Waterlands

Species guide · Florida

Red snapper fishing in Florida

Lutjanus campechanus, an offshore species also called American red snapper, sow snapper and chicken snapper. Listed for the Eastern Gulf and South Atlantic regions. Shoulder season, about 25 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound at 61, one of 17 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Shoulder season
Where it's scoring nowAll Florida waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

Eastern Gulf

Shoulder season, about 25 more weeks
  1. Jan: Shoulder season
  2. Feb: Shoulder season
  3. Mar: Shoulder season
  4. Apr: Shoulder season
  5. May: Peak season
  6. Jun: Peak season
  7. Jul: Peak season
  8. Aug: Peak season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Shoulder season
  11. Nov: Shoulder season
  12. Dec: Shoulder season

Peak: May to Aug. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.

Research notes, Eastern Gulf region

Year-round on Panhandle and Alabama artificial reefs and natural ledges. Telemetry shows fish higher off the bottom in summer and hugging it in winter. Regulatory: Alabama, Mississippi and Florida set private-angler seasons, mostly in summer.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

South Atlantic

Shoulder season, about 25 more weeks
  1. Jan: Shoulder season
  2. Feb: Shoulder season
  3. Mar: Shoulder season
  4. Apr: Shoulder season
  5. May: Peak season
  6. Jun: Peak season
  7. Jul: Peak season
  8. Aug: Peak season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Shoulder season
  11. Nov: Shoulder season
  12. Dec: Shoulder season

Peak: May to Aug. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.

Research notes, South Atlantic region

Common on ledges and live bottom from Northeast Florida to the Carolinas. Regulatory: the recreational harvest season has been a few days in July (July 11-12 in 2025); release fish with a descending device the rest of the year.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 17

Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's red snapper score this hour.

1
61Good
Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 6 PM (66) · 126 named spots

2
61Good
Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (66) · 39 named spots

3
61Good
St. Andrews Bay Waterways

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 5 PM (65) · 79 named spots

4
60Good
Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sun, Nov 8 at 4 PM (66) · 22 named spots

5
60Good
Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (65) · 24 named spots

6
60Good
Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (63) · 46 named spots

7
60Good
Tampa Bay waters

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (65) · 195 named spots

8
59Good
Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 5 PM (64) · 13 named spots

9
59Good
Western Choctawhatchee Bay

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 5 PM (63) · 23 named spots

10
58Good
Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (68) · 131 named spots

11
58Good
Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Tue, Nov 3 at 7 AM (65) · 92 named spots

12
57Good
Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Mon, Nov 9 at 12 AM (63) · 4 named spots

13
55Good
Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (55) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (65) · 20 named spots

14
54Good
Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (54) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 6 PM (66) · 81 named spots

15
54Good
Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (54) · Best day Thu, Nov 5 at 8 AM (63) · 88 named spots

16
53Good
Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (53) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (65) · 49 named spots

17
53Good
Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (53) · Best day Sat, Nov 7 at 4 PM (62) · 21 named spots

How and where it feeds

Water temperature
Feeds from 58°F to 86°F, best between 64°F and 80°F.
Water depth
40 to 350 ft of water.
Structure
Reef, wreck, ledge, bank and pinnacle, in that order of preference.
Tide and current
Prefers moving water, with light current.Tide stage matters little offshore. Light current carries chum to the fish and lets baits hold near the structure; strong current makes it hard to stay on a small reef or wreck.
Light
Some lift around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
Pressure
Little response to pressure changes.
Wind and sea limits
20 kt of wind and 5 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.

Methods
bottom fishing, chumming, drifting, vertical jigging
Lures
butterfly jigs, bucktail jigs tipped with squid, flat-fall jigs
Bait
cigar minnows, Spanish sardines, squid, cut menhaden, live pinfish

Regulations

FWC saltwater regulations Buy a Florida fishing license License types

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Oct 31, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.

Gulf(private recreational)Retention open

2 per day (10 snapper combined) · Minimum 16 in, total length

Season: Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2026

Changes to closed on Nov 2, 2026

Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.

FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers · verified Sep 13, 2026

Monroe County (Gulf side)(private recreational)Retention open

2 per day (10 snapper combined) · Minimum 16 in, total length

Season: Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2026

Changes to closed on Nov 2, 2026

Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida. In Monroe County, FWC applies these Gulf rules north and west of U.S. Highway 1 (Florida Bay and the bay side of the Keys).

FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers · verified Sep 13, 2026

Federal waters (Gulf)(private recreational)Retention openFederal

2 per day · Minimum 16 in, total length

Season: Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2026

Changes to closed on Nov 2, 2026

Private vessels only. Sign up for Florida's State Reef Fish Survey before fishing. You must also follow the rules of the state where you land. FWC set this season for Gulf state and federal waters off Florida. Off Florida, fishing is closed year-round in the Madison and Swanson sites and Steamboat Lumps, and January through April in the Edges, except for highly migratory species such as tunas and billfish (50 CFR 622.34(a)).

FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, Gulf of America red snapper · verified Sep 13, 2026

Federal waters (Atlantic)Catch & releaseFederal

No retention

Season: Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2026

No 2026 recreational season has opened. Florida's state-run season under a federal exempted fishing permit was stopped by a court order on May 21, 2026, and NOAA rescinded the permit. NOAA says any opening will come by separate notice, and Florida has applied for a new permit. When a federal season opens, the bag limit is 1 fish and there is no minimum size. The snapper-grouper fishery itself stays open, so red snapper may be caught and released: 50 CFR 622.181(c)(2) prohibits retention, not fishing.

NOAA Fishery Bulletin FB26-034, 2026 South Atlantic red snapper seasons · verified Sep 13, 2026

Check regulations No reviewed red snapper rule on file in Atlantic and Monroe County (Atlantic side). Check with FWC.

Other Florida species