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Originally Posted by PapaDave
Nice catch...
On a side note, is the red snapper season closed now?
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Thanks Dave. Red snapper regs depend on where one is fishing in Florida. The state fishing regs are divided in half, with one set of regs for the Gulf Coast, and the other for the Atlantic coast.
Red Snapper on the Atlantic coast is then divided into State Waters and Federal waters. Federal waters are anything greater than 3 miles from shore. The State season for Atlantic Red Snapper is open year-round, and the fish are pretty much non-existent. Every winter maybe one kayak angler might catch one legal-sized fish(20" or larger) in my area(SE Florida). I have never taken one locally. The Federal season on the Atlantic coast is usually always closed. Maybe once a year it might get opened for a weekend. The limit is 2 fish per person in State waters, and 1 per person in Federal waters.
On the Gulf Coast of Florida, the Federal and State rules are more aligned. The season is usually a month or two in the summer, and then a few weekends are strategically chosen to improve tourism later in the year. Most of the nicest kayak taken Red Snapper are landed in the gulf at areas that are far from inlets, and thus less see less pressure from fishing boats.