Red Snapper fishing

[Deadeye]

OK, maybe not in the right forum but....

Who comes up with the red snapper season and limits? I'm not a salt water guy per say but love going when I get the chance. My cousin lives in Dauphin Island and he called me Friday to get down there. They are killing them... we caught our limit in 30 minutes (6 people fishing), 12lb average. We could have caught them all day, it was incredible. Every one of the spots we went to was the same, as fast as you could get a bait in the water... BAM!

It was like a good dove shoot, over too quickly. Are the overall red snapper numbers that low to justify a short season and limit or is this some typical government bull crap?

Dead... and blackened snapper on the big green egg was as good as any restuarant fish I've EVER had.

[deltadukman]

Who controls Red Snapper season:
The commercial fishing lobbyist, thats who.
I wish someone in the correct position could take whoever comes up with this false data to the supreme court over the deal. Its the biggest fleecing going on at the moment.

[Johnboy114]

typical government bull crap?

enough said. the gulf fisheries council believes that we recreational fisherman will catch 30-40,000 snapper everyday for 9 days straight. that means 15-20,000 people fishing every day. total and complete BS. the 9 day season is a shame, but I believe it is what is needed to bring together enough and the right people to make a change.

[mshunter77]

They are thick all over the place. Last time I went out we were throwing back anything less than 15lbs. It is just not worth the money to go get two snapper not to mentionthe weather was crap last week. This is your typical government BS. The commercial fisherman are padding the wallets of the politicians and screwing over the recreational fisherman.

[teul2]

we caught our limit in 30 minutes (6 people fishing), 12lb average. We could have caught them all day, it was incredible. Every one of the spots we went to was the same, as fast as you could get a bait in the water... BAM!

Same here on the opener.
What I have heard is that they only survey the natural reefs for fish counts. Not the artificial reefs or rigs. And what I understand is, AL has more artificial structure in the gulf than any other state. So no wonder the count is skewed.

[LawDawg]

there are literally thousands of artificial reefs and they are all full of snapper. it's nuts.

[Deltamud77]

I wish someone would ask Cochran and McDaniel what they intend to do about this issue...which is going to cost MS a lot of tourist dollars.

[TK]

It an absolute shame for the coast and the charters. I have been fishing them on my own the last 5 years and if we don't have a fish on within one minute of dropping we know our bait is gone. It was that on all five reefs I fished last week. I pray someone does something for the sake of those that make a living off them.

[Hambone]

Has CCA or any other group made any lobbying efforts to expand recreational fishing for snapper? If not, why not? Like several others have said, snapper are very prolific - there are so many, it's like expensive bream fishing. I am admittedly no authority on these issues, but it seems like the fishery could easily be opened without harming the resource.