Vermilion Snapper (Beeliner)
Rhomboplites aurorubens. Prime water reaches Tampa in Gulf of Mexico right now (77°F on the bottom). Fish it 148–181 ft down — that is where 80–77°F water sits off Tampa.
The water column off Tampa
The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 181 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Vermilion Snapper (Beeliner)'s temperature band (64–86°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.
How it's fished
Small hooks and cut bait just off the bottom over deep hard bottom; they hover above the reef, not in it.
Region by region — right now
| Region | Season | Prime water | Temp | Fish it at | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf of Mexico | in season | reaches Tampa | 77°F | 148–181 ft | J F M A M J J A S O N D |
| Southeast Atlantic | in season | reaches Cape Hatteras | 79°F | ~179 ft | J F M A M J J A S O N D |