that can push offshore or go ahead and head out on a charter.

Fishing Regulations

Part of being a respectable and good angler is following the rules that are in place. This means following the rules regardless of how we personally feel about them. With red snapper, this issue is particularly large in North Carolina, where we as recreational anglers are only allotted two days a year to catch red snapper because the population is endangered. Now, I know I’ve cracked jokes in this article about the quantity of red snapper available, but that does not give me an excuse to break the rules. And if you do break these rules, you are doing so at your own expense, risking your fishing license being taken and incurring fines or further punishment.

At the end of the day, God calls us to respect those in authority over us, and this is one particular example where we get to do so. These rules may not seem fair or reasonable, but we need to follow them out of respect for those above us—be it in the government or God.

Lastly, I would also like to mention that these regulations vary from state to state. This means that when fishing somewhere for red snapper, you need to check the local and federal regulations to see what is allowed. Additionally, sometimes equipment is required on the boat if you are snapper fishing, such as a way to release the fish at depth so that they don’t die of barotrauma and can’t swim back down. So pay attention to these rules and follow them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this article and learning more about red snapper and their habits, preferences, and typical behaviors. I hope you can take this information to heart and learn from it in hopes of making your days on the water more successful. Remember, this success won’t happen overnight and requires lots of time on the water to really figure this stuff out. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out. As always, good luck and tight lines!

References:

1. NOAA Fisheries: https://fisheries.noaa.gov/species/red-snapper
2. St. Petersburg Fishing Charters: https://stpetersburgfishingcharters.com/best-time-of-day-to-catch-snapper/
3. GCOOS (Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System): https://geo.gcoos.org/restore/species_profiles/Red%20Snapper/
4. LSU Sea Grant: https://www.lsu.edu/seagrantfish/faqs/redsnapper/biology.htm
5. Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism: https://www.gulfshores.com/blog/things-to-do/fishing/whats-biting-report-the-right-bait-for-red-snapper/
6. The Hull Truth Forum: https://www.thehulltruth.com/florida-georgia/1227339-red-snapper-tips-tricks.html
7. Daiwa: https://daiwa.us/collections/saltwater-conventional-reels/products/saltiga-lever-drag
8. TackleDirect: https://www.tackledirect.com/star-aerial-jigging-rods.html

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