Season just keeps getting shorter...
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Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Whether Gulf Coast anglers get the proposed 27-day red snapper season, the shortest in history, remains to be seen. It could get a little better, but it also could get a whole lot worse.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) currently projects anglers, who are increasingly catching bigger and bigger snapper, will reach their recreational quota of 4.145 million pounds in less than a month.

The two factors that could increase or decrease the number of days anglers can catch snapper are a new red snapper stock assessment that is expected in April or May and a decision by several Gulf states on whether to comply with the federal regulations in their state waters. State waters extend 9 miles from the coasts in Texas and Florida, while Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have a 3-mile boundary. Louisiana has petitioned the courts to extend its boundary to more than 10 miles (3 marine leagues), but the courts have rebuffed the effort at this point.

During the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting held recently in Mobile, the compliance issue was at the forefront of the council’s business. Texas has not amended its rules for state waters to coincide with federal regulations for years. Now, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has voted to open its state waters from March 24 through September for weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) only with a daily bag limit of three fish with a minimum length of 16 inches. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) proposed a 44-day recreational season for state waters from June 1 through July 14. The FWC will make a final decision on the red snapper season at its April meeting.

Rest of the article..
http://outdooralabama.com/oaonline/gulfcouncil13.cfm

Not much point to a snapper season anymore..

La season is set open march 21

Better to fish Mangroves now adays. They eat about the same too.

Yeah, we got our 2 apiece last year, then fished for Grouper, then fished with inshore gear with cut squid on the surface and caught Kings, Triggers and Snapper. Wish I could get the pics to upload, it was fun. Catch a big king on 12lb mono on your Calcutta and you have a serious fight.

Problem is, the big fish are out in the Federal Waters.. only 25 miles out off 'Bama.

Yes ago when on the rig I got a kick out of the guys fishing for snapper. If they didn't reel like a mofo, and be a little lucky, they would just have a head on their hook when it came out of the water...lol

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Dolphins are the worst, they dont cut it in half just keep pulling till he comes off the hook. If your good you can back the drag off real fast, put your finger on the spool and hit free spool, ( dolphin will think he got it off ) while in free spool tighten drag. When he lets go put that reel in gear and crank for all your worth. About a 50/50 chance you win but a chance.

Deep dropping for yelloweye snapper in the Bahamas is fun.

Did a research paper on the red snapper and gag grouper fishery and the regulation conflict between the commercial and recreational fisheries my senior year of high school. Very interesting what you find out when you do some digging and snooping. It's very fishy
We very don't go after them near as much as we used to. The seasons are just so messed up. We still haven't gotten a definite season here for this year last I checked. I'll be taking a day off from the normal college spring break next week to go chase a couple AJs offshore. Should be a good day of hungover as shit fishing ha

I do!......yall got it all wrong! it's now offically Filet and Release!!!!!

It's a fucking joke. I have friends on the LaWDF board and they are fed up....Louisiana as offically went NON COMPLIANT as of Feb 26 2013......meaning from march 26-sept 31(check the dates) in OUR STATE WATERS of 10.357m or (9nm) we can harvest American red snapper fri-sun 2 per person 16" min. which is fine for GI, venice or fouchon areas but on the west end 10miles we are still trout fishing.lol

Texas has been non compliant for a few years now flordia issue the paper work for it but crawfished...They just went with same old NOAA bullshit regs......

The overall goal is regional management by every gulf coast state. Some state representatives have filed a complaint for a investigation to the gulf council " fish stock assessment"....


Now this year the guides have hard tags for Yellowfin and all anglers must have that new landing permit for snapper, grouper, aj, tunas and pelagics.
It's hard to justify spending 1200 on fuel and a 100k boat now a days. We got into the deep dropping buisness (1000'+) it is the least regulated and we can fill the boxes with tiles, snowys, porgy, and other uncommon fish that eat better than snapper. Most every trip is a blue water tuna trip because of this snapper is just a pit stop on the way back in for shits and giggles..,,,its a joke and only more regulations to come by the end of this every req guy will be considered a outlaw by the Fed's.........La Viva da Fillet!

I have watched the feds intercede and strip our bag limits down to nothing while allowing commercial guys to run free. Head boats & commercial guys non venting in certain circumstances, it's just sickening.

I prefer to fish for mangrove now, no point in going out for only 2 fish. When I spearfish, mangroves are all that I shoot.

It's hard enough to drop past red snapper trying to catch anything else. Yet, they're becoming endangered.

I've been on spearfishing trips where it looks like the whole ocean floor under the oil rig is moving. Nope... just thousands of Red Snapper. Endangered my ass.

I snapper fish if ya know what i mean.

Would love to get those snapper two at a time.

It's going to be interesting to see if the Feds make a example of some poor SOB. Personally I'm waiting it out for a while to see what goes down. Weather in late march and April won't be fun to plan around anyway.