‘Hot fishing.’ Local angler has tips on where to find snapper in Tampa Bay waters

When July ends many anglers might be wondering what they’ll do to fill a cooler with fish.

Red grouper? Closed.

Gag grouper? Only opening for the beginning half of September.

Red snapper? Closing at the end of July before opening weekends in September.

All three of the Gulf’s most sought-after bottom fish will be closed and bottom fishing offshore probably isn’t worth it for most. Why spend so much money and time offshore when you can’t keep most fish?

But for inshore captains who fish Tampa Bay, August is one of the best times of the year to fill a cooler as mangrove snapper become extremely active in its shallow waters.

“It might be my favorite time to catch a slob and fill a cooler,” said captain Chase Krutzky, who specializes in inshore trips around southern Tampa Bay. “I like to go fill the cooler up with mangrove snapper, maybe get a quick limit then go try getting a big redfish or snook in the bushes. It’s hot fishing in a hot time of the year.”

This year Krutzky started fishing for mangrove snapper in June around ledges and structures of Tampa Bay, rarely going west of the Skyway bridge. Since then, he’s put in many limits of the finicky and tasty swimmer.

“I don’t like to chum too quick, it tends to bring in the mackerel,” Krutzky explained. “I like to start with 15-pound leader, they are very leader-shy. Sometimes we go to 8-pound if they aren’t biting. We use very light-weighted jig heads if the current isn’t strong and hide them in the bait. The less you have showing, the better the chance for a bite.”

Fishing edges of the Tampa Bay shipping channel, snapper are good at hiding in structures and waiting for the perfect presentation. Big ledges, rock piles, wrecks and artificial reefs provide the perfect home for the bottom dweller. When they are active and feeding, mangrove snapper will rise in the water column, meaning light jig heads work well for a natural presentation.

“A lot of the time you can see them coming up on the fish finder. If they stay down we might fish a heavier jig head or bottom rig,” said Krutzky. “You got to be ready to mix it up and try different things to find what works that day.”

For bait, Krutzky likes live bait or fresh dead. Some days the small hatchling bait that has taken over makes great chum and is what the snapper prefer. “Matching the hatch” or cutting up bigger baits is effective.

“Snapper fishing will be great until it cools down later in the fall. This is a great time to get dinner for the table without running way offshore. Then being able to go pull on some snook and redfish makes for a fun trip,” Krutzky said.

While August may be a bad time to head offshore, it doesn’t mean fishing won’t be good. A cooler full of fish can be had without even heading to Gulf of Mexico waters.

Mangrove snapper in Gulf state waters have a 10-inch minimum size and a five per harvester per day limit.