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Captain’s corner

By ED WALKER

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 5, 2001

It's no secret grouper fishing has been outstanding in the Middlegrounds. Last week we went to the south end of the Middlegrounds, 70 miles from land. We caught lots of big grouper and some of the biggest mangrove snapper I have seen.

We fished with 60-pound tackle for the grouper, and when they slowed we switched to snapper gear and caught mangroves up to 10 pounds.

Snapper are finicky and are seldom fooled with a standard grouper rig. I carry separate rods with lighter, more sensitive tips to feel the subtle tap of a snapper bite. I also use lighter line: 40-pound line is light enough to get the bites and gives you a chance if a big grouper grabs your bait. On our recent trip we landed a 19-pound grouper with a snapper rod.

Snapper leaders should be much lighter and longer than for grouper. I use 5 feet of 40-pound fluorocarbon and a 2/0 or 3/0 extra-sharp hook. For weight, use the lightest slip sinker that will hold the bait on the bottom. Small, live pinfish work well for snapper, but snapper also will fall for half a sardine. Whole sardines are usually more than a mouthful and do not produce as well. Finesse is the name of the game for catching mangrove snapper.

- Ed Walker charters out of Palm Harbor. Call (727) 944-3474 or e-mail TarponEd@aol.com.

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