Another member of the grouper family and quite familar to those snapper fish any amount at
all. Little wonder with all the sub-species one can encounter while searching for those
delicious red snapper, that even those not on the wish list are still great tasting, it is
such a popular offshore fishing pastime. Inhabiting much the same regions as his close
cousins the grouper and those of the snapper family. Such as offshore structure like shell
banks, shipwrecks, and oil platforms. Their unique quality of protuding their stomachs
once reaching the surface due to change in pressure is a common site among offshore
anglers. With the most common size being in the 5 pounds or less, some in the double
digits are not that uncommon. And since this by product of snapper fishing is just as
great tasting as the original wish list quarry. Pulling in a few of these during the trip
doesn't get the anglers quite as upset as say hauling the occasional spadefish or some
other unwanted species. Best baits include small fish or crustaceans, including shrimp.
And can put a decent fight for awhile until the change in pressure gets to them...
State Records: 23 pounds
Offshore Port Aransas Decemver 31, 1980
Rudy Luna
World Record: 28 Pounds
Port Canaveral, December 30, 1991
Charles West