Author: Absolut Fishing Team
Tips To Catch More South Florida Yellowtail Snapper
Now that summer is here, it’s about time to start fishing for some of our favorite fish, the Yellowtail Snapper.
Chum & They Will Come!
Our favorite method for catching Yellowtails involves anchoring up with A LOT of chum, long and light fluorocarbon leaders and small hooks. We use 20-30 foot long Bullbuster fluorocarbon 20lb if the fish are on the larger size or Bullbuster monofilament in 12lb if the fish are on the smaller size(or being extra finicky)
Current
First, you want to look for a good amount of current. You can test the current by taking a ‘chum ball’(sand and chum mixture) and setting in the water next to the boat with your hand once you anchor up. If it flies out of sight behind the boat quickly, that’s too fast. If it drops straight down, that’s too slow.However, if it drifts back at a knot or so, that’s just right.
Bottom Structure
Second, you’ll need to find a good active bottom with some structure. Cruising between 40-90 feet anywhere along the east coast should produce a reasonable number of spots to anchor up on. Remember to bring your grapnel anchor or you could end up losing an anchor or two.Once you’ve finally set up, hang a chum bag off each side of the boat. You can then begin the throw in a few chum balls. We use 2 mixtures depending on the conditions and area. Both mixtures are about 3/5's chum, 1/5 menhaden oil, and either 1/5 fine sand or 1/5 oats.
Wait Before You Start Fishing, Let Them Get Fired Up
DO NOT THROW ANY LINES IN THE WATER YET. Keep chumming for about 10-15 minutes. Depending on how deep you are, you will either start to see activity behind the boat or your depth finder will start to light up like the 4th of July. After 15 minutes, have one person slide out a bait to see what’s there. You can use nearly any dead bait to catch yellowtail, from bonita chunks to squid to pieces of ballyhoo, it all works. However, our favorite bait is big silversides (whole not cut up). The key is to freeline the bait back behind the boat so the bait is presented naturally in the current. 2 lines fishing is perfect, 3 lines fishing can be a crowd depending on how they’re biting.
Generally speaking, the bigger fish will be in deeper water and the smaller fish will be in shallower water, but as they say,†there aren't any fences!â€. If you don’t start catching yellowtails in the first hour, move spots and continue the process until you find them. Good luck!
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