SCDNR asks anglers to keep reporting bottom trips and released red snapper through November

South Carolina's 14-day Atlantic red snapper season ended Oct. 22, but the state Department of Natural Resources wants anglers to keep reporting. SCDNR is asking anglers to keep declaring their bottom-fishing trips and reporting their catch, including released red snapper, in the VESL app through the end of November.

This year's season ran under an exempted fishing permit, an experiment in which anglers report their own catch to give managers better data. SCDNR thanked the nearly 3,000 South Carolina anglers who signed up for the free experimental red snapper permit on GoOutdoorsSC.

The agency says data from both inside and outside the season is critical to its goal of more state-based management. NOAA Fisheries will evaluate the results of the regional effort and decide whether to provide more fishing days in December. According to The Fishing Wire, anglers who keep reporting are eligible for weekly prizes, including Shimano gear. Questions can go to redsnapper@dnr.sc.gov.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (red snapper season page), with additional details from The Fishing Wire (Nov. 2, 2026).