The 2024 private recreational Red Snapper season will begin on Monday, April 15, 2024, in both state and federal waters. 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 934,587 pounds.


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. 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.

Those who fish for Red Snapper will also have the option to electronically report their catch via the ROLP mobile and desktop version of the ROLP website. LDWF hopes that voluntary use of electronic reporting will provide the Department with a larger sample size than standard dockside and telephone sampling, possibly improving the quality of recreational landings data to make future management recommendations. If you opt into voluntary electronic reporting, you may also be contacted to participate in LA Creel.

LDWF also 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 or voluntary electronic reporting, please reference our FAQs.