Snappers are found in the tropical and subtropical regions of all the oceans. One of the most popular and best eating of the snapper species, the yellowtail snapper ranges as far north as the Treasure Coast but are in their greatest abundance in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. During days around the full moon, you will probably have excellent catches of the mutton snappers.
Yellowtail snapper is one of the best eating fish in the entire tropical roster of fish only eclipsed by the pricey yellowfin tuna steaks. The small size of the fish adds only to its succulent taste. Typical catches of yellowtail range from the 10-12 lb size. This fish is so versatile that it can be cooked in any number of ways with any number of sauces & still come out superbly delicious.
Yellowtails are characterized by its yellow mid body stripe that extends into its yellow tail, the sleek and abundant yellowtail snapper swims in loose groups well off the bottom. There is a 12-inch minimum size limit and 10 snapper aggregate bag limit. June will be a good time, weather permitting, for night offshore fishing for mangrove, lane and yellowtail snapper.
Bait for Yellowtail Snappers - Weighted live bait will produce grouper & mutton snapper sometimes following in the chum slick. Depending on the time of year you might also catch Kingfish and Cero Mackerel. Use Live Ballyhoo whenever possible.
When yellowtails pull drag on 20 pound spin tackle, you know you have a good yellowtail on. Cut pieces of squid, small pilchards and even live shrimp are productive baits for yellowtail snapper. Sardines, silverside and glass minnows will also work well.
You'll also need frozen chum to put in bags to chum up the water behind the boat. Chum up the water heavy at first. When you start to get a good bite of yellowtail, ease off on the chum so that they will feed on the bait of your hook.
Sandball for Yellowtails & Flat Lining - Filet your ballyhoo & squid & then cut them into strips. Then mix your chum & sand for sandballs - 60% sand & 40% chum. Make sure your chum is oily. Always add the chum to the sand. Mix chum until there are no dry areas. Mixing some oats into the sand/chum will help you catch more yellowtail.
Put the hooked ballyhoo bait into the middle of a sandball. Wrap your line around the sandball & then throw your bait out into the chum slick. Let the line feed out as the current goes until you feel the fish strike the line & pull on your bait.
Fishing Tackle - Use the smallest hooks, 1/0 or smaller, you can find & small conventional reels. Shimano 10 lb spinners for fighting those yellowtail, so everyone gets to enjoy the challenge. We also recommend bright colored jigs to attract the fish.
12- 15 lb test is the best for these fish. Use a pink line so that the fish cannot see the line in the water. A #4 hook up to a 1/0 and a 1/8 oz weight will be best on your rig for flat lining or sandballing.
Finding Yellowtail - Look for a sharp drop off on the edge of the reef. This is where you will find small stacks of fish & plenty of bottom life to support the bait fish. Your Loran or GPS will tell you where the best drop offs are.
Conclusion
Swordfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Dolphin, Cobia, Wahoo, Tuna and Kingfish are just a few of the species we catch off the Southeast Florida Coast. We catch Most of our dolphin while fishing for Tuna. Whether gunning for tuna, marlin or dolphin, Fish 'em all with Live Bait!!
Instructional DVDs on How to Throw a Cast Net, Yellowtail & Mutton Snapper fishing, Live Bait Trolling, and more!! http://www.flkinfo.com/vp.htm
For the Christmas Holiday my wife and I spent some time in the Florida Keys. Great weather, well a little rain, but it was nice and warm anyhow. Not knowing anyone there, we were freed up to cruise the area and just generally check it out. At night we would try to find a quaint little restaraunt for an evening meal. Quite a few good places to choose from, but I've made a decision to never eat conch again.
Anyway, we went to a little bar called the Hurricane one night and found ourselves in a conversation with a couple local guys out for a beer.
After exchanging pleasantries I made mention that I like to scuba dive and asked if there was any lobster to be found. As it happened they also dive and in fact knew of a great place not far from where we were. So what the heck, I asked if they were up for it. Steve wrote my number down and said he'd give me a call the next day.
Don't worry, I'll tie this all in for you shortly. Steve did in fact call me the next evening and we set up a time for a couple days later to go. Now, how many times do people actually pick up the phone and call someone back as promised? Especially calling someone from out of town that they would probably never see again and really don't know anything about?
To finish the story, they picked me up, we went diving, we caught 7 lobsters, and they gave me 4 of them so my wife and I could cook a nice dinner before getting back on a plane for home. This whole experience got me thinking about what I'm doing for people. Which as you correctly guessed is saving people thousands in mortgage fees. Now, you may consider this a little shameless, self promotion but I offer people Free Loan Advice. I also offer a Free Report called the "Ultimate Mortgage Shopping Guide". Additionally, I give people access to the Rate and Fee Analyzer which helps people determine if they are really getting a good deal on a mortgage. This is all completely Free, no spamming going on, heck there aren't any "advertisements" on the web site. My advice is always completely free and if your in need of a refinance you can use it, don't use it, it's always up to you.
So, just like these two guys were "Ambassadors of Good Will" for people visiting the Florida Keys ---- not asking for anything in return (which I did treat them both to a good lunch and drinks) --- it's exactly what I do for people everyday. You can get the guide at http://www.freeloanadvice.net
There is some goodness in the world and even though most people in the loan business are perpetually trying to capture you business ---- let it be known that there really are some Ambassadors trying to do some good in the mortgage business.
Both Marilyn Davis & Andrew Bloom are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Marilyn Davis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Phentermine, Fishing and Colon Cleanse. Marilyn Davis has been fishing the Florida Keys for over 20 years a nd is the Webmaster for the Florida Keys Info-Net. Key West fishing: