When do mutton snapper spawn in the Keys?

Around the full moons of late spring, chiefly April to June, when they gather on the reef edges.

Mutton snapper fishing in Islamorada: season, spots, bait & rules

Mutton snapper fishing in Islamorada

Also called mutton.

Mutton snapper are the big, pink-flanked snapper of the reef edge and wrecks: wary, strong and the best-eating snapper in the Keys. Spring brings them together on the edges to spawn, and the Islamorada wrecks hold muttons most of the year.

Harvest allowedSkill: BeginnerCharter a boatBring your own boat

Where to find mutton snapper

The reef edge in 60–150 ft, the wrecks (the Eagle, the Alexander Barge, the bridge-span reefs) and the deeper patch reefs; also the channels on the ocean side on a big tide. They feed along the sand edges of the structure rather than in it.

Eagle wreck · Wrecks
Reef line off Islamorada · Reef
Channel Two fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Channel Five fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Crocker Wall · Reef
Pickles Reef · Reef

When to go

March to June is peak, with the spawning aggregations on the reef edge around the full moons of April, May and June; fish year-round on the wrecks. A moving tide in daylight is best; muttons feed more in daylight than other snapper.

Best window on the day: The incoming tide on the oceanside in daylight. Today's window and score are on the conditions page.

March: Peak months: muttons stage on the reef edge and wrecks.
May: Full-moon spawning aggregations; fish the edges.

How to catch them

Anchor up-current of the structure and fish a live pinfish, pilchard or ballyhoo plug on a long fluorocarbon leader with just enough lead to hold bottom on the sand beside the reef; chum to draw them off the structure. On the wrecks, drift live baits or bucktail jigs tipped with a ballyhoo plug down-current of the wreck.

Bait & tackle

Bait: Live pilchards, ballyhoo or pinfish; a ballyhoo plug (head and tail cut off) or a squid strip on the bottom
Lures: 1–3 oz bucktail jigs tipped with ballyhoo or squid
Tackle: 7 ft medium spinning rod, 4000–5000 reel, 20–30 lb braid
Rig: 6–15 ft of 30–40 lb fluorocarbon; 4/0–6/0 non-stainless circle hook; 1–4 oz sliding sinker

pinfish pilchard ballyhoo rigged squid bucktail jig Tackle setup →

Tips for your level

Muttons bite a bait lying still on the sand next to the reef, not one hanging in the structure.
Let the fish take the bait and swim off before you wind down on a circle hook.
Reef fish gear rules apply from a private boat: non-stainless hooks, a dehooker and a descending device rigged and ready.

Keeping one

Superb: firm, sweet, pink-white fillets. Many anglers rate it above any other snapper.

Keep only what you will eat, within the limit, and release the rest in the water where you can.

Questions anglers ask

When do mutton snapper spawn in the Keys?: Around the full moons of late spring, chiefly April to June, when they gather on the reef edges.