2015 Red Snapper Season is OPEN!

    Today the state of Florida kicked off their 2015 Red Snapper Season stretching up to 9 miles from the pristine sugar sand beaches and clear emerald green waters abundant with Red Snapper. Red Snapper is one of the most popular sought after fish along the Gulf Coast. These tasty morsels are a prized dish in many of the local restaurants. Most of our customers take their fresh catch of the day to a local restaurant where they will cook your Red Snapper to your liking or take the chefs recommendation for the best experience. Be sure to ask your captain which restaurant he favors the most and take advantage of what the local Gulf Coast has to offer. In the meanwhile you can check out a few of these awesome Red Snapper Recipes that will make your mouth water!

Red Snapper is low in saturated fat, sodium & is a very good source of protein.

Servings: 1
Serving Weight: 100 g (raw)
Calories: 100
Protein: 20.51 g
Fat: 1.34 g
Saturated fatty acids: 0.285 g
Carbohydrate: 0 g
Sugars: 0 g
Fiber: dietary 0 g
Cholesterol: 37 mg
Selenium: 38.2 mcg
Sodium: 64 mg

 

Florida Red Snapper Fishing Season

Opens = May 23rd – July 12th
Re-Opens = Sept 5th – Oct 31st on Sat & Sun only
Bonus Opens = Labor Day & Nov 1st
Size minimum is 16 inches TL (total length).
Bag Limits 2 (two) fish per person.
(Captain and crew are excluded from count)
Information Source:Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

 

 

Red Snapper can grow up to somewhere around 40 inches in length. They can weigh in excess of 50 lbs or more and amazingly enough live past the ripe old age of 50 years! Red Snapper start laying eggs as soon as 2 years old roughly starting around May lasting through October mostly around artificial reefs, oil rigs, or a rocky area. One the eggs are fertilized by the male counterparts, the eggs will float to the surface and hatch in the shallow waters. Roughly one month later the young Red Snappers will seek refuge along the typical reef habitat in deeper waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

 

Red Snapper is scientifically known as Lutjanus campechanus, however, can be also called Genuine Snapper, American Reds, or even Spot Snapper. They have canine like teeth that gives them the name snapper. Red snapper are generally found at depths between 30 and 620 feet deep waters. They can be found all along the east Atlantic coast from as far north as the Carolinas all the way to the Florida Keys. Where they are most abundant at is in the gulf of mexico. Red Snapper are reef fish. Alabama and Florida have the largest artificial reef system in the whole world. It covers 100’s of square miles that range from a retired US Navy aircraft carrier (Oriskany) to over 100 armored tanks, cars, boats, and concrete structures specifically made to give reef fish a excellent habitat to thrive!

 

 

Making reefs with hollow concrete modules has been especially successful. Called reef balls, these structures are pierced with holes and range in height up to 2.5 metres. The design is promoted by the Reef Ball Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Athens, Georgia. Reef balls can be positioned to make the most of photosynthesis and for plankton to drift slowly across their curved inner surface. This improves the nourishment of plants and creatures setting up home within. A hole in the top reduces the chance of them being moved about by storm currents.

 

Concrete used to make a reef ball is mixed with microsilica, a silicon-dioxide powder, to strengthen the material and lower its acidity level to be more organism-friendly. The balls are cast from fibreglass moulds, which are typically sprayed with a sugary solution before the concrete is poured. This creates tiny hollows which provide a foothold for larval corals. Over 500,000 reef balls have been placed in the waters of more than 60 countries, and each one should last for some 500 years, says the foundation.

 

The value of artificial reefs has been boosted by the spread of GPS devices and sophisticated sonars on boats. This allows us to locate the subsea structures precisely. It is necessary to be directly above the reef to reel in more fish, says David Walter of Walter Marine, an Alabama company that used to sink vehicles for fishermen but now places pyramid-shaped, hurricane-resistant steel, concrete and limestone structures to create artificial reefs. These constructions can cost nearly $2,000, but many fishermen consider them to be a good investment, especially to catch red snapper.

 

In the Gulf of Mexico, hook and line fishermen like us are required to use circle hooks and dehooking devices to improve the chance of survival of any unintentionally caught fish. We’re also encouraged to use venting tools when necessary. When reef fish are brought quickly to the surface by hook and line, the gas in their swim bladder can overexpand. Venting tools disclaimer help deflate the abdominal cavity, preventing serious injury to the fish. This also helps the fish descend after being released.

 

A excellent source of additional Red Snapper information can be found here: NOAA-FishWatch: Red Snapper

 

You can RSVP your Nearshore Reef Fishing Charter for only a small 15% deposit of our lowest $399 price for the first angler and $49 each additional angler that last for 4 hours.  If mother nature has not started calling your name to a restroom by then, feel free to extend your nearshore Red Snapper fishing Charter for only $99 per hour paid directly to your captain the day of your trip.

 

Call Orange Beach Fishing Charter Docks today!

251-265-1122

Let’s go Reef Fishing for Red Snapper!