John's Journal...

Gulf Coast Fishing Guide

Offshore Fishing for Red Snapper

Click to enlargeEditor’s Note: Let's face the fact that in the South, we have some of the finest saltwater fishing, both inshore and offshore of any region in the nation. During the spring and summer months, we can fish by day and by night with great success. I've named some of the top inshore and offshore fishing destinations in our area, all places where I've caught fish before, and you can, too.

Orange Beach, Alabama – Red snapper season in Alabama starts in June. Anglers will enjoy the best red snapper fishing in the South out of this port. The State of Alabama has dedicated 12,000-square miles of ocean bottom for artificial reef building. Individual fishermen, Alabama's Division of Marine Resources and the federal government have built artificial reefs for red snapper and other bottom feeders off Alabama’s Coast since the late 1950s. By going to http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/saltwater/where/artificial-reefs/ you can learn the location of hundreds of artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. No Click to enlargeport in America lands more red snapper than Orange Beach. Cut bait, live bait and jigs all produce well on these artificial reefs. At the first Red Snapper World Championship (RSWL) held in Orange Beach in 2004, sport fishermen brought into port more red snapper weighing 20 pounds or over than ever in recorded history. To find big red snapper and plenty of them, you can't beat Orange Beach. You also can enter the RSWC, which starts June 1 and continues until August 1, 2008, to win cash and prizes. To learn more, go to www.redsnapperworldchampionship.com

Honorable Mentions for Red Snapper:

Destin, Florida - At one time, this port homed the most red snapper and grouper of anywhere on the Gulf Coast because of the abundance of natural bottom in this location. Anglers still catch plenty of big red snapper out of Destin.Click to enlarge

Biloxi, Mississippi - From Biloxi, you can motor to the oil and gas rigs offshore where you'll find numbers of big red snapper. By chumming, many times you can get these snapper to come right to the surface and catch them on your fly rod.

Coco Marina, Chauvin, Louisiana - The oil and gas rigs out of this port also produce snapper as well as cobia. If you want to double-down, you can catch limits of both.

The Information You Need for the Best Red Snapper Fishing:

* Orange Beach, AlabamaClick to enlarge
Captain Butch Tucker: (850) 492-9675, (850) 380-3321
Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau (AGCCVB): (800) 745-7263 (SAND), http://www.orangebeach.com/

* Destin, Florida
Action Fishing Charter Service: (850) 837-2028, www.destincharterboats.com
Destin Chamber of Commerce: (850) 837-6241, http://www.destinchamber.com/

* Biloxi, Mississippi
Bobby Carter at the Isle of Capri: (228) 436-7893; 436-4753, http://www.isleofcapricasino.com/
Biloxi Chamber of Commerce: (228) 374-2717, http://www.biloxi.org/index.php

* Coco Marina, Chauvin, Louisiana: (800) 648-2626; (985) 594-6626,  
http://www.cocomarina.com/charter_fish.html

Tomorrow: Offshore Fishing for Grouper


Check back each day this week for more about "Gulf Coast Fishing Guide"

Day 1: Offshore Fishing for Tarpon
Day 2: Offshore Fishing for Red Snapper
Day 3: Offshore Fishing for Grouper
Day 4: Inshore Fishing for Speckled Trout
Day 5: Inshore Fishing for Flounder

 

Entry 456, Day 2