Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove Snapper are usually shaded mostly reddish-brown, to coppery-red over most of their body area, with their stomach area being cream to bone-white in color. They have upper and lower canine teeth, that resemble fangs like a vampire has, and when removing a hook or lure from their mouths an angler would be very wise to use a metal hook extractor, because these sharp vampire looking teeth can inflict a very nasty bite.
Mangrove Snapper can grow to be pretty hefty, with adults being caught that weigh over 15 lbs, and a foot long. They have a meat that is very pleasant tasting and are a real favorite fish to catch and eat by many anglers.
As their name implies, one of the favorite places these fish like to hang out at is around the mangrove roots, but they also will congregate near all kinds of other structures and submerged debris, such as, bridge pilings, docks, piers, large rocks, shipwrecks
When fishing for Mangrove Snapper be advised that they can put up a heck of a battle when hooked, and often they will immediately head towards some nearby structure or other such debris, where you line may become entangled and break if you are not careful, and if you do manage to get them reeled in, remember those sharp teeth when you go to remove the hook or lure.
When bait fishing for Mangrove Snapper you will need to use a jig head or some type of sinker to get and keep your bait at the depths where they are, near the structure and debris. Some popular baits for Mangrove Snapper are live, small bait fish that are naturally found in their dwelling area, also very effective are live shrimp and crabs.
The same baits may also be used when they are dead, by cutting them into small pieces or chunks, although they do not seem to work quite as good as live bait. When fishing for Mangrove Snapper using lures, the best for catching them seems to be a jig with a white head, and a white and red colored skirt, and some anglers say you can even make the jig more effective by adding a small chunk of bait fish or shrimp hooked to it.
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