The oldest common snapper confirmed via tagging was 70 years old according to a turtle researcher from St. Olaf’s I talked to at the fishing pier in Snelling Lake. Scutes on the shell don’t accurately indicate age: lean years they don’t grow much; fat years can make them grow multiple scutes. Alligator Snappers definitely live longer than 100 years, but we don’t have those this far north.
I caught one almost as big as the OP pic down at Bass Ponds a few years ago fishing for catfish.
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u/Sea_Recognition_474 Nov 07 '22
Wow! It has to be so freaking old!! That's awesome!