Targeting specific snapper species?

bigfinn35

So I fish out of Venice quite a bit and am starting to get a decent handle on bottom fishing, including a few of my own newly-discovered spots. I do fairly well with grouper and porgies and such, and catch a lot of lanes and vermillions as well. However, I almost never get any mangroves on my hard or live bottom spots. I'm sure they're there, but how can I target them specifically and get more of them?

stpetebaitman

Chum with glass minnows and freeline chunk baits on jigsheads down on long, light leaders.

oldcracker

I fish mainly from Venice also. Mangos are tough customers most days for me. Freelining live shrimp on long 15 lb flourocarbon leaders has brought my best success. I just add a few split shot way up the leader. Chumming helps alot. Seems like once you get them bitting they go into a frenzy. . But you got to sort thru the grunts and porgys before the mangos go on the feed. Good fishin.

larrywitt

The best Mango bite i have ever had has been on night trips. The best one was with Capt. Gabe out of Venice. We never got back till 4 or 5 AM is was a good tired.
larrywitt

CaptainBly

What stpetebaitman said....chum chum chum chum chum....long flouro leaders...I like using 1/8 or 1/4 oz jigs or bigger depending on tide. Have had best luck with fresh dead white bait in the 2-4" range but once you get them going, chunks of dines etc...will work as well.

Comandante

Thanks Larry for the kind words about our trip last summer. Half the battle was won before we left the dock. I knew those fish were there, so all we had to do is pattern the bite. Hasn't been so easy since then. Last year's red tide seems to have run the mangos out of town, at least as far as the near shore spots go. I'd like to see a report from someone fishing the mangos at the sunken tanks near 27-04 N lat. The fish could be there, I haven't found them on the inshore ledges since the red tide .

sk018

Lanes and vermiies tend to hand on swiss cheese type hard bottom you find red grouper on.
Mangroves usually are thicker with more relief. the artificial reefs are loaded with mangroves, you just have to know how to fish them. As many mentioned chum, light leaders. A jighead with a large shrimp or small pinfish is my go to.
Last time I was out on one of the M reefs we struggled to get mangroves because the yellowtails were so thick balled up behind the boat we couldn't get past them fishing weightless in the chum.
If you get the mangroves up behind the boat eating chum, they can be very tough to fool.

bigfinn35

sk018 wrote: »

Lanes and vermiies tend to hand on swiss cheese type hard bottom you find red grouper on.
Mangroves usually are thicker with more relief. the artificial reefs are loaded with mangroves, you just have to know how to fish them. As many mentioned chum, light leaders. A jighead with a large shrimp or small pinfish is my go to.
Last time I was out on one of the M reefs we struggled to get mangroves because the yellowtails were so thick balled up behind the boat we couldn't get past them fishing weightless in the chum.
If you get the mangroves up behind the boat eating chum, they can be very tough to fool.

Since I like eating yellowtails better than doesn't sound like a bad problem for me, lol. But thanks for the advice! Are the M reefs really that thick with mangroves? Also, how small should the leader be? 10 feet of 15lb fluoro sound ok?

dodger31

How far off are the M reefs? Are they on the Top Spot map? Thanks!

dodger31

Never mind. I see they are off Sarasota/ Venice

Binder

I know I just posted in another thread but ask Capt. Perl.

That dude has the Venice fishing locked up.

I will say in my area (Fort Myers), they will eat pins but seem to love whitebait. Cut it in half and dropper down.

We've tipped it with a bit of squid and had good results as well.

tileman

Swiss Cheese bottom, if you catch 1 there's more. Use a dropper rig with 2 or 3 small hooks with small pieces of Squid. Just went out yesterday and caught maybe 40 50 Lanes 22 of them ranged between 14- 16 inches. All day Lanes....not 1 other type fish. It takes some searching but once you find a spot with Lanes....one time or another they'll be there. I was in 45-55 FOW off Redfish Pass hard Swiss Cheese bottom. Bait dMust be on the bottom . After the first hit let the rig stay for a little bit, most likely more will join the party and you can pull up more than 1 at a time


Oh. Don't forget.....chum,chum, and more chum