• Articles Sponsor

  • T-Shirts Available!

  • How to Catch Red Snapper

    Captain Judy’s Old School Genuine Red Snapper Techniques!

    I know the first question on your mind is going to be...is a good time to target genuine red snapper? What the best bait? Just about any generic bait loaded on your hook that is lowered in the water over most live bottom areas at the Savannah Snapper Banks is going to this catching job done. What is generic bait when it comes to red snapper fishing? Just to name a few: squid (whole/cut), fish fillets, fish steaks, cigar minnows (dead, alive, parts or pieces), Spanish sardines (dead, alive, parts, or pieces), and menhaden, (dead or alive parts or pieces) and for those that want to use live bait I suggest: vermilion snapper, ruby red lips, sand perch, rock bass, and etc. A great old school bait is butter-flied bait!




    Captain Ryan Howard of Miss Judy Charters is showing us his signature butter-fly genuine red snapper/grouper vermilion snapper bait. This bait works great on a single hook Carolina style rig, which should be sporting about a 10 foot (80 to 100 pounds) monofilament leader. We always use an 8 ounce egg sinker! The best way to serve this bait up is to drop the sinker to the bottom and then reel up about 6 to 8 feet. This allows your long leader with bait attached to flow in the current above the bottom. And what feeds side to side and up off the bottom? Well, you guessed right GENUINE RED SNAPPER!


    The secret is to match the hatch. Which reminds me of an old saying that my father passed down to me and that would be “The bigger the bait the bigger this fish!” Believe me in the red snapper catching case, this is true!

    Want to catch and get to keep genuine red snapper? READ THIS!!


    We all have been waiting for the genuine red snapper opening and now its official!
    Recreational fishermen may harvest red snapper in federal waters (from 3 to 200 nautical miles) November 3rd through 5th and November 10th through 12th. The recreational bag limit is 1 fish per person/day and there is no minimum size limit.

    Attachment 15705


    Captain Kathy Brown!
    Now, there’s all that’s left to say, “Your boat or ours!”


    http://www.safmc.net/ (for all the details)

    Attachment 15706

    Captain Ken Kennickell and Captain Deidra Helmey Jeffcoat of Miss Judy Charters with two very nice genuine red snapper!


    Recreational fishermen may harvest red snapper in federal waters (from 3 to 200 nautical miles) November 3rd through 5th and November 10th through 12th 2017. The recreational bag limit is 1 fish per person/day and there is no minimum size limit.

    Here’s you go straight from the horse’s mouth.....


    South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Request for Red Snapper Season in 2017 has been approved!
    NOAA Fisheries announces red snapper recreational mini-season and commercial catch limits


    At the request of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and working closely with NOAA Fisheries, an interim annual catch limit has been approved that will open the red snapper fishery to limited harvest in 2017. NOAA Fisheries announced today that the red snapper recreational fishery in the South Atlantic region will open for two consecutive 3-day weekends beginning November 3rd. Recreational fishermen may harvest red snapper in federal waters (from 3 to 200 nautical miles) November 3rd through 5th and November 10th through 12th. The recreational bag limit is 1 fish per person/day and there is no minimum size limit. The commercial fishery will open November 2nd with a 75-pound (gutted weight) trip limit and no minimum size limit. Commercial trip limits are limits on the amount of the applicable species that may be possessed on board or landed, purchased, or sold from a vessel per day.


    “We sincerely appreciate the decision by the Secretary of Commerce to allow limited harvest of red snapper this year,” said Council Chair Charlie Phillips. “Approving the Council’s request for an interim catch limit for 2017 will allow fishermen limited access to the resource as the stock continues to rebuild, provide an economic boost to fishing communities impacted by Hurricane Irma, and present an opportunity for data to be collected from both recreational and commercial fishermen.” The 2017 red snapper season is based on the approved interim annual catch limit of 42,510 fish. The recreational sector is allocated 71.93% of the total annual catch limit.


    During the open red snapper season, state marine resource agency personnel will be conducting surveys at various locations and collecting samples from fishermen. Anglers are encouraged to cooperate with samplers and to provide carcasses (after fillets have been removed) for data collection.


    Fishermen are also urged to use best fishing practices to minimize the number of released red snapper and help improve the likelihood that released fish will survive. “The red snapper fishery has remained closed since 2014 because mortality estimates of the number of released fish exceeded the annual catch limit,” explained Captain Mark Brown, Council Vice-Chair and a full-time charter captain based in Mt. Pleasant, SC. “It is imperative that we use best practices. The key to having future access to red snapper lies in reducing the mortality of fish that are released.”






    Best Practices
    http://www.safmc.net/
    Once you have met your red snapper bag limit, move away from areas likely to have red snapper. If you are approaching your vessel limit, move to a different area. When red snapper are out of season avoid areas where they are common.
    • Use single hook rigs - since the bag limit is 1 per person, this potentially reduces the number of red snapper caught on one drop.
    • If you catch a red snapper and plan to release the fish, keep the fish in the water as you remove the hook and return the fish back to the water as quickly as possible. Tips on how to use a dehooking device. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6b6IFaXP-E
    • Recognize signs of barotrauma: bulging eyes, stomach protruding from mouth, distended intestines, bloated belly. Information on signs of barotrauma.
    http://safmc.net/electronic-reportin...per-reporting/
    • Use descending devices if releasing fish with barotrauma. There are a variety of devices available. Different types of descending devices and their use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyaxVhRmcDw&t=2m37s










    Captain Kathy Brown and Captain Ryan Howard of Miss Judy Charters!



    What do we have here? A Miss Judy Charters genuine red snapper catching team! Captain Ryan Howard, Captain Kathy Brown, Captain Steve “Triple Trouble” Howell, and Captain Judy Helmey!

    Long time inshore and offshore fisherman and friend Christopher Miller is holding up a nice genuine red snapper!



    New Pilot Program for Recreational Reporting
    Recreational anglers will have the opportunity to report individually about their red snapper fishing trips via a voluntary pilot program being tested for the first time as the red snapper mini-season opens. MyFishCount.com
    ( https://www.myfishcount.com/)is a new web portal that allows anglers to report their catches using photos to document lengths, as well as depths fish are caught, release techniques, hook type, and other information. Anglers are encouraged to register online and to take photos and keep written records of the information while offshore.

    Additional information on this pilot program as well as other items of interest for the upcoming red snapper season is available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/electronic-reporting-projects/red-snapper-reporting. (http://safmc.net/electronic-reportin...per-reporting/)