Red Snapper season

[Limitless]

On April 16th the FWC will meet in Tallahassee and consider the ARS season for 2015. The rule proposal that will be before them is:

to begin the Saturday before Memorial Day through July 12, the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of Labor Day weekend, and weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) in September and October. When October 31 falls on a Saturday, the last day of harvest would be Sunday, November 1. This would result in a 70 day season for 2015.

It is anticipated that they will vote to implement those dates. Remember you will need to have your Gulf Reef Fish Angler portion of your license. I know that issue has been thoroughly debated, discussed and cussed on here, so I wont add much other than it is merely a registry of Gulf anglers that may be contacted to participate in a voluntary survey. Hopefully that will allow FWC to have more accurate data than the crap the feds use.

[Salty Gator]

Good news, although a longer state season doesn't mean much around here.

[EddieJoe]

Good news, although a longer state season doesn't mean much around here.

Yes, mostly it's for show. If the State wanted to really do something significant for all Gulf of Mexico snapper anglers, their Gulf Council Members would have voted to change the allocation and voted against sector separation. As a group, they did neither.

Sector separation was approved, which basically cuts the probable federal individual recreational snapper season by half. We shall see, but it could be only a day or two, or maybe nothing. The rest goes to commercial, or for-profit fishing.

Round here there is not much snapper fishing in state waters until parts west of Mexico Beach.

EJ

[Limitless]

Actually sector separation has not yet had final approval by NOAA.

I have numbers in state waters out of C'belle that produce ARS pretty consistently.

Quit bitchin and trailer or run west.

Geez you guys want it on a platter. Try Bonefish Grill.

[zload]

Actually sector separation has not yet had final approval by NOAA.

I have numbers in state waters out of C'belle that produce ARS pretty consistently.

Quit bitchin and trailer or run west.

Geez you guys want it on a platter. Try Bonefish Grill.

Usually go to MB every year, by the time I pay the gas, food and hotel bills and get to fish 1 out of every three days (winds usually kills us whenever we go because we are forced to follow a calendar vs. the weather) I could eat a fillet at Ruth's Chris with all the fixins cheaper than that ARS I caught. It would at least be nice to run out to some of the deeper reefs rather than join the flotilla at the inside 9 mile reefs.

But heck just PM me your C'belle numbers and I'll check them out and see if you have a valid point

Saw Saltwater Cowboys on TV this past Sunday and watching the commercial guy haul up "endangered" red snapper of all sizes and toss them in the cooler was pretty aggravating, even my wife asked why they could keep ARS but we couldn't. If they are truly endangered and the NOAA job is to protect the resource then the first cut should be the commercial harvest, once "sustainable" numbers are reached then recreational since they are allegedly a public resource. Seems to me that it is backwards to say a species is endangered and allow commercial but not recreational take (or severely limit).

I thought the post a few weeks back comparing how wild game is handled vs. fish was on point from a "Public" resource perspective.

[Salty Gator]

I'd be happy to help check those state water numbers also.
Seriously, it is a step in the right direction, and a huge plus for the panhandle. It's an 80 mile run as the crow flies from the mouth of the st marks river to cape San blas. Probably at least a 200 mile round trip to get into good snapper waters. A little far for us to run for 2 snapper each. Trailering is an option, but not as nice as being able to run straight to v to get a few. No bitching here, I appreciate ANY increase in season we had over last year, but it's nothing to get to excited about ( yet, fingers crossed)

[EddieJoe]

Actually sector separation has not yet had final approval by NOAA.

I have numbers in state waters out of C'belle that produce ARS pretty consistently.

Quit bitchin and trailer or run west.

Geez you guys want it on a platter. Try Bonefish Grill.

If the feds fail to approve sector separation I would have a heart attack, or at least a minor stroke. They have wanted it for a long time, as it is one of their favorite tactics elsewhere. And bonefish grill is exactly what the feds have delivered as an alternative, or maybe asking the fish house clerk to fish the ARS out of the ice. That isn't the fishing I like, personally.

No more trailer, it rusted out and was sold. Am in dry storage in Carrabelle (which I like very much) and am not complaining about that. Just stating what I believe to be the facts: a decently long state ARS season is not a bad thing on the face of it, but it doesn't do all that much good. In fact, it will probably shorten the federal season, if that is possible, and it fails to take on the harder step of dealing with federal seasons. Remember, it is nearly the same people (or their appointees) that are: 1)voting to approve the status quo on federal recreational/commercial allocations (they have done this year after year after year) 2)setting aside half (roughly) of the federal recreational quota for other profit making fishing, and 3)proposing a longer, but mostly symbolic, state season. It's playing fish politics to a great extent.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it. And, by the way, I wouldn't trailer that far west for two snapper even if I had a trailer. Just personal preference and I'm not that desperate.

And, I have some numbers in state waters off Carrabelle that sometimes produce ARS of legal size, but usually smallish. Farther west is best, but it gets to be a long haul, again for a maybe couple of little ARS. Later on in the season, the same numbers only produce sharks, in the zillions, usually. On the other hand, if I went the same distance, but more offshore in fed waters, I can catch all of the nice sized ARS I want in no time, near all of the time.

No matter what, despite my griping, I will not cheat on the regulations although it is tempting, because LE is non-existent.

EJ