Florida adds dates to fall snapper season, Alabama still open

Florida adds dates to fall snapper season, Alabama still open

Eight additional harvest days have been added to Florida’s Gulf private recreational red snapper season, allowing harvest to remain open continuously from Oct. 9 through Oct. 22. These additional days will align recreational red snapper fishing opportunities across Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The Gulf private recreational red snapper season applies to recreational anglers fishing from private vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters.
The season also applies to charter for-hire vessels that do not have a federal permit; however, these vessels are limited to fishing in Florida Gulf state waters only.
The full updated schedule for the remaining season: 2026 season is as follows: Sept. 30 – Oct. 4 (Consecutive); Oct. 9–22 (Consecutive); Oct. 23–25; Oct. 30 – Nov. 1; Nov. 7–8, 14–15, 21–22; Nov. 26–29 (Thanksgiving weekend); Dec. 5–6, 12–13, 19–20; Dec. 25–27 (Christmas weekend); Jan. 1–4, 2027.
The Alabama private and state-licensed charter red snapper season will remain open daly through December 31 or until the state quota of 664,552 pounds is reached. The final day of harvest ofr federally permitted for-hire vessels is Oct. 25. The limit is two red snapper per person, per day with a minimum of 16 inches in total length. All landings must be reported to the Alabama Dept. of Conservation via Snapper Check.
Orange Beach claims the title of the “Red Snapper Capital of the World” due to their massive charter fishing fleets and the largest artificial reef system in the United States.