Jordan already hit the high-lights, troll sucked and glad we had a backup! hit a reef that was covered in cuberra snappers up to 20lbs, didn’t shoot many as the lobster, gags and reds were everywere and not sure about the regs! cooked some tonight along with some hog fish and it was hog fish hands down! read somewere they have the same poison baracudas have when they get large, anybody know for sure? (sells,Phin or skinnieeJ ?) great day on the water with auggie dog, adam, jordan and trifecta eric (he got a 9lb lobster,gag and hog on the same dive)
ALL reef fish can have cigutoxin. It is more prevelant in cudas and AJ’s in tropical climates (coral reef). Cuberas should b e fine here. We have sold plenty of them in the past.
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NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
These are one of those species that’s not that easy to land on hook and line. I’d probably have to spend a day’s worth of fishing to purposefully get one into the boat. More than that would be pretty good luck. They like certain types of rock and coral it seems. Would be interested in hearing what the bottom looked like where you saw a congregation. PM me if you’d like to share.
They come inshore this time of year and are a trick to catch on lighter tackle when they get over 10lb. They will bite and hook up like a 5lb ARS then in an instant feel like a big gag and break you off way off the bottom as you were tricked into fighting them like a small snapper. They bust 80lb leaders and pull hooks pretty easily.
You don’t really know when to do what with them, and I enjoy it when I happen upon them somewhere biting decently. Usually takes a few tries to get one into the bote with my standard setups. Bob can attest to the ridiculous strength they have I’m sure with the two giants they caught. I believe the big one pulled 50lb + of drag for repeated long runs back to the bottom like it was no big deal.
We have caught them 5-15lbs mixed with other stuff. Seems like only this time of year when there are enough congregated in spots where you’ll catch em.
Thease fish were burnt orange in color and had large front fangs.I think mangroves are grey in color small and big.pc down working off phone. Phin give me a call 708-9785,ed
Here’s a pic of one of the Mangroves for your comparison. The only true way to tell is the tooth pattern in the top of the mouth, but if the fish looks like this without a large underbite and much bigger teeth, then your dealing with a Mangrove. They are burnt orange with large fangs (as you can see in the picture) and most that we kill seem to be in the 20 lbs range. Hope that helps with your ID.
I have heard some pretty wild things on this cigutoxin. Leaving fish out and if flies attack it, its safe. I have also heard feeding it to a cat and wait a few hours. Either way it is pretty serious illness.
I didn’t take any pics and ate what I caught.will take some better pics if I can find more this weekend. We won’t dive the same spot for sometime from now. Those patch reefs run from sw. Banks to below Hiltonhead in 100 to150ft. You can dive around here all summer and not dive the same place,at least untill they move shallow in the fall.thanks for the help and will keep y’all updated!
We killed another yesterday. It looks like a cubera snapper based on the tooth patch and eyes. Mangroves have yellow eyes while cubera have red. It could also be a dog snapper. Certainly not a mangrove snapper.
14’ Pamlico 140 Angler w/ rudder
Kayak, SCUBA, or both.
