Catching red snapper in Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island is a barrier island located directly south of Mobile, AL on the Gulf Coast. With a short boat ride one can find them selves in 50Ft of water surrounded by wrecks, Natural Gas Rigs and artificial reefs placed in state waters. These are just a few reasons that Coastal Alabama is considered by many to be the red snapper capitol of the world. With that being said, let’s dive in.
Where to catch red snapper in Dauphin Island
Off dauphin island, there are banks of deep water commonly known as “the snapper bank”, which is located 28-35 miles offshore. Red snapper are mostly attracted to sunken ships, artificial reefs and Natural Gas Platforms. oil platforms. The state of Alabama has done a suburb in stocking our waters with an artificial reef system. While Red snapper also can be found around rock piles as well as ledges or coral heads, its these artificial reefs that tend to hold the most fish. Check out this link for public information on where those reefs are located. Keep in mind they do move during strong storms such as hurricanes and tropical storms.
This link includes more details about where to catch red snapper in Dauphin Island.
Red snapper rigs to use in Dauphin Island
When targeting red snapper in Dauphin Island, you can use knocker rigs with 2-ounce weight, three-way swivels, and in-line snapper rigs with circle hooks. When fishing in deeper water with strong current, it’s more beneficial to use a 6-10 ounce sinker with a swivel that’s 4-8 feet attached to a tandem circle hook. Not to mention, you can use lighter weight to work your way to the bottom where red snapper can chase bait as it moves in the current. Keep in mind, when rigging a red fishing rig, you can use a 11/0 Mustad circle hook to hook into the bottom of the bait’s mouth and out the top, to keep the bait secure when red snapper bites.
Methods of catching red snapper in dauphin island
In Dauphin Island, there are multiple methods that can be used to catch red snapper including tossing chum into the water, or putting cut bait into a bucket with small holes in the bottom, and hanging it over the boat to attract red snapper to the surface, for an easier catch. You can also use J-hooks, bait hooks, and jigs with live bait such as cigar minnows, squid, pinfish, pogies or shrimp when attempting to catch red snapper in Dauphin Island. As a matter of fact, when using live bait, it’s effective to have the hook near the end of the bait for a secure catch. Moist of my most fun red snapper trips involve chumming them up to the top of the water column and pitching them a live bait in lighter tackle. It’s not the easiest method but its is very fun and rewarding. Once you get good at it you can just about pick out your fish like a lobster at the supermarket.
To sum up, red snapper can be caught on dauphin island with different methods, rigs and locations. Keeping in mind, the rules and regulations that may vary when fishing in Dauphin Island. Live baits such as squid, pogies, or cigar minnows are the most beneficial when attempting to catch red snapper. Another key point is to remember what rigs local fishermen are using and certain hotspots to hit. While the state does announce the season dates each year they are subject to change. The Alabama red snapper season typically consist of the mid summer months. If this sound like something you want to try, and possibly catch a big red snapper in Dauphin Island, call us today!
