Gulf Coast - Gear for Big Red Snapper

Just wanted to get some feedback from you guys about what kind of rods and reels you use for successfully winching large (20 pound plus) red snapper up out of rigs. We got into some this year that we just couldn't turn with TLD30, Torium 30, Penn 113s. We managed to catch several around 15 pounds, but we lost a bunch that were heavier. The limiting factor seems to be the drag. They get into the rig legs and break the line. Thanks in advance!

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Not leader shy....

Shimano make a reel Talica 16 II it puts out 40lbs of drag. As a comparison a Shimano Tiagra 50 Wide puts out 43lbs of drag. The Talica 16 II is a two speed lever drag and very compact. I have four of them and love them. Mine are spooled with power pro slick 8 and power pro hollow core 80# test. Everyone that has used mine loves them. I don't think you would be disappointed. I have been told by one of the Shimano reps that this is their hottest selling reel right now for saltwater.

Penn 50w on full drag.

Avet HX Raptor. Small, light, and 45lbs of drag if you can handle it....
Bought a pair, my most frequently used reels.
Good for jigging AJs too.

I suspect most of these ufos were either grouper, big cobia, or jacks. I'm not saying a big snapper won't take you into the rig occasionally just that normally they don't. a torium 30 with 65lb braid and a good rod will pretty much catch any snapper that swims.

when in doubt put your thumb on the spool...


Scott

as above, thumb the spool till you get his head turned
if you stay off the rig a bit you will have less chance of getting cut off as well
i use tekota 600 on 6' rod with 80lb braid and 80lb fluoro
that plus your thumb does the trick

as above, thumb the spool till you get his head turned
if you stay off the rig a bit you will have less chance of getting cut off as well
i use tekota 600 on 6' rod with 80lb braid and 80lb fluoro
that plus your thumb does the trick

x2. Tekota 600 or 700. 7' Kingfish rod from Connley fishing. 50# mono with a fluro leader. Can't go wrong.

x2. Tekota 600 or 700. 7' Kingfish rod from Connley fishing. 50# mono with a fluro leader. Can't go wrong.

tell me about the connley rods
going to have them make some standup rods soon

tell me about the connley rods
going to have them make some standup rods soon

can't beat em for the price. I think I paid 99 bucks for mine when he was running a special. Quality is top notch, Bryan really pays attention to the detail. My rod has a fast tip with a stiffer back bone, so it makes snapper fishing fun. Caught a 60# ling on it a couple of weeks back and it handled up with no problems. Great combo with the Tekota. Hell, my brother has one with an Avet on it and he loves it too

Thanks for all the responses. I will look into the Talica, Avet and Tekota. For those fishing braid, how much leader are you using? We've been using 80# to 100# fluoro leader attached to 40# to 60# mono. I have 2 Star Aerial 7' rods that I like so far. Thinking about a rod with roller guides or tip. What are pros and cons of roller guides? Looks like Connley and Pinnacle (on this site) have some good rods and a good following.

braid brother
ditch the mono you do not want the stretch
you can pile the 80 to 100lb braid on any of those reels and be confident that you wont get broken off
use fluoro for your leader

Thanks for all the responses. I will look into the Talica, Avet and Tekota. For those fishing braid, how much leader are you using? We've been using 80# to 100# fluoro leader attached to 40# to 60# mono. I have 2 Star Aerial 7' rods that I like so far. Thinking about a rod with roller guides or tip. What are pros and cons of roller guides? Looks like Connley and Pinnacle (on this site) have some good rods and a good following.


I'm no expert, but think you are still thinking too light if you are purely after big ones. You need to use like 150-250# braid and 200-400lb leader. Use the same type setup you would use for amberjack or grouper. The rod holder is your friend. Keep it in there until you get the fish away from the rig. I use a lever drag reel with 45 lbs of drag and leave it in the holder until the fish is away from the structure. That's another thing. Get away from the structure and fish your marks further off. From my little experience if you want "fun" "sport" type fishing stick to what you already have. If you want giant snapper (or any fish near rigs) you need a winch on a solid glass rod that can stand up to the abuse. Not always the most "sporting" or "fun" but what you need for the big fish.

Kristal 651 always works for me or a 48" steel shaft.

We use TLD 25s with 80lb Power Pro with 300lb mono leader on Penn Tuna Sticks for snapper. The guy I fish with uses a Penn 80 with 200 lb Power Pro, he doesn't want anything to get away. You never know what you are going to hook into out there.

anyone put a hand on the Okuma Andros?
most drag in a small frame out there supposedly

I'm no expert, but think you are still thinking too light if you are purely after big ones. You need to use like 150-250# braid and 200-400lb leader. .

now that is not playing around, but that is the gist of it, ive caught some big snapper on 30lb line just set your drag high and when the fish hits use the boat to pull them out of the rig don't slow down until you are sure they are out of there.

9/0 Senator, 200lb braid, depending on how leader shy they may be anything from 400lb no less than 100. Usually fishing for "big ones" 25-30 in 275 with lots of structure.

Gmack,

What rods n reels are you using for the big girls?

Kristal 651 always works for me or a 48" steel shaft.

:thumbsup:....dont even have to put the beer down.

A Penn 113 will yank out any snapper. Hell a 4/0 will too. I also use a Penn International 30VSW. Sometimes I drop down with the Saragosa. It whips their ass and gets them up in a hurry.

I use Tekota 700's with 80lb braid and 80-100lb leader on Star deluxe rods. The rods are a little heavy but I have had them forever and they are almost indestructible. I also recently purchased a Talica 16 that does the job nicely.

braid brother
ditch the mono you do not want the stretch
you can pile the 80 to 100lb braid on any of those reels and be confident that you wont get broken off
use fluoro for your leader

X2

For some unknown reason, it took me a couple of seasons to realize this.

Avet HX Raptor. .

I just went and looked this reel up. That thing looks like a bottom fishing beast.

jees, yall are using some monster stuff.

we use 40lb test on TLD 25's and that has worked fine. lock the drag down and floor the boat off the rig. usually gets them out with no issues.

30W, 60lb line and 80 - 100 lb leader. Key is to use the boat, once hooked on a fish to pull fish out / away from rig. This really helps if done properly!

yea, we use the boat. you have to do that or it almost doesnt matter what tackle you are using.

yea, we use the boat. you have to do that or it almost doesnt matter what tackle you are using.

and vice versa, if you use the boat it doesn't matter what tackle you are using I've caught some studs on rigs using 20lb line and a tld15 on a powerstick with 60# flour leader.

yea, was surprised by how big of stuff people were using for snapper on here.

yea, was surprised by how big of stuff people were using for snapper on here.

A 20 pound red snapper can do some damage, especially if you're trying to winch them straight up off an oil rig. I'm going to start using the boat like many of you guys, and also fishing farther from the rigs.