Red Snapper

Red Snapper Fishing in Florida

FWC describes red snapper as long-lived, early-maturing reef fish broadly distributed in the Gulf.

Florida rules from FWC and NOAA Fisheries, checked Sep 2026

Check before you keep a fish. Seasons and limits change, sometimes in the middle of a season, and a court or an agency can change them overnight. Everything here was copied from FWC and NOAA Fisheries in Sep 2026 and is listed with its source at the bottom of this page. We are not a regulatory authority. Confirm the current rule with your captain or with FWC before you keep a fish.

Florida state record

  • 46.50 lb Destin · October 1, 1985 · Lane Nichols III

From FWC Florida Saltwater Fishing Records (All-Tackle), checked Sep 2026. Records are certified by FWC and can be broken at any time.

How big red snapper run

Federal interviewers measured 3,699 of them on charter trips between 2022–2024. The middle half ran 15.6–27.6 inches, with a median of 18.9 inches. More were put back than kept — 8,247 released against 3,113 landed — which is what a closed season or a tight limit looks like in the numbers.

  • Florida18.9" median, 3,514 measured
  • Mississippi18.7" median, 166 measured

NOAA Fisheries MRIP dockside interviews, 2022–2024. A sample of the fish boats brought in, not a total, and not a forecast for any one trip.

About the fish

SizeUp to 36 inches and 35 pounds
Where it livesOffshore near structure. Juveniles over sand or mud bottoms
What it eatsCrustaceans and fish

FWC says adults can live more than 20 years, possibly up to 60.

From FWC's species profile, checked Sep 2026.

Which rules apply to your trip

  • In the Gulf, ask the captain whether the boat holds a federal for-hire reef fish permit. It decides which season applies to your trip and whether red snapper can be kept outside Florida Gulf state waters.
  • In the Gulf, with a federal for-hire permit: the federal for-hire season applies, and while it is closed nobody aboard may fish for or keep red snapper in federal or state waters.
  • In the Gulf, without one: Florida's season applies, and the boat can only keep red snapper in Florida Gulf state waters (shore to 9 miles).
  • On a Gulf boat with a federal for-hire reef fish permit, nobody aboard may fish for or keep red snapper, in federal or state waters, while the federal for-hire season is closed.

Gulf: when you can keep one

Florida Gulf state waters run from shore to 9 miles.

  • Charter with a federal for-hire permitJune 1, 2026 until 12:01 a.m. on October 26, 2026Set by NOAA Fisheries: 147 days. While this season is closed, nobody aboard a federally permitted for-hire vessel may keep red snapper, in federal or state waters.
  • Charter without a federal permit, and private boatsMay 22 to July 31, then daily September 1 to October 4 and October 9 to 22, then Friday-to-Sunday and weekend dates through the autumn, ending with January 1 to 4, 2027Florida's own season, set by FWC. The regulations page now lists October 9-22 as daily, where a May 2026 news release had those dates as three-day weekends; the regulations page is the one FWC keeps current, so these are its dates. After that: October 23-25 and October 30 to November 1 (Friday to Sunday), November 7-8, 14-15 and 21-22 (weekends), November 26-29, December 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20 (weekends), December 25-27, and January 1-4, 2027 daily.
16 inches total lengthSize limit
2 per personDaily limit. Counted inside the 10-fish daily snapper aggregate

Atlantic: when you can keep one

Florida Atlantic state waters run from shore to 3 miles.

  • Atlantic state and federal watersOctober 9 to 22, 2026A 14-day season under a federal Exempted Fishing Permit, for private anglers and for-hire captains, in Atlantic state and federal waters. The captain declares the trip through FWC's Reporting App before leaving the dock; if you are a paying customer on a for-hire trip you do not declare one yourself. An undeclared trip cannot keep red snapper. For-hire vessels must also sign up for the free Atlantic For-Hire Reef Fish Registry. Outside these dates, red snapper cannot be kept.
20 inches total lengthSize limit
2 per personDaily limit. Counted inside the 10-fish daily snapper aggregate. During Florida's 2026 Atlantic season (October 9 to 22) the limit is 1 red snapper per person per day with no minimum size, under a federal Exempted Fishing Permit.

Gear rules

Reef fish gear requirements apply; check FWC's reef fish gear rules for the hooks and release tools required where you fish.

Questions about red snapper

Does Florida have its own red snapper rules, separate from the federal ones?

Yes. Florida sets the Gulf private recreational season itself: May 22 to July 31, then daily September 1 to October 4 and October 9 to 22, then Friday-to-Sunday and weekend dates into the new year. FWC announced 140 days in May and has since made October 9-22 daily, so read the dates rather than the count. Charters that hold a federal for-hire permit follow the federal season instead, which opened June 1 and closed at 12:01 a.m. on October 26, 2026.

Can I keep a red snapper on a Florida charter in November?

On a Gulf charter with a federal permit, no: that season closed at 12:01 a.m. on October 26, 2026, and the closure applies in state waters too. A Gulf charter without a federal permit can keep them in Florida Gulf state waters (inside 9 miles) on Florida's open days, which in November are November 1, 7-8, 14-15, 21-22 and 26-29. Captain and crew may keep none.

How big does one have to be to keep?

16 inches total length in the Gulf and 20 inches in the Atlantic under the standard rules, as listed by FWC.

How many can I take home?

In the Gulf, two per person per day, counted inside Florida's 10-per-harvester snapper aggregate; captain and crew on a charter may keep none. Recreational harvest in the Atlantic is currently closed.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits on this page were copied from FWC, snapper regulations and FWC, 2026 red snapper seasons and FWC, Atlantic red snapper state management season and NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Gulf federal for-hire season and NOAA Fisheries, South Atlantic permits halted and FWC, red snapper profile in Sep 2026. Rules change, sometimes mid-season. Check the current rule with your captain or FWC before you keep a fish.