AUSTIN- The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal water opens Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Bag and size limits will remain unchanged. The regulations are 2 fish per person daily with a 16-inch minimum size limit in federal waters, and 4 fish per person daily with a 15-inch minimum in state waters. Red snapper caught in federal waters count as part of the state bag limit of 4 fish. No more than 4 red snapper may be in your possession while fishing in state waters and no more than 2 in federal waters.

Since 2018, the National Marine Fisheries Service has granted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) the authority to establish the opening and closing of the red snapper fishery in federal waters off the Texas coast for private recreational anglers fishing from their own vessels. The federally permitted for-hire sector continues to be managed in its current structure set by the federal government.

While the season length is still being determined by Coastal Fisheries Division biologists, the public will be notified through the TPWD’s website, social media accounts and news releases.