Snapper

by Raymond Munoz, Capt. Jax

It is now August and it is legal to harvest Florida spiny lobster. While most people can’t wait to sink their teeth into the lobster. I can’t wait to put two 16/0 hooks into them and try to catch the strongest pound for pound sh in ocean, the cubera snapper! Anybody who has shed mangrove snapper knows that 2-3 lb. mangrove ghts like hell, so just imagine ghting a 40 to 80 pound mangrove snapper. is type of shing for me takes 2 nights. e rst night we go and catch the lobster. We normally bring 24 to 30 lobsters for this trip depending on how many anglers we have. e reason for bringing so many is that the sharks also love eating our lobsters while we are shing for cubera. OK so now we have our bait, It’s time to get our tackle ready. We only use 80 size reels, our choice is the Shimano Talica 80 spooled up with 80 pound braid. We use these giant reels, so we have enough power and speed to get them up as soon as possible before they get sharked. e size of the sinker depends on the current. e rig is 15-20 of 200 lb. mono leader with a crimped stinger rig of two 16/0 hooks. e lead is a 32 ounce bank sinker attached to the rig with a rubber band at the top of the leader where it meets the main line.

To rig the lobster, push the rst hook on the stinger rig through the bottom of the tail so that it protrudes out the top of the tail shell. en secure the second hook on the back part of the antenna with a zip tie. We drop the bait all the way to the bottom and then raise it 20-30 o the oor. When you get hit it will feel like you hooked a freight train. You have got about 20 seconds to turn him before he gets into the wreck and breaks you o . Once you get him up to the boat cross your ngers, usually the sharks are brutal. When you see the sinker, secure it and the leader. You will have to hand line the sh the rest of the way up as the large crimps won’t t through the eyes of the rod. Have the ga ready.

Cubera can be targeted inshore too, although the sh are typically smaller, usually from 8 to 12 lbs. you will nd them on rocks and jetties and heavy structure. We normally sh for them on an incoming tide and mostly with pin sh and crabs.

If anyone would like to target these monster sh, contact my good friend Mike Milz at M&M Charters at (786) 525-9269 or on Instagram @captmikemilz

786.300.5362