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John's Journal... Entry 190, Day 5

SNAPPER, GROUPER, AMBERJACK AND KINGFISH OFF LOUISIANA'S GULF COAST

Catching Big Louisiana Snapper

EDITOR'S NOTE: Charlie McGinn is a good friend of Richard Harris and has been a snapper fisherman for six years. He's also a tournament king mackerel fisherman and has learned the secrets to finding and taking big snapper, grouper, amberjack and king mackerel.

Question: What is an average day of snapper fishing for you?
McGinn: Normally we average about 150 pounds a trip. We usually take four people on a trip, and the snapper will range from 2- to 20-pounds each. I try to catch the biggest one in the water, but our snapper will weigh about 5-pounds each on the average. Commercial fishermen will catch about 450 pounds in one day.

Question: What is the secret to catching really big snapper?
McGinn: We catch big snapper while free lining. I run 60-pound-test Green Ande line with an 80-pound Green Ande leader. A lot of people believe that the bigger fish hang on the bottom closer to the structure. We normally throw some chum in the water and then we just free line it. We put half a pogie on a hook and let it drift down with the chum, which is called free lining. We catch a lot of our bigger fish this way.

Question: When you're free lining, do you still have to break a snapper away from structure?
McGinn: Yes, sir. When a snapper hits, its first instinct is to run to a structure or a rig. So you have to muscle a snapper a little bit to let the fish know that you're in control. If you let a snapper run, it'll get in the structure. If you fish in 60 feet of water, and you catch it 15 feet below the boat, it'll make an initial run of 15 to 20 yards.

The best technique I've learned for stopping big snapper is a side-to-side motion alongside the boat. Once you turn its head, you change its momentum and gain some ground. The key is turning the snapper's head. When I feel a snapper's head turn, I start reeling it in to the boat. I reel when it pulls off drag because as soon as it gives me a chance to gain some ground, I want it. If I stop reeling, and the snapper turns and stops, I won't gain ground if I'm not reeling. It's frustrating to sit there and turn the reel and watch it not spin at all. However, once you gain some ground on the snapper, try to keep its head in the water so it doesn't spit out the hook. You just want that snapper to lie on its side.

Question: Where do you find your biggest snapper?
McGinn: Early in the year, I find them in about 60 feet of water. Toward late summer and early fall, I'll locate the bigger snapper out in about 90 to 120 feet of water. We generally fish around a lot of rubble, structure and concrete. I fish the modules, which are debris from Hurricane Camille, and some man-made modules, which are old buildings.

The big snapper hold on the rigs. Anything sticking out of the water is being fished because we have so many anglers on the Gulf Coast who know they can go tie up to a rig and try and catch fish there. I prefer to fish underneath the water structure because it isn't fished as often and holds bigger fish.

Question: What is the secret to catching gray snapper (mangrove)?
McGinn: Catching gray snapper is a bonus. I don't have a secret. It is just like a grouper for this area. If you come across them, you have more fish you get to bring home. You can't plan to fish for mangrove, you just can't do it. It is hit and miss.

Question: What is the biggest mangrove snapper you've ever caught?
McGinn: Actually, I missed the state record by about 4 ounces. It was right at 14.6 pounds. My biggest red snapper weighed 28.6 pounds.

Question: If you specifically go after snapper, how many could you catch that weigh 20 pounds or more?
McGinn: That depends on the time of the year. The best time to fish is after a light storm moves through the area. After Hurricane George came through, we went out and caught 400 pounds of sows. The smallest fish we had weighed 18 pounds. The biggest one weighed 29 pounds. We probably had somewhere around 40 fish that day.

Question: If you could pick a day to go big snapper fishing, what would the day be like?
McGinn: I like an early summer day right after a small storm comes through, which pushes the fish in closer. I fish the modules 8 miles past the islands. I catch a lot of my bigger fish there -- that would be the ideal situation for me.

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about SNAPPER, GROUPER, AMBERJACK AND KINGFISH OFF LOUISIANA'S GULF COAST ...

Day 1 - Louisiana's Snapper
Day 2 - Targeting Grouper
Day 3 - Fishing For Kings
Day 4 - Fishing Rigs For Amberjack
Day 5 - Catching Big Louisiana Snapper


John's Journal