Reef, rock and wrecks

Lane and vermilion snapper

Lutjanus synagris, Rhomboplites aurorubens

The pan snappers of the patch reefs. Easy, plentiful, good eating.

What they like

  • 5–30 musual depth (they tolerate 2–80 m)
  • 20–29 °Cwater temperature they feed in
  • clear or coloured waterwater clarity
  • rough bottom, drop-offs, deep waterbottom they hunt, in order
  • any tidetide
  • daylightlight

Grass and rubble bottoms near the reef in 5-30 m; night fishing in summer for lanes.

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
Georgia to the Chesapeake
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bait and technique

Methods: bait.

Bait and lures: Shrimp, squid, cut bait on small hooks.

Technique: Anchor on the hard bottom edge, chum lightly, small baits on the bottom.

Rules

Florida: Florida: lane 8 in, vermilion 12 in (Atlantic) / 10 in (Gulf), 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 lane and vermilion 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.