Ocyurus chrysurus
Beautiful snapper with yellow tail and lateral stripe. Excellent table fare.
Year-round in Florida Keys and deeper water. Summer peak.
Live bait drifts in 60–120 feet. Jigging with small to medium jigs. Live pinfish or shrimp.
12" minimum, 10 fish/day.
Drift over deep reefs with live bait. Prime Florida Keys species.
Curated picks for Yellowtail Snapper fishing in Florida
Mesh chum bag for slow-drip frozen chum over reef structure.
Yellowtail fishing is a chumming game — no chum, no fish.
Ultra-light leader for free-lining baits in the chum slick.
Yellowtail are notoriously line-shy in clear Keys water — 15lb or lighter.
Light-wire live bait hook for small pilchards and cut squid in the slick.
Heavy hooks sink the bait too fast — light wire stays in the slick longer.
Frozen ground chum block — the Keys standard for pulling yellowtail up from the reef.
Yellowtail follow the slick; the longer it drifts, the more fish appear.
12 spots tracked — click any for tides, weather & local tips
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