Photos

Red Snapper Season Off The Treasure Coast

Fishing for red snapper in Ft. Pierce during the short season

By Glenn Cameron Jr

Updated: September 18, 2012

After being closed for three years, NOAA Fisheries opened red snapper season for a few weekends in the South Atlantic. I took this opportunity to ride along with my father, Captain Glenn Cameron, on a couple of charters aboard the_ Flo Rider_ in Fort Pierce, Florida. Conditions were a little rough, which deterred the weekend warriors from heading offshore. So we had the whole area to ourselves. First, we headed out to the 120-foot line and got no action. Then, we headed back in to about 90 feet, and the rods were bending almost all day long. Glenn Cameron Jr

First mate Shawn B. and Ashley Sudderth with a little red snapper she just reeled in. The crew referred to these snapper as “genuines.” Glenn Cameron Jr

We caught a few triggerfish during our outing. On the second day, we fried some one up, and it was one of the better-tasting fish I have ever eaten. Glenn Cameron Jr

Capt. Glenn Cameron and Rhonda Roddenberry with a nice red snapper. Glenn Cameron Jr

Often when you pull a bottomfish up from the deep, its air bladder will fill up. When you release these fish, they float on the surface. To help them swim down, we usually poke a small hole in their air bladder to help vent it. Glenn Cameron Jr

On the first day, we caught a few mutton snappers in addition to a lot of other species. Here, Joe Godfried and Shawn show one off. Glenn Cameron Jr

Fort Pierce City Marina at sunrise is a beautiful sight. Glenn Cameron Jr

Two red snappers caught by Bruce Neondros on a chicken rig. Glenn Cameron Jr

We caught an inordinate amount of sea bass. Here, you can see angler Mike Koenig with three on the same line. Glenn Cameron Jr

When the bite got hot, Atlantic sharpenose sharks would move in on us. When this happened the snapper bite would turn off so we would have to move to a different rock. Glenn Cameron Jr

Close-up of a triggerfish. Glenn Cameron Jr

Capt. Glenn Cameron searches for a rock to anchor us up on. Glenn Cameron Jr

The best bite was in 90 to 95 feet of water. Glenn Cameron Jr

Mates work hard all day long. Here, Shawn scrubs the blood and guts off the fish box as we move to a different rock. Glenn Cameron Jr

When you’re bottom fishing there is no telling what you will catch. Here Shawn and Rhonda jokingly show off a lizardfish. Glenn Cameron Jr

Red snapper have many small, sharp teeth. Glenn Cameron Jr

We saw a bunch of bonito, and they made great cut bait for our chicken rigs. Glenn Cameron Jr

Seas were 4 to 6 feet all weekend. Here is one of the few boats we saw during our time on the water. Glenn Cameron Jr

A perfectly hooked red snapper, which are sometimes referred to as “genuines.” Glenn Cameron Jr

View from the bridge. Glenn Cameron Jr

We found a scattered weedline on Saturday. Glenn Cameron Jr

Rhonda fighting a nice size genuine. Glenn Cameron Jr

Rhonda and Shawn with the genuine red snapper. Glenn Cameron Jr

Rhonda hooked up to another fish. Glenn Cameron Jr

Moving to another rock. Glenn Cameron Jr

We used Mustad Ultra Point 6/0 and 7/0 hooks, 6- and 8-ounce weights along with 50-pound Ande fluorocarbon leader. Snapper have good eyesight so fluorocarbon is necessary. There was no current, but if there had been, we would have increased the size of our weights. Glenn Cameron Jr

The bottom rig. Glenn Cameron Jr

Our bait station consisted of a cutting board for our bonito and chopped-up baitfish. We’d chop up some of the baitfish to chum for the snappers. We also had our livewell the cutting station. Glenn Cameron Jr

We had a mixture of everything in our baitwell. Greenies, sardines, blue runners, grunts and pinfish made up the majority. The fish were mainly biting on pinfish and grunt plugs. Glenn Cameron Jr