Chartered Fishing Trips

[newb]

Thinking of booking a trip during snapper season this year. Anybody have any recommendations or personal experience with any individual charter company?

[moganman]

Most of the guys are the same. Cheapest way to go is a party boat but if you want more privacy, book a private guide. No experience with private charters. Party boats are best to book way in advance and tell them you want your rig to be at back of the boat. It's less congested and you get to cast to Cobia and the like. Fishing on the side of the boat just sucks.

[johnnymisty]

Galveston party boats are pretty good just be at the back of the boat or as close as possible as for private charters never done that but if going for snapper on a private charter go outta freeport you hit the shelf for deeper water alot faster so youll get more fishing time on the more expensive private boats

[moganman]

Whatever you do, take your own bait. All they have for free is squid. I normally go to a bait shop and get some mullet, cigar minnows, and mackerel.

[tbui1178]

Chartered Fishing Trips

If you can, go to Venice LA. Snapper season is only 12 days this year in Texas so make arrangements now.

[moganman]

WTH!? They change the length of snapper season pretty much every year, depending on the fish surveys and weather. But 12 days is pretty short. That's crazy.

[newb]

Where did you read that Thomas??? I just it was June 1 through July 15.

[fshfrk]

727/824-5305, FAX 727/824-5308
NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes to the Recreational
Red Snapper Season in the Gulf of Mexico
On March 25, 2013, a temporary emergency rule will
publish in the Federal Register that gives NOAA
Fisheries the authority to set separate closure dates for
the recreational red snapper season in federal waters off
individual Gulf of Mexico states. The closure dates will
depend on whether state regulations are consistent with
federal regulations for the recreational red snapper
season length or bag limit. This action was requested by
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council at their
February meeting to provide a fairer and more equitable
distribution of recreational red snapper fishing
opportunities among anglers in all the Gulf of Mexico
states.
The federal recreational season for Gulf of Mexico red
snapper begins June 1 each year with a 2-fish bag limit.
The length of the season is determined by the amount of
the quota, the average weight of fish landed, and the
estimated catch rates over time. NOAA Fisheries is
responsible for ensuring the entire recreational harvest,
including harvest in state waters, does not exceed the
recreational quota. Therefore, if states establish a longer
season or a larger bag limit for state waters than the
federal regulations allow in federal waters, the federal
season must be adjusted to account for the additional
harvest expected in state waters.
If all states were to implement consistent regulations, the
2013 recreational season would be 28 days, assuming
the recreational quota is increased to 4.145 million
pounds through separate rule-making. However, Texas,
Louisiana, and Florida have indicated they will
implement inconsistent red snapper regulations for their
state waters. Therefore, without this emergency rule, the
2013 federal season would be reduced to 22 days to
compensate for that additional expected harvest.
This emergency rule allows NOAA Fisheries to
calculate the recreational red snapper fishing season
separately in the EEZ off each state to account for any
inconsistency of regulations in state waters. Based on
the expected regulations for Texas, Louisiana, and
Florida, the preliminary season lengths would be as
follows: Texas, 12 days; Louisiana, 9 days; Mississippi
and Alabama, 28 days; and Florida, 21 days. The
method for calculating these dates can be found in a
report (SERO-LAPP-2013-02) at

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fish

eries/red_snapper/documents/pdfs/2013_red_snapper_e
mergency_regs.pdf. NOAA Fisheries will officially
announce the closure dates through a separate
Southeast Fishery Bulletin.
All other federal regulations for recreational red snapper
are still in effect. In particular, if federal regulations for
red snapper are more restrictive than state regulations, a
person aboard a vessel for which a federal
charter/headboat permit for Gulf reef fish has been
issued must comply with federal regulations regardless
of where the fish are harvested. Relative to this
emergency rule, that means if the federal waters off a
particular state are closed for recreational red snapper
harvest, then vessels with a federal charter/headboat
permit may not harvest red snapper in those state waters
even if the waters off the vessel’s home state are still
open.
The emergency rule, a map showing federal waters off
each state, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions are
on the NOAA Fisheries Web site:

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fish

eries/reef_fish/2013/rs_er/index.html.
To receive fishery bulletins via email, please sign up
through Constant Contact at http://bit.ly/HQDUEU.
You may also sign up for Constant Contact by visiting
our website http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov (sign-up option is
located on the left side of the page). The electronic copy
of the bulletin will be delivered to you faster than the
paper copy, is in color, features informational links, and
reduces paper use.