We caught a few Mangrove Snaps off the Port A public ramp fishing for piggies with shrimp chunks.

Also a few off the South Jetty but nothing over 2# ..them little critters do put up a fight and do like to bite.

Bazz

Dude i dont post here very often, but that is not a cubera or dog snapper. It is a grey or mangrove snapper. I am not a marine biologist but , i do know that it is not impossible to catch a cubera here but almost. The only way to tell the difference is in the teeth pattern. I dont think you were there with Keith when he caught it to tell the tooth pattern. If we were in south america i would say a cubera.

http://www.fishsanibel.com/fish/lutjanidae.htm

This site might help you identify the kind of snapper you are looking at. I used it to identify the Queen Snapper I caught out of Freeport 2 years back. Hope this helps.

AWESUM, Keep posting but next time make sure you know what you are talking about. The fish in the pic above is deff. a Mangrove. I have caught litterally hundreds of them and have spent many many many hours cleaning them, more than I would have liked to have spent. At first, I too thought they were possibly a DogSnapper but after doing some research, found out that it is a Mangrove and they are very abundant near shore and offshore near structure. A dog snapper will usually have some blue on the face, whether it is dots or a bunch of dots strung together to form a blue line. Dogs also tend to have a bar on their face that is lighter in color and teeth that extend past the lips. Some of the mangroves in the area are either grayish red in color or more of a red with a hint of grey. The larger Mangroves that I have seen are almost completely red.
Here is another one for ya
We catch them anywhwere from 6 inches or so up to around 8+lbs with most of them weighing in around a lb or 3. Sorry to be rude but I am not the least bit in doubt.

One more note, Mangroves taste great and are excellent eating. They do however tend to have a thicker bloodline than that of a red snapper. I usually cut the blood line out and fry those babies up. I enjoy targetting them for the table and I always make sure to bring quite a few home. Trout is right about where to catch them and once you find one, there is usually a good school behind that one. Anyone with kids or just looking to have a good time and get some food in the process would be wise to hunt these little toothy devils down. Live shrimp will be your best bet for quantity.

The BIG Mangrove the you think is a DogSnapper was caught 19 miles out(121ft of water) about four weeks ago. Do the research and let us know what you think. Most of the other fish were caught in anywhere from 60ft of water to 80ft of water with some coming from a rocky shoreline(5ft deep) right next to a 59ft drop.

I'm no expert on Mangrove snapper but I've caught a lot off piers around Port Aransas and Aransas Pass. Charlie's Pasture is full of them. I use a small strong red hook tied above a 1/2 ounce weight about 6 inches off bottom. Sometimes a bigger weight is needed when the tide is moving. You need to get it to the bottom fast or the piggies will get it first. Fresh shrimp for bait but just about an inch to an inch and a half works best. So break it into pieces. Too much bait and they get it without getting the hook. Find a place with lots of trash on bottom. You will loose a lot of tackle but thats where they live. The bite is fast and hard. Set the hook and pull the rod hard to get them up fast cause they will head for the timber and other trash to break you off. They are so strong but the are great on the table. I love them fried. Anyway, hope this helps those who want to catch a few.

PiePuncher.....call it what you want. Hey .... ain't nobody gonna get mad about it.... but I live here and fish the gulf weekly and sometimes several times a week. I catch Dog Snappers on a regular basis ... all the time, and have been for 25 years or more. The fish you are holding in the pic (if that is you) does look like a Mango.

However, the fish in the pic with the Lanes is a Dog. No question. If you open the link that TxnAngler posted you will see that.


P.S. I didn't do the research you suggested. Didn't need to. It doesn't matter to me what you call it.

Awesum, if you did your research, like you said you have, you would find out that Cubera are VERY RARELY caught in our area. I find it funny that you somehow have caught them. I have heard of them being caught every once in a while but an experienced fisherman will tell you that the fish in the above pic is a mangrove. Keep doing your research and you will find out that if you want cubera, you need to goto Panama or somewhere other than Port Aransas. TOO FUNNY. I have a buddy that just got in from offshore and he caught quite a few of your so called Cubera. By the way, did you know that cubera are a solitary fish? They dont school like mangroves and when we caught these big mangroves, we had them chummed up behind the boat. I guess you cant argue with someone that knows it all and has fished there their entire life(I have too but it didnt take me long to realize that I didnt catch a cubera).. One last note, I will post the reply from TXPW for you in a bit. TOO FUNNY.

Now now fellas, we all enjoy the same things.

Dogs, Cuberas, and Mangroves can all look very similar when they are under 10lbs.

Dogs and Cuberas are very rare in the Northern Gulf. Texans frequently mis-name the Mangrove or Gray as a Dog Snapper....Dog snapper is slang because of the teeth. However, it is possible to catch a Dog or Cubera..although unlikely even where they do live simply because they are fierce fighters and most anglers would be undergunned.

Mangroves are the smallest of the three and are more gregarious; this trait makes them easier to chum up and away from tackle destroying cover. Mangroves also have a very pronounced over bite whereas a Cubera has none and a Dog is in-between. Both the Cubera and Dog have teeth showing even when their mouths are completely closed.

My opinion is that the fish in the photo is a good sized Mangrove(Gray) snapper. It has the proper colorings, has a major overbite, doesn't have any teeth visible, and is the most likely species to be caught in the Northern Gulf...not to mention you said you chummed her up with the school.

I'm no biologist or expert; however, I have caught all three species and I do currently hold the state record for a Mangrove on the fly which was verified by biologists as a Gray and not something else.....that fish has an uncanny resemblance to the one in the photo...to no surprise.

Mangroves in the bay and Mangroves in the gulf look totally different and act totally different.

And I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Go Fishing!

I never even knew that mangroves could have red in them but it doesnt surprise me sense everyone that I have personally seen look a little different in color. Anyway, why is it so important to prove what someone says about their fish to be wrong. If punch says that it is a mangrove than Ill take his word for it. He knows alot more about fishing than most around here. No offense to awesome, sounds like you know something. Any way, Ive been riduculed for a pick of a trout that others claimed was two inches shorter than what I was saying it was. How can you really tell from a pic over the internet anyway when your talking about such a slight margin of inches or distinguising from subspecies that all look very similar.

Allright guys, the arguing is over and as I said, its a mangrove. I contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife and a marine biologist and I will post their responses. Like I said, I had done my research and hopefully you will too. I know quite a bit but I too am still learning and dont know it all. Awesum, I still dont know how you catch them all the time, they are not caught often in TEXAS waters and any gamewarden or Marine Biologist will tell you that. Here is what TXPW had to say.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Fisher
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 3:21 PM
To: Angler Recognition
Subject: RE: Fish Identification.


I have to say mangrove snapper. It is definitely not a cubera or dog snapper. This site, although not definitive, is helpful:http://www.fishsanibel.com/fish/lutjanidae.htm

If you find the above post false, you can contact him at : Anglers@tpwd.state.tx.us

I will post from the marine biologist for you later. No need to argue, with todays technology we should be able to find answers at record speeds.

Why do you think they call them "Snapper"? They will lock down on your finger like a snappin' turtle. A guide laughed at me while trying to unhook a small snapper without pliers when he nipped me...he asked me the above question...ha../Mike)