UTERRed snapper fishing in Mississippi & Alabama Coast
In Mississippi & Alabama Coast, red snapper peak May–August and are around year-round, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. May: The Alabama reef zone is the red snapper capital — season opens late spring. Check ADCNR.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Red snapper in Mississippi & Alabama Coast, month by month
- JanuaryAround
- FebruaryAround
- MarchAround
- AprilAround
- MayPeakThe Alabama reef zone is the red snapper capital — season opens late spring. Check ADCNR.
- JunePeakSnapper on the reefs, trout on the islands. Cigar minnows on the reefs; live shrimp on the island grass beds.
- JulyPeakThousands of artificial reefs off Orange Beach; cigar minnows or squid.
- AugustPeak
- SeptemberAround
- OctoberAround
- NovemberAround
- DecemberAround
Where to fish red snapper near Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi
The Mississippi Sound behind Cat, Ship, Horn and Petit Bois islands, the Biloxi Marsh to the west, Mobile Bay and the Mobile–Tensaw Delta, the Dauphin Island bridge and causeway, Perdido Bay and the Alabama beaches — with the world's biggest artificial-reef zone just offshore of Orange Beach.
Fish Scouter charts 1,918 artificial reef, 502 wreck, 44 ledge / hard bottom spots in the Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay map area — the kinds red snapper hold on.
What to use for red snapper
- Cigar minnowsNose-hooked on a stinger rig for kings, or a 4/0 circle hook dropped to the bottom for grouper.
- PinfishHooked through the back ahead of the dorsal on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook; the small ones free-lined, the big ones on a fish-finder rig.
- Threadfin herring (greenbacks)Nose-hooked on a circle hook and free-lined, or slow-trolled. Fragile — handle them wet and fast.
- SquidStrips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig.
- Leader30–60 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook2/0–7/0
- Braid30–65 lb
Feeds in 64–84°F water, best at 70–80°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch red snapper in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Peak season is May–August. Red snapper are here year-round. May: The Alabama reef zone is the red snapper capital — season opens late spring. Check ADCNR.
Where do red snapper hold in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Look on artificial reef, wreck — around Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Dauphin Island.
What is the best bait for red snapper in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Live bait: cigar minnows, pinfish, threadfin herring (greenbacks), squid. Cigar minnows: Nose-hooked on a stinger rig for kings, or a 4/0 circle hook dropped to the bottom for grouper. Tackle: leader 30–60 lb fluorocarbon, hook 2/0–7/0, braid 30–65 lb.
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All about red snapper · Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay, the whole year