Page 87 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2020

ABOVE: Many anglers
hire charter boats to take them shing in the Gulf of Mexico. LEFT: April Bethea holding a king mackerel she caught while shing. MIDDLE: David Sikes shows o an amberjack and Mason Hester shows o a red snapper.
Sometimes, cobia follow a bait up o the bottom and appear close to the boat. Anglers should keep a rod ready with a live bait or a lure to cast at any cobia or other sh coming near the surface.
“While red snapper is one of the most popular species to catch o shore, the nearshore and o shore waters o Mississippi provide anglers many opportunities to harvest multiple species. Some of the most popular o shore species include gray snapper, vermilion snapper, gag grouper, cobia, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and a multitude of other species.” While shing the reefs for snapper, set a drift line baited with a live sh or other tempting morsel. Toss the bait
on an unweighted line behind the boat. Stick the rod into a holder and wait for a passing predator to grab the temptation. Frequently, the biggest snapper rise
near the surface. A struggling live bait sh might also attract cobia, wahoo, mackerel, black n or yellow n tuna, possibly sail sh, depending upon the location and water depth.
After catching their snapper, many anglers look for other opportunities. Some people troll assorted natural or arti cial enticements to catch king mackerel, cobia, wahoo, dolphin, also called mahi or dorado, and other species. While moving from place to place, keep watch for targets of opportunity. Cobia, mahi and tripletail regularly hide under
oating debris, weeds,
channel buoys and other
objects. On a good
day, anglers could add
several additional species to their catch. “All anglers shing for red snapper must participate in the Tails n’ Scales electronic reporting program,” Hill emphasized. “This mandatory reporting system has resulted in providing anglers maximum opportunity and exibility to harvest red snapper in waters o Mississippi.”
For more information on snapper shing o the Mississippi coast, see https://dmr.ms.gov/snapper. For reef locations, see https://dmr.ms.gov/arti cial- reef.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
July 2020 | 87