Captain's corner

By TOM TURKE

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 27, 2000

Offshore fishing is beginning to look rosy. The recreational season for American red snapper is open and will stay that way until Oct. 31, when the quota of 4.47-million pounds will be landed by recreational anglers in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the landings will take place in the upper gulf from Texas to the Panhandle of our state, but those of us from the bay area will get a portion of the quota with a little planning.

First, the calmer waters of May will allow seaworthy boats to venture into "snapper country." These areas include the western edge of the Middle Grounds and the Elbow. If you can't make it that far, try searching around the deeper springs, wrecks and hard bottom areas from 125 feet and out.

Once on a potential snapper spot, spend time trying to locate suspended schools with your bottom machine, then anchor up current. One of the downfalls of the red snapper, especially smaller ones, is that they are aggressive feeders and will often hit just about any live or dead bait. To get the larger ones, my bait choice is a palm-sized frisky pinfish placed just below the suspended schools. Large metal spoons with a cigar minnow attached are snapper favorites, as is a live Spanish sardine. The Florida record for the red snapper weighs almost 47 pounds.

The big ones get that way by a combination of luck and probably being a little suspicious. If you fish at night, especially around a full moon period, your chances of catching a larger one increase. Right now there is a four-fish bag limit with a minimum size of 16 inches overall.

The American red snapper is at the top of my favorite-fish list. When the waters are calm I enjoy the long, relaxing ride to the more remote areas of the gulf. I just love the strike and the bouncing and digging that a nice-sized red snapper does when surprised by my hook.

-- Tom Turke guides out of Tampa. Call (813) 854-5779.

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