Red snapper mini-season for Space Coast anglers will dominate the weekend

Ed Killer, Florida Today
·4 min read

It's going to be about red snapper this week. Friday and Saturday is the two-day mini-season for red snapper in Atlantic waters. The weather appears as if it will cooperate so the boat ramps will be busy. As usual, however, watch out for the afternoon pop-up thunderstorms.

Red snapper regulations are as follows:

  • Season is 12:01 a.m. July 8 until 12:01 a.m. July 10 (two days).

  • No size limit.

  • One per person per day.

  • A descending device must be on deck and ready for use.

Good luck to everyone fishing for them. Let's hope you catch your limit and the fish are all big.

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It was a red snapper bonanza for this group of family and friends on July 11, 2021. Fishing in 130 feet of water out of Port Canaveral, everyone caught their limit using live pogies for bait. Anglers pictured are John Boyd, Nick Dunbar, Jason Halsey, Amanda Halsey and Jen Boyd.
It was a red snapper bonanza for this group of family and friends on July 11, 2021. Fishing in 130 feet of water out of Port Canaveral, everyone caught their limit using live pogies for bait. Anglers pictured are John Boyd, Nick Dunbar, Jason Halsey, Amanda Halsey and Jen Boyd.

Closures & regulations changes in effect: Anglers are reminded about these fishery harvest closures currently underway and ones about to begin and end.

  • Dolphin: New fishing regulations began May 1 for state waters. Bag limit is now 5 fish per day per angler; Vessel limit is now 30 fish per day. Captain & crew may not be included in limit.

  • Grouper: Shallow water grouper season is open May 1 through Dec. 31. That includes gag grouper, red grouper, scamp and six other lesser species.

  • Hogfish: Harvest of hogfish is open May 1 through Oct. 31, 2022 in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

  • Lobster: Mini-season is July 27-28. Regular season reopens Aug. 6.

  • Tilefish: A commercial fishing closure is in place beginning July 6 until Dec. 31, 2022.

  • Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch and release.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.

Mosquito Lagoon

Early morning anglers are finding a better bite by fishing around the islands with live shrimp. Anglers have two options, if they can find live shrimp — freeline the shrimp to get bites from redfish, black drum, speckled trout or snook; or use shrimp with a Cajun Thunder or popping cork to mimic the sound of a trout feeding and draw extra action. Large fish can be caught in Haulover Canal such as snook, redfish, black drum or tarpon on cut crabs.

Offshore

Red snapper will be on reefs from 90 feet on out into deeper water of as much as 200 feet. On a good bottom machine, the red snapper will appear to stage above the reefs in a triangle or pyramid shape. Anglers will probably encounter amberjacks ad grouper, too so be sure not to bring a knife to a gunfight. Use stout tackle to be sure to land anything hooked. Simple bottom rigs with a 12-16-ounce sash weight will on a three-way swivel will work fine for getting bites. When anglers reach limits, move off where dolphin, mutton snapper, lane snapper and mangrove snapper can be caught. Kingfish, cobia, tarpon and jacks are schooling around bait in 20-40 feet of water.

Surf

The seaweed has been a problem. Anglers who find a beach with little or no seaweed can fish for whiting, croaker, jacks an catch and release snook. But many popular fishing beaches in the area have been inundated with either sargassum seaweed or slime grass or both.

Sebastian Inlet

There has been a good tarpon bite around the entrance to the inlet during the beginning of the outgoing tide. They are feeding on schools of live bait gathering there like greenies and pogies. Oversized jacks, kingfish and Spanish mackerel can be caught in the same bait schools. Redfish are feeding on live small crabs. There is a good snapper bite after dark on cut bait.

Indian River Lagoon

Small tarpon, catch and release snook, speckled trout, redfish, black drum and sheepshead are being caught around causeways, along seawalls and around the mangrove islands near Cocoa. Jacks, snook and reds can be caught around Pineda Causeway on artificial shrimp.

Freshwater

It's hot so bass are seeking cooler waters deeper in area lakes and ponds. Use 9-inch worms, shay head jigs or lipped crank baits to find fish in the 3-6 feet of water part of the water column. There is an algae warning issued by the Dept. of Health for the Stick Marsh.

Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Red snapper: Two day mini-season will dominate anglers' attention