“Remember, the reefs don’t change but the fish do. Some of the reefs will be depleted of snapper, but when you find a reef that holds good fish, mark it on your sonar machine,” Serra said. It will take a little exploring and looking. There are hundreds of reefs offshore that Alabama has put down. “Go online and look up Alabama State Public Fishing Reefs. Serra laughed and said, “Just look for the charter boats!” A small dash of color appeared in the clear Gulf water far below me, and then as I brought the fish farther upward, the color, a deep, brilliant red began to become obvious.Ī big red snapper hooked high in the water column will fight hard all the way.

This was not easy.Īfter a few minutes of silent physical argument, I began to work the stubborn fish upward. My reel’s drag complained, and my rod bent even farther over, and I had to apply pressure with my soon to be blistered thumb to slow the hooked fish down and keep it up out of the structure on the bottom. And whatever had taken my bait did not want to come up to be seen on the surface.

My line came tight and my rod bent way over when the bait had gone down only forty feet. Red snapper fishing requires some proper rigging and some correct technique in order for anglers to fully enjoy this wonderful fish and this amazing fishery we have on the northern Gulf Coast.Īlthough the artificial reef is something over a hundred feet below us, the lively pinfish I had put on my circle hook never made it down that hundred or so feet. Red Snapper Fishing Fundamentals and Keys for Success