Fishing For Snapper in Key West

Key West snapper fishing is great fun AND they're delicious to eat !!. There are around 100 species of snapper, of which 4 or 5 are very common in the Key West area. With the different species ranging in weight from the smallest lane snapper to the largest mutton snapper they're all ideal targets for a light tackle enthusiast.

Yellowtail Sapper such as this one can be caught on a variety of small bait. Tiny pilchards, little pieces of bonito and even Gulp artificial crab as can be seen from this picture

Snapper are in residence around Key West from spring right through to the fall and spring / early summer sees vast numbers of yellowtails congregating on the Atlantic reef a few miles offshore from Key West. Fishing for them with a light spinning outfit, small hook and a tiny piece of bonito or a tiny fish is great fun and a perfect day out for the total beginner as well as the experienced angler.

If you're fishing for the yellowtail snapper on the reef it won't be long before one of your prized catch is seized by a "toothy critter" from the deep. These huge shoals of yellowtails attract plenty of predators and you're very likely to hook a barracuda, kingfish, grouper or even a small shark whilst reeling in a yellowtail. It all adds to the excitement of the day and anybody that succeeds in landing one of these marauders will surely win the angler of the day award.

This Mutton Snapper was caught in 100 ft of water beside a small wreck. They are one of the tastiest fish in the ocean.

Mutton snapper are much larger than the other varieties of snapper found around Key West. They can be caught in both the Atlantic and the Gulf and although they're often found hanging around wrecks, they inhabit lots of areas and we've seen them caught in the entrance to the harbor whilst fishing for tarpon.