Lanes are more of a shallow water snapper, which we catch in depths anywhere from 5 to 60ft. Lane snapper are probably one of the smaller types of snapper we get in to. They are fished for with small pieces of bait on small hooks. Yellowtail snappers are definitely a fish to go after if you are looking for some non stop action at the reef. Yellowtail snappers have to be 12 inches to keep, and you can keep up to 10 per angler. They travel in large schools, and usually once you’re in them you can bet on getting close to your limit. Yellowtail snappers will often times come up to the back of the boat and turn the water yellow, because there are so many of them. They are usually caught by anchoring up and chumming them out of their reef environment. Yellowtails live in depths from 20-220 feet. They are the most readily available reef fish that you can get into. Yellowtail snapper are a favorite among the food fish you can catch off Key West. Mutton snapper have to be 16″ to keep, and anglers can keep 10 per person per day. The “mutton spawn” is a favorite among many offshore and reef charter boats, as they are piled up thick on the reefs. Muttons are caught in all times of the year, but are most popular in their spawn in the months of May and June. They eat a range of live bait, artificial jigs, crabs, and squid. Mutton snappers like to live in many different environments, including wrecks, hard sand bottom, and in coral. Muttons are found in mostly deeper depths, like out at the reef, but they are caught in the backcountry and nearshore waters from time to time. Mutton snappers are known for their hard pull, and of course, their amazing dinner table presentation. Mutton snappers are one of the more powerful snappers that we catch fishing Key West. They are still caught year round, regardless of their spawn. The best time to catch mangrove snappers is late July and August, when they are spawning. These snappers are also found in deeper waters, but usually aren’t common in over 120ft. Mangrove snappers have to be 10″ to keep, and anglers are allowed 5 per person. Mangroves like to take the bait and run with it, sometimes without actually getting the hook, so letting them fully munch on your bait is the best way to keep one on. A lot of time my anglers are using small, live pinfish or pieces of cut bait to fish for mangrove snappers. Mangrove snappers like to sniff out their prey for a certain amount of time (depending on how hungry they are) and then they attack. Mangrove snappers are a very intense eaters, as they often times scare people when they are starting to get a bite. They do in fact live up in the mangroves, as well as grass ledges, channels, and around structure in the shallows.
Mangrove snappers (other names: gray snapper, mangos, grovers) are probably one of the most prevalent Key West fish species in the backcountry waters. See all the Florida Saltwater Fishing Regulations here.
The time of year is crucial for being able to effectively target certain types of fish, so definitely check in with your captain to see what’s been biting lately and he can tell you what is going to be most productive for you adventure! This is just a easy list of species broken down into categories for different types of environments depending on the time of year, you can be guided on to any of these species. What kind of Key West fish species are there? Here is a little list of the species of fish that are in the waters surrounding Key West.
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