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Florida fishing: Red snapper season ends as spiny lobster mini-season begins July 26-27

ed killer, treasure coast newspapers
·4 min read

One mini-season ends and before you know it, another one will begin.

Red snapper fishing season — all two days of it — is behind us now. It'll be a year before everyone on the Treasure Coast has to break out their best red snapper rigs and techniques again.

Based on Facebook posts and direct texts to this reporter, it looked to me like y'all had a pretty banner season. I saw many boats that recorded limits on both days, and many more added mangrove snapper and mutton snapper by heading to shallower spots after they scored their limits.

Next up on the sportsman's calendar is the two-day lobster mini-season on July 26-27. Remember, it's a six-bug limit for those going to the Florida Keys, but for those who choose to stay home, the limit is 12 per person per day.

Good luck and be safe.

J.J. Klarmann of Oh Boy charters in Stuart scored red snapper July 15, 2023 off Stuart.
J.J. Klarmann of Oh Boy charters in Stuart scored red snapper July 15, 2023 off Stuart.

Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:

  • Lobster: Season closed April 1. Two-day sport season (mini-season) opens July 26-27. Regular season opens Aug. 6.

  • Snook: Harvest closed June 1. Reopens Sept. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required.

  • Grouper: Harvest opened May 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1, 2024.

  • Hogfish: Harvest opened May 1. Harvest closes from Nov. 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024.

  • Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length.

  • Spotted seatrout: Harvest opened Jan. 1 in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Harvest closes November and December 2023.

  • Redfish: Harvest of redfish is banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon beginning Sept. 1. FWC will reevaluate later in the year.

  • Alligator: Hunt season opens Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.

  • Dolphin: Bag limit is five fish per day per angler. Vessel limit is 30 fish per day. Captain and crew may not be included in limit. These fishing regulations began on May 1, 2022, for state waters.

  • Tilefish: Harvest opened on Jan. 1.

  • Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch-and-release.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.

Indian River County

Offshore: Capt. Terry Wildey of Big Easy fishing charters out of Capt Hiram's Resort in Sebastian steered clients to two days worth of limits on red snapper to 20 pounds in 90 feet of water. Mangrove snapper, kingfish and cobia are possible offshore catches right now, too.

Inshore: Snook season is closed to harvest until Sep. 1 and the fish seem to know it. At Sebastian Inlet, around the bridges in Vero Beach and along the mangrove shorelines, snook seem to be the predominant species feeding on a variety of baits. Live sardines, shrimp or swim baits are all catching fish.

Freshwater: Bluegill fishing at Stick Marsh and Blue Cypress has been best on live crickets. Fish around the cypress knees or over brush piles.

St. Lucie County

Offshore: Offshore charters such as Savage Pursuit, Little Adam, Miss Fort Pierce, Shock Leader, S & K Fisheries, Pullin Drag and more got in on the red snapper season. Every boat recorded limits both days they fished showing how prolific the fishery is. Most of the action was in 90-120 feet of water on clipped live baits or dead sardines. Some of those same reefs will be good places for advanced dives to seek spiny lobsters.

Inshore: Cubera snapper to 15 pounds, mangrove snapper, catch and release snook, goliath grouper and trout can be caught around docks and bridge pilings in the Fort Pierce area using live pilchards, mullet and shrimp. Tarpon can be caught during the incoming tide around the mouth of the inlet or the Turning Basin.

Surf: Whiting has been the main catch with catch and release snook mixed in during the high tide. Most of the action is near the trough.

Martin County

Offshore: J.J. Klarmann of Oh Boy fishing charters, Chaos Fishing Charters and Floridian fishing charters all recorded limits during the two day red snapper mini-season. With season over, they will shift their attention to mutton snapper, mangrove snapper and lane snapper in shallower reefs from 70 feet in. Summer sailfish action remains excellent with free jumpers all around in 80-120 feet of water.

Inshore: Catch and release snook action continues to dominate the catch in the rivers and around the inlet. Live pilchards are almost to easy and are best used with circle hooks so the fish do not get gut hooked. Plenty of fish can be caught on jigs and in shallow water on topwater plugs.

Lake Okeechobee

The lake is fishing steady for bass and bream anglers, according to Capt. Angie Douthit. Wild shiners are always a bait bass cannot resist. But Douthit said plenty of bites have been coming on artificial lures like popping frogs, topwaters worked slowly, jigs, worms and swim baits. Remember to slow down retrieve since high water temperature saps energy from the fish causing them to strike more slowly.

Ed Killer is the fishing writer for TCPalm. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida fishing: Red snapper season ends as lobster mini-season begins