Lutjanus argentimaculatus, the mangrove red snapper (commonly called mangrove jack within Australia, and Damu in Fiji)
After a few months of laying off the river fishing... all the way from Florida, Dwight (Newel Nut) has re-inspired me today to hit the river in search of my favorite light tackle species.
I'd like to share a collection of videos I've bookmarked, mainly out of Australia where there is some epic mangrove jack fishing.
I put together a presentation for our fishing club last year about these guys. I've lost the Powerpoint I did, and I won't bore you with the factoids.
I'll let Hodgie the Barefoot Fisherman tell you a little about them. This guys' one of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6kqOTSQDYk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6kqOTSQDYk)
Watch out for those teeth Hodgie!
As you can see here from JACKGuide, it's a little more challenging from a kayak. ;)
I've had two Damu almost tip me out of my kayak.. dirty little dogs are mean, probably as vicious as a fish can be. (more on that later)
Watch how hard his last fish its him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBZQJYAjtDw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBZQJYAjtDw)
Here's another big one with Johnny the JACKguide
They're havin a ball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjd-rRPCFCc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjd-rRPCFCc)
I know a couple guys, a friend included, who have Jacks in their aquariums at home..great way to get to know them up close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqqJhXvKRdY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqqJhXvKRdY)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmLgcHmzrAM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmLgcHmzrAM)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQC32QjdFEE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQC32QjdFEE)
Hope you enjoyed all!
Well, there's about two hours left till the tide bottoms out in the river here. That's my favorite time for mangrove jacks.. last two hours of the drop. should be some good stuff.
I'm gonna have a sandwich and GO
One last thing to remember, Mangrove Jacks/Snappers don't spawn till they reach 40cm or about 16".
Practice good CPR on those under & right around the breeding size ;)
Moce & Vinaka vaka levu.
Cheers
Nice Videos Erik! I use to Have Oscars and enjoyed feeding them. Nothing like those guys! It made me realize I need another tool for my Bag. One of those holders. ;D
Yeah, the Boca Grip?
I had the big Rapala one but it rusted and broke after a couple months.
You can't lip these suckers like a you can a bass ;D
I used to dive here in the northern gulf of mexico. I did a lot of spearfishing. I had one trip that still stands out. We were diving a tug in about 80 ft of water. I had shot 8 or nine mangrove snapper and was trying to fill my limit. It was winter and I was wearing a wet suit with a hood. I shot a nice mangrove and I was afraid he was going to get off the shaft because of the hole he had torn in his side fighting the shaft. I grabbed the spear point in my hand so he couldn't get off. I was opening the stainless steel stringer to put him on it before taking the shaft out. In a flash he swam up the shaft and bit the only exposed skin on my face not covered with hood, mask or regulator. He went crazy shaking his head. I thought I had lost a chunk of my face. It seemed like forever but was a good couple of minutes I had to swim around with him trying to tear a hunk out of my face. I seriously thought I might have to end the dive with him still attached. He finally calmed down enough for me to get my dive knife in his mouth and pry them apart. I put him on the stringer and had to suffer the jokes from my buddies on the way home.
I had a bleeding V on my face from his teeth. That one measured 24 inches long and I put him on the grill that night. I had the last bite! ;D
Bob
That's why I preferred a 5 prong spear tip.
Thanks for the video Erik.
Thanks for Sharing that Story Bob! If I catch his Brother, I'll use him for Shark Bait in your Honor! ;D
That first Video of Erik's with those snapping Jaws. Wow! I couldn't imagine that on my face! I'm definitely getting a Boca Grip for Bluefish and the Such with those Dog teeth! ;D
Holy S**T Bob!! :o :o Now I know someone who's been ATTACKED by them too ;D
Incredible story. Thanks for sharing that... we won't make fun of you here Bob :P
I'll warn my friends who spearfish... There are much bigger ones out on the reef.
Wow..
Daron,
.. I like it when Barefoot Hodgie says "I hate it when they do that snapping thing" ;D ;D
Are they as abundant on the Gulf Coast as they are on the Atlantic side?
I don't think I remember ever seeing them around Longboat/Venice/Myakka area.. not that I fished this hard back then.
I'm curious though.
I Don't Know Eric, but I plan on doing some serious Kayak Bait fishing with my Surfmasters. I don't think I'll have as much patience as Hodgie if a Mangrove starts snapping at me. I'll use his head for bait and eat the rest! ;)
My Son is a Certified Diver and wants to do some spearfishing for Lion Fish. I am trying to talk him out of it, Just for the Shark Factor where we fish. That 7' Blacktip I caught last September wasn't 30 yards where Divers were present.
Damn! those Boga Grips are expensive! $120 for the 30.lb model. Is it worth the money Erik?
Eric, They are pretty common here. We don't have mangrove trees though. Up here most people call them black snapper. They do have attitudes though. They are some good eating. Bob
They are spendy Daron... too spendy. that's why I opted for the cheaper Rapala one that failed me..
Are they worth it to you Daron?..... I doubt it.... SHARK HUNTER !! ;D ;D
maybe you could borrow a Jaws of Life from your fire dept. ;D
for me they are a catch & release tool. I'd still like to receive a Boca grip for Xmas :D, but for now I'm using a nice silicone net
for releasing my Damu & such..
Hi Bob..Thanks bud... Hey, you just hit 1000 posts!
:D
I was thinking I needed a grip in case I caught one of those Snappers. The Bluefish isn't any slouch either in the tooth dept.
Erik
Thanks for the videos. I love catching those fish. The first one of the mango feeding explains why so many people can't catch them. Most people try to set the hook after a bite and they get nothing. You have to be patient and let them play and play and play and they will finally make a run. Very rarely will a mango freight train you. When you fish for them with a livey it is a good idea to have some scissors to cut the back fins off before you send it down.
My .02
Will they hit iron, butterfly jigs or swimbaits?
Lee
The offshore mangrove rarely hits iron. The fish that my Mama is holding is what we call grunts. The best bait is to cut the fins, tail and head off and cut the what is left in half and you have mango bait. Every fish that I caught on the Thursday report was on that same bait.
Bula Erik,
One of my favorite species in that part of the world. My first time for mangrove jacks was in the Solomons. The first decent sized jack I hooked destroyed a rapala shad. All torn plastic, crushed balsa and bent trebles. No place for largemouth bass lures!
Do you get many green jobfish in your neck of the woods? That's another tough critter.
If all you need is a gripper to control the fish, consider these. They work great. A lot of northeast surf-guys use them. It closes with a ratcheting action, so once it's closed, it stays closed.
http://fishboneknives.com/the-fish-grip-1/
Daron, I figured you'd be bopping just about anything on the head and cutting it up for bait! ;D
Unless you use live bait... ??? .. Do ya??
Dwight, Thanks & keep up the good catch! Yes, they do love to play with their food ;D But it's a whole nother ballgame
when they know they are hooked!!
Lee, I've hooked a few on butterfly jigs on the reef... not common, but it's occasional.
big 4 oz curly tails work well, but reef dwelling Damu are usually speared here or on the troll with a rapala or halco diver.
Soft plastics- very effective- even on the reef, definitely in the river.
mature Damu on the reef are often confused with Red sea bass..... both will hit big poppers.. BIG !
Our local red bass almost always carry ciguatera and the big mature "Bati Damu" will have it too.
The north part of the other island it's said their red bass and Damu are safe from ciguatera... I won't be testing that. ;D
and jurelometer... yep... Love the job fish... was out looking for some yesterday but mo luck...
when the job fish (crimson & green) bite is ON... boy they are ON... and you pull em up everywhere on those days...then they switch off
and we won't see them for awhile... Good fighters and excellent on the table... I like em almost better than coral trout.
No Erik, I don't Bop everything on the head. :D
Usually we catch some pinfish in the Bay and then go to the Surf and catch bigger fish with the Pins.
I don't use smaller sharks for bait and there is a size limit on Blues. I target Bluefish, ladyfish and Mullet are good baits too. We usually spend a whole day catching bait and putting it on ice in plastic bags, then go sharkin the next. This is my Son Mike. He has the Bug! ;D
This little Blue made a Tasty treat for a 7 footer. ;)
(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag93/darondyer/DSCN1689_zpsca58348f.jpg)
We let the little Sharpnoses go.
(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag93/darondyer/DSCN1677_zps01eb8c1f.jpg)
;D ;D I'm just pulling your chain buddy. ;D
Nice pics Daron ..good looking young man you got there there.. he must have got his looks from his mom ;)
is that the Gulf? ...and I can see the teeth on that little sucker from here.
Ok so you won't be using the boca grip for your sharks. ;D
I know it's expensive, but I'll probably choke down one (the boca) next time I'm back. The old rapala one wasn't worth the dough and reviews on the new ones are poor. A friend of mine here has a boca thats lasted and they are nicer. I think its worthy of us ;)
I'll use it for a kayak tool mostly, as pretty much all the fish here are toothy...and spiny.. ;D
Look at what I have laying around. We use them for barotrauma releases.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/IGFA19Keta/Reels/DSCN1434_zps8a83575a.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/IGFA19Keta/media/Reels/DSCN1434_zps8a83575a.jpg.html)
OK i give up... what are those Lee? they look like mini plastic vise grips.
Do you send the fish down clipped to that via your line?
They are for griping toothy fish but we modify them with the lines. Attach one line to a rod the other to a heavy weight. Drop the fish down to the proper depth and give the rod a twitch to open up the gripper.
Here's SacFly's link http://fishboneknives.com/the-fish-grip-1/ (http://fishboneknives.com/the-fish-grip-1/)
(http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server700/15112/product_images/uploaded_images/header.jpg)
Do they hold up Lee? 12 Dollars sounds a lot better than 100.
x2 !
Lee is sending me a pair of those Eric. I'll let you know how they do. Yes, those pics are the Gulf. Navarre beach. That place is awesome! A little too rough for the Kayak today. Just Drinking some brews and catching bait! Life is Good! ;D
(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag93/darondyer/DSCN1674_zps901738d0.jpg)
This is How you Catch bait! Bring me another Beer Brother! Good Times. ;) This is my screensaver. ;D
(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag93/darondyer/DSCN1669_zps5f8c11f2.jpg)
I got one of these fish grippers last fall after blowing through a couple of knock-off bogas. Real deal bogas are great, except that I'm not interested in weighing fish under 30 lbs, and the 60lb boga is too heavy to carry all night. Plus they're expensive.
I got it to control angry bluefish with a mouth full of trebles when I'm knee deep in the suds. It works well and feels like a sturdy, well made tool. For 13 bucks it's a no brainer. I had a treble removed from my hand at the ER one time and that was 700$.
Yikes! $700. I'm going to give these plastic ones a try. I was just talking to my brother and Son about our trip coming up. I told them we need some wine corks to put on the end of our hooks while we are kayaking them out. I heard a couple horror stories about the kayak getting flipped and one guy took a 20/0 circle in the neck!