Red snapper fishing off of Anna Maria Island landed a rainbow runner for this angler
With the birthday of America coming this week, I’d argue there is no fish more patriotic than red snapper.
In fact, its commonly used abbreviation, ARS, is for American red snapper, which is what the seafood industry often refers to it as. Their season coincides with summer months and red-hot temperatures around the Independence Day holiday, with anglers heading to the deep blue for white meat.
Red, white and blue.
But opening weekend starting on June 16 would have left most anglers feeling green. It was rough. So when the second weekend of snapper season rolled around and winds finally calmed down, many headed west, me included.
I joined Jay Travis, Tony Summers, Gil McSwain and Travis’ son Cayson on Saturday, June 24. After prolonged onshore waves, we figured the morning swell would be high, and it was as we cleared Bean Point heading to the west.
The plan was to start shallower, around 120 feet, and work deeper to 200 feet if the weather allowed.
The first stop in 120 feet found some hungry fish but also quite a few break-offs from gag grouper. A couple red snapper of legal size were caught and a red grouper as well.
A push further west found more legal-sized red snapper, getting us close to a two-per-person limit. After a check of a sunken sailboat that was mysteriously devoid of fish, we made a stop around 150 feet that was loaded with red grouper and produced one after another for a quick five-man limit.
We then bounced around to different spots, finding another stack of red snapper with a lone mangrove snapper mixed in. Once the red snapper limit was reached, we collectively wanted to run to deeper, bigger bottom for hopeful yellowtail snapper and mangrove snapper.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the stop in 180 feet, sharks and barracuda were so aggressive, it made reeling anything up from the bottom nearly impossible and most flatline baits were cut off.
Our chum line was flowing and I thought what I saw were yellowtail snapper below. Tuna were free jumping around the boat, and we kept hope despite the lack of results. Finally, a flatline with a pinfish started to scream and I grabbed the rod. It felt like a tuna with hard strong runs along the surface and violent head shakes in an attempt to throw the hook.
As the fish got closer, the clear water showed something unique. A rainbow runner, and a giant one at that. Travis netted the catch and I held up my prize for a picture. We had all heard of their table quality but not experienced it, so it was added to the box.
When filleting the exotic rainbow runner, I noted the meat looked very similar to tuna. Upon cooking, it had a similar result with a quick sear leaving the inside mostly uncooked like we prefer tuna.
It was delicious. Another beautiful day in the Gulf of Mexico with stories for the future.
For those wanting to head offshore for red snapper, the consensus is that the majority of legal-sized fish went deep, beyond 150 feet, and fishing shallower has had mixed results. Spots that held them a month ago might be completely different.
When you find a school, it is easy to get a limit of them with the 16-inch size minimum and they are congregating en masse, it’s just a matter of locating them. Natural bottom seems to be better, and look for big shows of fish.
