Apalachicola: Targeting Vermilion Snapper & Scamp Grouper
Posted: July 28th, 2023, 3:03 pm
Everyone says that scamp grouper inhabit waters deeper than 200 ft. So that’s where we headed on yesterday’s trip out of Apalachicola.
We made it about two-thirds of the way to the area we wanted to explore, but we decided to stop and fish in 140 ft. while waiting for storms further out to dissipate. The place where we stopped was where I caught one 15 in. vermilion snapper last year. That was enough reason to give it another try.
We dropped chicken rigs down which were made with two 2/0 circle hooks on 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader and weighted with 6 or 8 oz. weights. We baited the hooks with small pieces of squid, LY, or cigar minnow. Eventually, we found the depth where the vermilion were holding, and we put 13 of them in the cooler. Most measured between 18 and 21 in. These were tanks compared to past vermilion catches.
While catching vermilion, a pod of porpoises found us. During our porpoise encounter, I realized that when a shark hits a fish that you are bringing in, it will often leave you the head. When a porpoise hits, it takes everything.
The storm in the 200 ft. depths dissipated and we continued on our quest for scamp. A couple of bait drops in the deep yielded one large red snapper and no scamp. It was time start the long ride back to the ramp.
As we were heading in, a storm towered over Apalachicola. We waited out the storm while fishing in 86 ft. and we added a 21 in. red snapper to our cooler and my first SCAMP.
Here’s the trophy photo:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We made it about two-thirds of the way to the area we wanted to explore, but we decided to stop and fish in 140 ft. while waiting for storms further out to dissipate. The place where we stopped was where I caught one 15 in. vermilion snapper last year. That was enough reason to give it another try.
We dropped chicken rigs down which were made with two 2/0 circle hooks on 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader and weighted with 6 or 8 oz. weights. We baited the hooks with small pieces of squid, LY, or cigar minnow. Eventually, we found the depth where the vermilion were holding, and we put 13 of them in the cooler. Most measured between 18 and 21 in. These were tanks compared to past vermilion catches.
While catching vermilion, a pod of porpoises found us. During our porpoise encounter, I realized that when a shark hits a fish that you are bringing in, it will often leave you the head. When a porpoise hits, it takes everything.
The storm in the 200 ft. depths dissipated and we continued on our quest for scamp. A couple of bait drops in the deep yielded one large red snapper and no scamp. It was time start the long ride back to the ramp.
As we were heading in, a storm towered over Apalachicola. We waited out the storm while fishing in 86 ft. and we added a 21 in. red snapper to our cooler and my first SCAMP.
Here’s the trophy photo:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
