UTER
Photo: Fernando Mistrorigo de Almeida, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Etelis oculatus
How to catch Queen snapper in Florida
Queen snapper feed in 48–64°F water and bite best at 50–60°F.
60 pts · trophy at 30"Feeds 48–64°FBest 50–60°FIn season nowLedge / hard bottom
About
The scarlet, huge-eyed, forked-tail snapper of the deep — 600 to 1,200 feet off the Keys and Palm Beach — the prettiest fish that comes up a deep-drop line and among the best to eat.
How to fish it
Deep-drop rig, four to six pounds of lead, squid and cut bait, on the steep drop-offs beyond 600 feet. An electric reel, and a long ride to the bottom.
What it eats
squidcut bait
Live bait for it
SquidStrips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig.What to fish it with
the sizes that fish itLeader80–150 lb mono
Hook8/0–14/0
Braid65–100 lb
The rule
not confirmed hereWithin the snapper aggregate — confirm at MyFWC.
The current rule at MyFWC →Month by month, water by water
When queen snapper is the story
The Ten Thousand Islands & Everglades
JFMAMJJASOND
The Florida Keys
JFMAMJJASOND
Miami & Biscayne Bay
JFMAMJJASOND
Palm Beach & the Treasure Coast
JFMAMJJASOND