went offshore last weekend and couldn't make it out to where we wanted to go due to a storm so we only fished 25 miles out but we caught some snapper that we were not sure what exact type they were. To play it safe we didn't keep any. They were around 15" and had red vertical stripes with a black dot on each side just a bit bigger than a quarter. Looked like a lane but no yellow on them just red stripes and dot on each side. All the snapper I have seen in the past where pure red with no stripes. Any clue?

could have been mangrove snapper. They are red and black in color. Very good eating!

I'd bet they were juvenile red snapper ... just looked at some photos from a Galveston trip a couple years ago and the undersized red snapper we were CPR'ing had vertical red striping with the black spot you describe.

Do you recall what color the eyes were? I know, you probably didn't notice, but if they had red eyes, then certainly red snapper - if yellow eyes, then possibly other types.

Juvinal is what i was thinking. Looking at a fish identification book it did say that snapper under 10" will have the dot and stripes but these were atleast 15". Cant remeber on the eyes but will look next time. Thks.

I vote red snap. I bet the were red with pinkish stripes and the dot was deep red and not to well defined. I was thinking the same thing about the Lane until we put them side by side.

Well, if you aren't sure what you've caught, it's always a safe bet to toss 'em back. Ask the guy with a stringer full of 14" 'channel catfish' that turn out to be flatheads when the GW checks him out ...

Do try to get a couple photos next time & you'll have someone on here give a positive ID

I would agree with Zeek in that it was a Juvinal red snapper. I have made that mistake before and the warden did not ticket me, just gave me a warning. Now I have a good water proof id book that I always take with me.

The mangrove snapper are totally different than a red and should be easily recognizable. They are dark red, kind of like a brick red, the color goes from an almost black at the top to a brighter red by the belly. Great eating though.

Zeek, read my first post.

"To play it safe we didn't keep any."

thanks!

FZ, I saw that in your post - just reinforcing what you'd done right!