By Ted Koppel        


   Why not grab up some light saltwater fishing tackle and head down to your favorite pier or seawall for some of the tastiest, white and flaky meat fish around? I am talking about the Mangrove Snapper, or Gray Snapper, they are fun to catch with light saltwater fishing gear and the proper bait. You will also want to be sure that your fishing rod is good and sensitive because these little rascals love to steal bait!

Where?

   Good places to find Mangrove Snapper are around pilings of piers, bridges, docks or just a seawall is a great hang out for them also. They can be found in grass flats, mangroves, and around rocks as well, these are the smaller juvenile snapper, and larger ones are caught offshore around wrecks and reefs.

   Care should be taken when handling, these fish do exactly as their name implies, they snap their mouths closed and lock them shut. Some anglers tend to think they can see when your hand is moving in their direction and they will lunge to get your finger in their mouth with some pretty nasty teeth, known to penetrate fingernails with ease!

The proper rod

   The proper fishing rod should be a medium duty, but stiff at the tip for better feel of the bite. There are many good fishing poles on the market these days, some folks become partial to one particular brand of rod and there is nothing wrong with that, but keep in mind that new technology is constantly making fishing a whole lot more fun!

Fishing line

   I prefer a quality braided fishing line for this type of "sensitive imperative" fishing. It does not stretch like monofilament does and with a good taunt line, you will feel every nibble with it. This line is also a plus due to it's resistance to cuts and abrasions, the barnacles on the pilings and other structures that Mangrove Snapper are found in and around, cut line like razor blades when they drag you in.

Fishing reel

   Your fishing reel should be whatever you are most comfortable with, preferably something that will hold up to saltwater fishing. Just remember that while standing on a pier you may be casting under it, along it, or too another structure so you want a fishing reel that gives you control when casting and fighting the fish out of it's structural hideaway.

The leader

   Some folks will only use steel leaders in this type of environment. I have found that monofilament (20-30#) is much cheaper and easier to make, you will most likely get busted off in the pilings at times anyway, so why go the extra expense?

Fishing hook

   Fishing hook sizes that are best for these smaller, juvenile Mangrove Snapper found inshore, are 2, 1, and 1/0. The red, or bleeding hook seems to be a hit with these fish and for those who want less of a challenge setting the hook, they are also available in a circle hook design. Stay away from treble hooks, as they will hang up way more often than you will care to deal with while fishing for Mangrove Snappers.

 The bait

   Mangrove Snapper love shrimp, they love it so much that they will take little chunks of it at a time without even touching the hook! There are many good types of bait that will stay on the hook much better such as small greenbacks or white bait. They prefer live bait but will take cut bait just as well. Pinfish, ballyhoo, sardines, anything that has skin so that it helps hold it to the hook works well as cut bait. Cut bait pieces of squid stay on the hook nicely too, but expect a lot of unwanted bites from smaller baitfish when using the cut squid.

Technique

   If there is little to no current I suggest that you free line your bait near a structure and let it slowly sink to the bottom, these aggressive feeders will often times scoop it up before the weight touches down. Use just enough weight to allow the bait to slowly descend for the current that you are fishing in.  Typically a snapper will pick up and drop the bait, seemingly testing it to be sure it wants to eat it. About the third time he does that you set the hook, that should get you a snapper for the frying pan! These tasty little jewels only need to be 10 inches to keep, making it pretty easy to get your limit of 5. Have fun catching those Mangrove Snappers but don't forget how they came to be called "snappers"!

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