Captain's corner

By GARY FOLDEN

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2000

The natural coral reefs found off our coast are home to an abundance of fish during the summer.

Several members of the snapper family are roaming the ledges and rock piles that dot the underwater landscape in the Gulf of Mexico.

Red snapper prefer deep water and require a long trip offshore.

Lane snapper are rare for this area but are caught in the summer in a mid- to deep-water range. The lanes prefer southern areas like the Keys and the Bahamas.

Mangrove is the most prevalent snapper in our area. It grows up in the bays and harbors, and migrates offshore when reaching about 12 inches. The largest recorded mangrove snapper is around 17 pounds.

The mangroves get my vote for being the most difficult fish to catch off reefs. They are picky about their feeding times and are extremely cautious about taking a baited hook. A light line and natural presentation sometimes will fool them.

I have been diving the reefs this summer and have never seen mangrove snapper so thick. They easily outnumber every other species down there.

- Gary Folden charters the Strike Zone out of Clearwater Municipal Marina. Call (727) 585-8544

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