Good News

[biggun]

Fall red snapper season tentatively set to reopen Nov. 20 in state waters..

U can read below. For Hire Guides didn't come close to catching their alottment.

Randy Pausina, head of fisheries for LDWF, said while LA Creel estimates show recreational fishermen landed 763,248 pounds of snapper through Sept. 8 when the state season ended, charter boats caught 230,715 pounds during their 45-day season — only 68 percent of their target allocation.

And since charter boat captains — as Federal Reef Fish Permit holders — are prevented from fishing in state waters because of Amendment 30B, Pausina wants Louisiana’s recreational anglers to harvest the fish before the end of the year.

“It’s the only option I have,” Pausina said. “I can’t give them back to the charter guys in any way, shape or form. Those fish would essentially be lost for Louisiana, so I’m just going to open it and let the rec guys go get them.

“They’re Louisiana’s fish.”

Even though charter captains were granted a 45-day federal season as part of sector separation — while recreational anglers were permitted to fish in federal waters only nine days — Pausina said LA Creel estimates indicate charter boats came up well short of their 338,548-pound allocation.

“They fished for 45 days and got a lot of trips, and it was definitely a good thing for them — better than the nine days the recs got stiffed with,” Pausina said. “But the reality is, I told them all along, ‘You’re still getting screwed because if I managed it, I’d give you a hundred-and-something days.

“‘I’d give you your fish. Not some crystal ball to the future.’”

Right now, the season is tentatively set to reopen on Friday, Nov. 20 and run seven days a week through the end of the year with the same creel, possession and size limits, he said.

Reopening a fall season for recreational anglers in state waters validates the LA Creel program’s ability to compile accurate, up-to-the-minute harvest information, he said.

“Everything we do is for a point, and the point is that real time management can be done, no matter what NOAA says, and no matter what the idiots on the Gulf Council vote,” Pausina said. “Louisiana is not just going to sit around and talk about it. We’re just showing it all the time.”

[redroaster]

doesn't help us over here out of Cameron

[speck-addict]

Originally Posted by redroaster

doesn't help us over here out of Cameron

you'd be surprised

[meaux fishing]

Originally Posted by speck-addict

you'd be surprised

Especially in the winter

[Mako19]

So in the winter, or fall, it is easier to find red snapper in more shallow water closer in?

A few years back we made a trip in October when a hurricane came through during the federal snapper season and they gave us a week or two fall season.

That is the only trip that we have ever went on when we didn't catch our snapper limit with ease. It only happened 1 day that we didn't catch our limit but even on the other days the fishing was a lot slower than what we were used to in the summer.

In the fall the shrimp boats are in close and you can try for tuna before or after you catch your snapper which is a big bonus.

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by redroaster

doesn't help us over here out of Cameron issed:issed:

We could have filled the boat up out Cameron last October. Could keep them off our lines.

[Mako19]

Originally Posted by marshrunner757

We could have filled the boat up out Cameron last October. Could keep them off our lines.

In state waters?

[marshrunner757]

First stop was within state waters. I don't get to offshore often but the guy I went with said he couldn't believe how many there were. We ended up finding some AJ and dolphin at 20-40 miles out. Water was like glass and he was running 50+. Fun trip

[AcadianaProp]

Sure do miss the days when we got to go out. Now we work to darn hard. We turned our hobby into a passion. Funny how that works.