Big mangrove snapper have been reliable on shallow-water ledges. To spear a 5- to 6-pounder in these waters is the mark of a good spearfisher. These bigger snappers utilize every bit of cover, including their smaller brethren, to avoid the spear shaft. Big snappers will challenge your stealth, so you get only one chance.
They get big for a reason - they know how to survive. I like to fish for snappers, and I often get bigger ones fishing than I do spearfishing. They seem to avoid the diver but not the bait.
The respect for the species recently was evidenced when the St. Petersburg Underwater Club listed snapper above amberjack in its hierarchy of categories for the St. Pete Open Spearfishing Tournament. This group of experienced spearfishermen agreed amberjack may be stronger and more dangerous, but larger snapper are more wary and harder to bag. In many recent spearfishing tournaments the quiet and stealthy free divers have weighed in some of the biggest snapper.
Many free divers will weigh snapper Nov. 6 at the fall free-dive tournament sponsored by the Florida Skin Divers Association in New Port Richey. Contact John Schmidt at (727) 937-7822.
Bill Hardman teaches scuba, spearfishing and free diving and he runs daily spearfishing trips through Aquatic Obsessions Scuba in St. Petersburg. Call (727) 344-3483.
