Keith Lusher 04.16.24
The 2024 recreational Red Snapper season kicks off on Monday, April 15 for Louisiana anglers who fish in both state and federal waters. I recently made a trip to the Gulf in search of Wahoo and from the looks of it, it’s going to be a stellar season!
After trolling a few rigs we made a stop to do a little reconnaissance in order to estimate which rigs would be productive on opening day of Red Snapper.
After visiting numerous rigs the team and I were able to spot several large schools of “Red’s” hunkering along the bottom. I have to admit that I am always gauging snapper to see if the increased limits have hurt the population but from the looks of it, there are more red snapper than I’ve seen in the last few years.
The 2024 Red Snapper season will run seven days for anglers harvesting snapper in both state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. The bag limit has also been increased from three to four fish per person at a 16-inch total minimum length limit.
Red Snapper regulations have come a long way from 2022 when the maximum harvest for red snapper was 809,315 pounds. The updated allowable harvest in 2024 is 934,587 pounds with a daily bag limit of three fish. Fishermen were also limited to fishing on three days per weekend. (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
Newly installed Secretary of LDWF Madison Sheahan touted the Red Snapper management. “We are excited about the success of Red Snapper fishing season for our private recreational anglers. The effectiveness of our Red Snapper management approach proves our ability to offer the best access for our anglers in federal waters. Our commitment is to serving the state’s sportsman by identifying where we can expand our management programs while actively working with our partners through the Gulf Council.”
The season will remain open until recreational landings approach or reach Louisiana’s annual private recreational allocation of 934,587 pounds.
