How to Fish for Yellowtail Snapper
- 1). Head for yellowtail waters. In the U.S., the best places to fish for yellowtail are off the Florida Keys and states that abut the Gulf of Mexico.
- 2). Find points off the coast where the ocean bottom drops off steeply at the edge of a reef. These areas are prime hunting grounds for schooling snapper. Use a fish finder sonar to mark the depth and a GPS device to mark the position so you can return to good fishing spots.
- 3). Fill chum bags with a mixture of chopped fish and rolled oats (to cloud the water and help obscure hooks and fishing lines). Tie the bags to tow ropes and pay them out off the stern about 30 feet for trolling behind the boat.
- 4). Rig a saltwater rod and reel with 4/0 to 1/0 size hooks and 1/4 to 1/2 oz. of weight with a pyramid sinker.
- 5). Bait the hooks with chunks of shrimp or pieces of dead fish, such as mackerel or bonita. Bury the barb deep inside the bait.
- 6). Let out the lines and troll through the chum line. Troll along the edge of the reef where the depth drops off, replenishing the chum bags as necessary to keep the bait slick going.
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