I can not speak about the fishing before the 60’s, but I can tell you about it from there on. I have fished out of Charleston all my life for a living when I was younger, and for sport now. I will tell you how I see it, taking in account my experince. From the 60’s thru the 90’s their were alot of tall tales, “FISHING STORIES” dont get me wrong, half the fun is in the way the story is told (how long are your arms). I’m sure that was the case in the 40’s and 50’s, as my father and his had alot of tall tales to tell. Some big fish where caught for sure, but on the average that was just not the case. Catching diffrent sizes in varing depth locations with ARS and grouper were and are common. I beleive the population is in good shape right now. All in all we have hurt ourselves a bit, that and the lack of reason and research will close the season.
I haven’t been offshore fishing but a few years, but we still seem to have a good population of grouper and snapper of all sizes in our area. The publicity of the everyone’s catch could be a reason for the possible season closure.
Here’s what I think on all this snapper stuff, and these are just some ideas to explain what everyone is seeing and theorizing…
I had some really good trips earlier this year for red snapper when I targetted them. I was not targetting sows or mules. I was targetting chickens. In December, P1 and I got onto them and caught over a dozen in less than an hour one day. All were legal. In January, we didn’t target them much. In Febuary, I think I had two trips where I pulled up on a spot and I could see ARS on the sonar from the bottom to 20ft up in an area about 100x300ft. In each of those trips, we limited out. The snapper were between 5 and 15 pounds. During the same time period, I was deeper trying to catch bigger grouper, and we caught an 18 or 19# ARS. I think we were not in that deep of water though- only about 140’. All the other I’ve mentioned above were in 100-110’. Again, in March, I went and limited out. And I think I went and did well again in April one afternoon catching 4 or 5 legal ones in just a little bit of fishing and again in May I limited out. In June, we were pulling them up one after the other with some shorts mixed in and I tried to move to get over the bigger portion of the school and the small ledge they were staying over better when I cut my anchor line with the prop- so we only got 5 legals that day. No big ones. There are other times when I’ve caught them this year, but they aren’t as notable as the above trips.
Now, what we heard from the SAFMC on all this is that the smaller snapper are higher in number than in the past 30 years or whatever, but that there are hardly no larger fish in the population. From what I was told growing up, and my own experiences, I know that the larger ARS tend to be in the deeper water, and the smaller ones tend to be in the 80-120’ range. I think I have heard other fishermen say the same.
The other interesting thing to consider in all this is what the SAFMC said their reasoning was in changing the catc
I take inexperienced anglers to nearshore structure and the dredge spoil to fish for bsb with 10# tackle a good bit.During the last 2 trips,I have had to move because we couldn’t get a line through the 13"-17" red snapper(No,they were not silks or vermillions and yes,I know the difference) and were tired of catching them.Earlier this year,I found so many 16"-18" gags on a wreck in 38ft that we moved to find something to keep for dinner.In all cases they were hitting live finger mullet.You know there are alot of fish there when the bsb can’t even get to the bait.I agree that grouper and red snapper are going to become nuisance fish within 2 yrs if a moritorium is enacted.Just like red porgys were 5yrs ago.
I take inexperienced anglers to nearshore structure and the dredge spoil to fish for bsb with 10# tackle a good bit.During the last 2 trips,I have had to move because we couldn’t get a line through the 13"-17" red snapper(No,they were not silks or vermillions and yes,I know the difference) and were tired of catching them.Earlier this year,I found so many 16"-18" gags on a wreck in 38ft that we moved to find something to keep for dinner.In all cases they were hitting live finger mullet.You know there are alot of fish there when the bsb can’t even get to the bait.I agree that grouper and red snapper are going to become nuisance fish within 2 yrs if a moritorium is enacted.Just like red porgys were 5yrs ago.
“Women should be obscene and not heard.”
i consider them a nuisance now, even though they are endangered*
Here’s what I think on all this snapper stuff, and these are just some ideas to explain what everyone is seeing and theorizing…
I had some really good trips earlier this year for red snapper when I targetted them. I was not targetting sows or mules. I was targetting chickens. In December, P1 and I got onto them and caught over a dozen in less than an hour one day. All were legal. In January, we didn’t target them much. In Febuary, I think I had two trips where I pulled up on a spot and I could see ARS on the sonar from the bottom to 20ft up in an area about 100x300ft. In each of those trips, we limited out. The snapper were between 5 and 15 pounds. During the same time period, I was deeper trying to catch bigger grouper, and we caught an 18 or 19# ARS. I think we were not in that deep of water though- only about 140’. All the other I’ve mentioned above were in 100-110’. Again, in March, I went and limited out. And I think I went and did well again in April one afternoon catching 4 or 5 legal ones in just a little bit of fishing and again in May I limited out. In June, we were pulling them up one after the other with some shorts mixed in and I tried to move to get over the bigger portion of the school and the small ledge they were staying over better when I cut my anchor line with the prop- so we only got 5 legals that day. No big ones. There are other times when I’ve caught them this year, but they aren’t as notable as the above trips.
Now, what we heard from the SAFMC on all this is that the smaller snapper are higher in number than in the past 30 years or whatever, but that there are hardly no larger fish in the population. From what I was told growing up, and my own experiences, I know that the larger ARS tend to be in the deeper water, and the smaller ones tend to be in the 80-120’ range. I think I
So basically you’re saying that after figuring out that there aren’t any fish at 4ki, you’ve spent a year or so actually catching snapper, and now you know more than the fine folks over at marmap?
Brilliant!
Did you have an actual argument with any of my opinions or are you just reaching again?
P.S.- there are fish at 4ki. Why else would I fish there?
Here’s what I think on all this snapper stuff, and these are just some ideas to explain what everyone is seeing and theorizing…
I had some really good trips earlier this year for red snapper when I targetted them. I was not targetting sows or mules. I was targetting chickens. In December, P1 and I got onto them and caught over a dozen in less than an hour one day. All were legal. In January, we didn’t target them much. In Febuary, I think I had two trips where I pulled up on a spot and I could see ARS on the sonar from the bottom to 20ft up in an area about 100x300ft. In each of those trips, we limited out. The snapper were between 5 and 15 pounds. During the same time period, I was deeper trying to catch bigger grouper, and we caught an 18 or 19# ARS. I think we were not in that deep of water though- only about 140’. All the other I’ve mentioned above were in 100-110’. Again, in March, I went and limited out. And I think I went and did well again in April one afternoon catching 4 or 5 legal ones in just a little bit of fishing and again in May I limited out. In June, we were pulling them up one after the other with some shorts mixed in and I tried to move to get over the bigger portion of the school and the small ledge they were staying over better when I cut my anchor line with the prop- so we only got 5 legals that day. No big ones. There are other times when I’ve caught them this year, but they aren’t as notable as the above trips.
Now, what we heard from the SAFMC on all this is that the smaller snapper are higher in number than in the past 30 years or whatever, but that there are hardly no larger fish in the population. From what I wa