Social media has been awash with talk of red snapper seasons being postponed and changed, and plenty of anglers have been left confused about what it means for their summer plans. According to Captain Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard's Marina at John's Pass, Florida, the answer for Gulf Coast fishermen is simple: it doesn't mean anything at all.
"There's a lot of red snapper news and information floating around social media creating a lot of confusion, so we want to clear that up first," Hubbard said in his weekly report. "If you're a Gulf fisherman, if you're fishing the west coast of Florida, you don't have to be concerned at all. All this red snapper drama is South Atlantic, East Coast of Florida stuff."
For Gulf anglers, the calendar is locked in. The federal for-hire season — covering charter operations like Hubbard's — runs from June 1 through the end of October 25, 2026. Florida's private recreational season for anglers fishing their own boats opened separately on May 22, a distinction that catches plenty of customers out.
"People think, 'Oh, I can go out with Hubbard's and catch a red snapper starting May 22nd.' No, that's the FWC private recreational season for private anglers on private boats," Hubbard explained.
There was more good news on the regulation front. Gag grouper season is confirmed for the whole month of September, validating guidance Hubbard's had been giving for two months. "Boom, there it is, we hit the nail right on the head," he said. Triggerfish, meanwhile, stay closed through June and July.
The fishing itself has been productive. Red grouper are steady in 120 to 140 feet and deeper, mangrove snapper and yellowtail are showing on longer trips, and offshore pelagic action has produced wahoo, mahi, a sailfish and kingfish. Closer in, lane snapper are replacing hogfish as water temperatures climb.
Inshore, recent rain has flushed bait and snook into the passes and beaches, while redfish are crowding the mangroves on high tides. Hubbard relayed a tip from Captain Mike for locating them: "Look for the big fat mullet, the big meat chickens, as he calls them. If you find concentrations of big black mullet, you're going to find the redfish." Trout have pushed into 4 to 10 feet of water and tarpon are becoming more consistent along the beaches.
With a long holiday weekend and fine weather over Central West Florida, Hubbard closed with his trademark line: "If you're too busy to go fishing, you're just too darn busy."
