Reef, rock and wrecks

Mangrove snapper

Lutjanus griseus

Grey snapper. Everywhere there is shade and current, from mangrove roots to the reef.

What they like

  • 1.5–12 musual depth (they tolerate 0.5–40 m)
  • 22–30 °Cwater temperature they feed in
  • clear or coloured waterwater clarity
  • rough bottom, drop-offs, the shorelinebottom they hunt, in order
  • a moving tide (rising or falling)tide
  • dawn and dusklight

Mangrove roots and dock pilings for the small ones, patch reefs and bridge rubble for the big ones; summer full moons offshore.

Season by region

Peak months, shaded. Outside them the species may still be around, just less reliably.

Florida and the Gulf
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Caribbean and Bahamas
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bait and technique

Methods: bait, spinning / casting.

Bait and lures: Live shrimp, pilchards, cut bait on a light leader; small jigs.

Technique: Light fluorocarbon, small hook, a little chum; they are wary and feed best when the current runs.

Rules

Florida: Florida: 10 in minimum, 5 per day within the snapper aggregate. Verify with FWC.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits change every year and differ by zone. Check the current regulations before you keep anything.

Depth maps where mangrove snapper live

Depth map preview of Bimini, Bahamas±0.67 m

Bahamas

Bimini, Bahamas

  • ±0.67 mtypical error
  • 1,990laser soundings checked
  • 74 km²of shallows

Updated 5 h ago

Preferences are expert estimates from the fisheries literature and angling practice, not measurements at your spot. The likelihoods on the maps are a planning aid, not a catch prediction.