# Mangrove or Black snapper



## Rocky Creek Rider (Jan 14, 2009)

Anyone catching any good ones around the Niceville, Fort Walton area? If so what are they eatting. I was catching some around the Rocky Bayou Bridge, but the pinfish moved in. Should I move to deeper water? Is there any lures that work good or another bait that pinfish will not demolish? Any suggestion?


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## F|nz (Sep 16, 2008)

Bridges are the best spots in our area for black snapper. I would say Shalimar bridge would be the best. Your gunna always find pinfish with the snapper...just gotta weed through them. I used to catch them on a white DOA shrimp by hopping it erratically on the bottom..pinfish dont normally distroy the lure...but will hit it also.


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## Silver (Jun 18, 2009)

I used to go to different piers and on a bright day you could see the big Mangroves hanging out by the pilings, I used to use live LY's, or live shrimp - I never had any luck with any dead bait :/. 

I used 30lb fluorocarbon, tied to a swivel and a 1 oz egg weight, I used small Owner circle hooks (I think 8/0 but i can't remember..) and used to tear them up! Ain't nothing better to me than a mangrove snapper sandwich, making me hungry just thinking about it!



Good luck! Hope this helps


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

When the water warms back up they will move back into the bays and will be on every rock pile / piling around. I've found the best bait to be live lys myself but shrimp work too. Even the gulp shrimp will catch you some mangroves. They are a picky fish so sometimes a hidden hook and light line is a must!

I like to use a number 4 longshank j hook myself........but a size 4 circle hook works good too.


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## Rocky Creek Rider (Jan 14, 2009)

Idid pretty well this summer with them, but I want to know where to get them during thecolder months.


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

Sorry about that......I'm not 100% sure but I believe they move to the offshore wrecks during the winter.


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

The last time i caught a black snapper was about 3 weeks ago at the Coast Guard Station on live shrimp. 

Now that its colder they have all moved out. And I also have found live ly's to be the best bait on either a 1 once weight or even a 1/2 ounce weight.


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## F|nz (Sep 16, 2008)

Mangrove/Gray Snapper don't migrate offshore then back inshore. They spend thier juvenile life inshore till they are about 12" - 14" then move offshore to spend the rest of thier life on reefs, wrecks etc.. They then are called Black Snapper in the Panhandle area. I still catchthe juviesin the dead of winter around Destin & Mid-Bay bridges....normally by accident while targeting Sheepshead.


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## jamessig (Oct 3, 2007)

I catch limits of mangroves nearly every time I fish off the jetties in the summer and fall. In the winter, they just aren't there. Typically you can't catch any now until late spring. I don't know where they go, but it's extremely rare to catch any until April or May after the pompano run. This year was particularly good with lots of big snappers caught. There were at least a dozen over 20" that I know of. There were a few hundred caught this summer 14" or better. I limited numerous times this summer with the smaller fish being 15".


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## Rocky Creek Rider (Jan 14, 2009)

I would really like to catch a twenty inch snapper. I think that i will take the jon boat out to the mid-bay bridge whenever I get some time and smooth seas. It just takes awhile to get from Sara Ann bayou to the mid-bay bridge with a four hourse. Thanks for all the replies.


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