The 2025 private recreational and state charter Red Snapper season will begin on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in both state and federal waters for private recreational anglers and in state waters only within nine (9) miles for state charter vessels. The season will run seven days a week with a daily bag limit of four fish per person and a 16-inch total minimum length limit.

The season will remain open until recreational landings approach or reach Louisiana’s annual private recreational allocation of 894,955 pounds, as monitored on a weekly basis by LA Creel.  LA Creel is the active management method utilized by LDWF to estimate recreational and state charter harvest of fish species landed in Louisiana with the goal of providing anglers increased fishing opportunity.

“We are excited to bring back another successful Red Snapper season to our sportsmen this year,” said LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan. “Thanks to our LA Creel program, last year, Louisiana anglers experienced a historical Red Snapper season - fishing for a total of 151 days, and this year we are hoping to provide even more opportunity.”

Resident and Non-Resident Recreational Anglers:

State For-Hire Charter Vessels: 

Federal For-Hire Charter Vessels: 

All recreational offshore anglers will be subject to periodic, random LA Creel dockside surveys and associated phone/email effort surveys, as has been the case since 2014 when LA Creel began to support active management of the Red Snapper season. While these surveys are voluntary, we strongly urge your participation, as this will be the primary method for tracking harvest. The accuracy and reliability of harvest estimates depend on angler participation in LA Creel, so LDWF needs as many anglers as possible to complete both dockside and phone/email surveys.

LDWF encourages anglers to reduce barotrauma while fishing for Red Snapper and other reef fish by using descending devices to return fish to a survivable depth before being released.  Please see the LDWF website at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/barotrauma for more information.

For additional questions regarding the upcoming red snapper season, please reference our FAQs.