Orange Beach: Red Snapper Capitol of the WorldOrange Beach, Alabama is the "Red Snapper Capitol of the World." The title is undoubtedly deserved. Over forty percent of the snapper harvested in the entire Gulf of Mexico are caught by recreational fishermen off the Alabama coast, which only covers thirty-five miles. The vast majority of those anglers catch their snapper on boats that leave from Orange Beach.Snapper haven't always inhabited this area in great numbers. The sea bottom becomes pretty much mud not far from the coastline. There is also very little natural structure. In 1953, the Orange Beach Fishing Association sunk 250 junked automobiles into the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico. That was the genesis of a successful artificial reef building program that continues to this day. Without those reefs there would be very little red snapper for us to catch.   Much of the recent reef building has went high tech. Though the dumping of "materials of convenience" (any junk of any size that sinks) works fine as fish attracting structure, it doesn't hold up well in big storms. Today, professional reef builders construct and place reefs made of concrete and rock that remain in place during hurricanes, and they are designed to attract more fish. Many charter boat owners pay to have their own reefs placed, and some pay again to have their reefs moved when too many other fishermen find them. Alabama's coastline is part of the federally sanctioned 1,200 mile reef zone where the snapper population is closely monitored and bag limits are set in place to encourage population growth. Most charter boat owners believe the government's limits to be draconian, unfairly and unwisely inhibiting their ability to attract paying customers. Most boat owners believe the population is extremely healthy. Government regulations have reduced the daily bag limits and the season has been dramatically shortened. Due to the popularity of the red snapper among deep sea fishermen and the abundance of the fish near Orange Beach, many Alabama charter boat owners positioned themselves as "snapper specialists," who could consistently deliver snapper on almost every trip. In fact, if a boat didn't bring home snapper, it was usually the weather that was to blame, not the captain's ability. It is unfortunate that the beach visitor can't take home as many snapper as he once could, but he shouldn't think twice about going deep sea fishing. Other fish, including other snapper species, will usually insure that his ice chest is full. Also, it is possible to catch other species before he even get to deep water. One of my favorite deep sea fishing trips included an unscheduled stop over some huge redfish. Gulf Shores Fishing
|
Subscribe in a reader