Mycteroperca microlepis — World’s IGFA Record: 80 Lbs

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This is Billy’s favorite type of fishing. Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack, and all sorts of other edible reef fish are plentiful in the waters off St. Augustine. We fish a variety of reefs, wrecks, and ledges which provide bountiful catches of mangrove snappers, mutton snappers, yellow tail snappers, and when the season comes – BIG cubera snappers. We typically fish four or five spots during the course of the day until we find a location where the bite is HOT – then we hunker down and chum it up till snappers and jacks start working their way up the line. Below is one of our trips where we got over a half dozen big amberjacks, and a dozen bonita and other fish.

While live bait is the preferred form of fishing structure on the bottom, vertical jigging is also very popular.

This is a relatively new tactic in North Florida fishing where the angler drops a heavy lead bullet- like jig to the bottom and then rapidly retrieves the jig – designed to look like a fleeing baitfish making a dash for the surface. Big amberjacks, african pompano, and the occasional cobia will pounce on a vertical jig when properly presented – but bring all the arm muscle you’ve got as this form of fishing can be very tiring.

St. Augustine is famous for consistent snapper and grouper fishing. We fish a combination of bottom rods and mid-water column rigs to entice big amberjacks while loading up the cooler with “eaters”. The reefs and wrecks off St. Augustine are full of life and unpredictable in terms of their inhabitants. Depending on the season, currents, and weather conditions, certain reefs or wrecks fluctuate in terms of their productivity.

Snapper, grouper, and reef/wreck trips are ideal for family anglers and novice anglers who are looking to get after some serious North Florida fishing action! This is an ideal half day trip – easy on the wallet and lots of action. While the weather certainly impacts this form of fishing (rough seas are never fun when you’re anchored down), it is accessible every month of the year. Billy is an expert reef fisherman and usually brings the luck with him aboard every trip! We use pinfish, pilchards, crabs, mullet, and even lobsters to catch monster reef predators – depending on the season this will impact the type of bait and rigs we use!

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Ready to book a half day or full day reef trip? Call or email Billy Hunsicker now to check availability!