TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Small Red Snapper Giving Anglers Fits

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 25, 2007

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Randy Rochelle.

Due to nasty weather over the last few days, offshore catches have been hard to come by. The one thing I keep hearing is the small red snapper are driving anglers crazy. Most of the fish have been shorts with just a few big enough to box. The smaller fish seem to be most prevalent in the 90- to 120-foot range, while the bigger are holding a bit farther offshore - say, from 140 feet on out.

One report I did get was from Jeff DeChant and his wife, Valerie. They snuck out early Sunday before the storms set in and found gobs of reds grouper around the 60-foot mark a little north of the channel. Jeff said just about every bait they dropped was inhaled before it hit bottom. Again like the red snapper, most of the fish were on the small side but there were a few keeper-size fish mixed in. They also caught a few short gags and an assortment of other bottom fish. Jeff said they also hit some spots in closer in around 30 to 45 feet, also north of the shipping channel, without much luck.

With the amount of rain we've had lately combined with slightly cooler air temperatures, we should see Gulf water temperatures slowly start to fall. Once the waters cool a bit I think you'll see the bite in 50 to 80 feet of water really pick up.

Captain Randy Rochelle runs the 'Gotta Go' out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 365-3218 or www.islandercharters.net.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT