# Mangrove or Cubera/dog snapper



## PiePuncher (Jul 14, 2005)

I am about 99.9% sure it is a mangrove but what do you guys think. There is a knowitall, that says he is 100% sure it is a cubera but I seriously doubt it after finding out they are rare and knowing that quite a few were caught the same day on the same wreck that this mangrove came off of. He was caught jigging on spro jig tipped with squid.










What do you guys think. Cubera also tend to grow long and fat as opposed to short and stocky, although I have seen them both. All input welcome and the more responses the better. thanks guys and see you on the water.

keith


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## foulhooked (Aug 13, 2004)

It is a Mangrove in my opinion.

http://myfwc.com/marine/FishID/snapgray.html

Cubera snapper have two large teeth that are visible even when there mouth is closed.

http://myfwc.com/marine/FishID/snapcube.html

Me and my dad had this argument after I caught a mangrove that was 25 inches long.


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## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

Not a gray snapper, one way to for sure tell is if there are scales between the eyes and the top jaw. Has to much red for a gray snapper. Looks like a red in low light.


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## tobyhamrick (Mar 8, 2005)

mangrove, shot em all the time........


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## Brian Anderson (Jul 11, 2005)

Read this in my fish book. Cubera looks like giant mangrove. Big mangrove often mistaking for smallish Cubera. Identify by looking at patch of vomerine teeth on inside roof of mouth. In Mangrove this patch is shaped like arrow complet with shaft. Cubera is similar but with no shaft. It looks like inverted V. Hope that helps. May be too late to check on this fish. I caught some of those also, and checked up on it. I did not look in the mouth before, so I did know what I caught for sure.


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## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

Juvenile cubera


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## PiePuncher (Jul 14, 2005)

Keep em coming. The teeth do not and did not stick out of the fishes mouth, teeth were normal like a red or lane snapper. The color is a little dark because of my shaddow, the fish actually has a gray/offwhite color from an angle. Did not look at patch and at first, I thought it was a cubera but after reading figured it would have been a long shot and the BIG mangroves I catch inshore look exactly the same. There were a few pulled off the wreck that is about 18 miles out, which also leads me to believe it is a mangrove.
Keep the replies coming, I am interested in the responses.


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## WilliamH (May 21, 2004)

I can only tell by taste. Have it cleaned and ready for the grease, I'll be by about 12:15pm. Do you have some cold beer?


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## tobyhamrick (Mar 8, 2005)

100% sure on Mangrove, they are whitish/grey alive in the water, once they die, they turn red. Taste the same as snapper, but have a little bigger bloodline. If you ever dive the rigs you can see very large schools of Mangroves.


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

If there were more than one caught at the same time I'm fairly sure that its a grey/mangrove. Cubera snapper are rare in this part of the gulf and are usually loaners. Grey/mangrove snapper can be a lot of different shades. It depends on the water that there in, kinda like a redfish.


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## GinMan (Jan 29, 2005)

IT looks just like the MAngrove snapper that I have pulled of the rocks fishing from the surf w/ finger mullet


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## jaredchasteen (Jun 15, 2005)

Here is one from the jetties i caught.


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## GinMan (Jan 29, 2005)

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://mgfx.com/fishing/images/saltfish/dogsnap.gif&imgrefurl=http://mgfx.com/fishing/regions/florida/fish/fish05.htm&h=312&w=586&sz=59&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=w6yOys_b63VqyM:&tbnh=72&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDog%2BSnapper%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US%26sa%3DG
This is a good snapper I.D. Site.































Which is Which?

I did catch a Dog Snapper fishing with Lary Mathys out of Packery. It had those blue markings colorations on it's face. I had a great picture of it also.......Until some a-hole stole my camera at Clem's right off of my cooler that was 3 feet away from me at the fish cleaning station.


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## jaredchasteen (Jun 15, 2005)




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## PiePuncher (Jul 14, 2005)

The big mangroves were chummed up behind the boat. All you had to do was drop something in the water and they would hit it. It was tough getting through the kings to get to the snaps but when you could, you would get one. There were many of the big guys caught, this just happened to be the biggest one on our boat. A few other boats out had some nice ones as well. After reading, I found out that the larger Mangroves are spawning offshore and that is why so many large ones are coming in. Keep em coming guys and whomever said that cubera are solitary was right, they dont school like the mangroves. 
Jared, is that a cubera you are holding? lol It looks like the false cubera in the pic with the lane.


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## PiePuncher (Jul 14, 2005)

Bump


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## PiePuncher (Jul 14, 2005)

Those of you that think you have been catching dog snappers are a little off. They are Mangroves. I contacted a marine biologist and TXPW and got the same answer from both. I will post the responses soon, actually, will post TXPW response on this post as I have it already coppied. I have been told that while its not impossible to catch one, the odds are that you will not catch one as they are very very very rare in our area. Thanks for the few responses that I got and I do appreciate it. Seems lots of people either didnt know or didnt care to respond. ANyways, thanks to those of you that did.
Here is what TXPW had to say: He can be reached at [email protected]

-----Original Message-----
*From:* Mark Fisher 
*Sent:* Thursday, July 20, 2006 3:21 PM
*To:* Angler Recognition
*Subject:* RE: Fish Identification.

​I have to say mangrove snapper. It is definitely not a cubera or dog snapper. This site, although not definitive, is helpful:

http://www.fishsanibel.com/fish/lutjanidae.htm

Thanks again guys and keep catching those false dog snappers or false cuberas, whichever you want to call them, they are excellent eating.


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## Gap (Jun 4, 2004)

Grey Snapper or Mangrove. Becoming more and more common in our waters. There are some spots that hold massive schools of these. We've caught them to 15+ pounds, but average 5-7. 

They are very line shy and usually will not eat anything with line over 30 lb.


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## reddrum (Aug 11, 2005)

*Difference between Mangrove and Cubera*



Brian Anderson said:


> Read this in my fish book. Cubera looks like giant mangrove. Big mangrove often mistaking for smallish Cubera. Identify by looking at patch of vomerine teeth on inside roof of mouth. In Mangrove this patch is shaped like arrow complet with shaft. Cubera is similar but with no shaft. It looks like inverted V. Hope that helps. May be too late to check on this fish. I caught some of those also, and checked up on it. I did not look in the mouth before, so I did know what I caught for sure.


Finally someone who has actually looked in some literature about this instead of spouting off some "fact" some dude told him on the jetties. The only for sure way to tell is the shape of the tooth patch on the roof of the mouth. Coloration is not reliable nor is the length of the teeth. Large mangroves sometimes take on a reddish colration. Looks like a mangrove to me!


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

reddrum said:


> Finally someone who has actually looked in some literature about this instead of spouting off some "fact" some dude told him on the jetties. The only for sure way to tell is the shape of the tooth patch on the roof of the mouth. Coloration is not reliable nor is the length of the teeth. Large mangroves sometimes take on a reddish colration. Looks like a mangrove to me!


Hey Mr. 15 posts. What makes you think that the info and/or opinions people are sharing on this board is stuff that they heard from "some dude on the jetties"? Most of the people posting on this board have been fishing longer that you have been alive. Yea I said it.

Sorry Mont and Mod's :wink:


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## makoman2 (Jan 14, 2006)

Get ready!


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## reddrum (Aug 11, 2005)

There's no reason to get pissy calmday. Just for your information you may have been fishing since before I was born but that does not mean you were correctly identifying fish since then. I never questioned the validity of this board just the validity of some of the comments made about the magrove/cubera great debate. Like the comments "that's to red to be a mangrove" or "you can tell by the scales between the eyes." You show me a book that says you can identify cuberas because they are more red than mangroves and I rest my case. If you want to look up the difference between mangroves and cubera get The Saltwater Fishes of Texas Key by Murdy. It clearly states the difference, which is the vomerine teeth on the roof of the mouth. Simple as that. Thank you for your wise input Mr. 564 posts.


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## michaelbaranowski (May 24, 2004)

Diving the rigs I have been shooting alot of Mangroves in the last month. On some of the rigs I see alot more Mangroves than Red Snapper.


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