In 2025, Florida's Gulf red snapper recreational season for private anglers is scheduled to be open for a total of 126 days, marking the longest season since state management began! Let's make sure we are prepared to hit the water for as many days as possible and have all our gear in order.

From our new Ikara jigs to a proper fillet knife. This is a specially picked list from our Florida staff for our Florida Anglers. Efficiency on the water is as important as time on the water. So, make sure you have the right gear and make the most of the limited time on the water we have.

The Ikara Jigs have been making a huge splash in the slow pitching scene and we've seen some great success of people taking them out on the water to target the red snapper along with a wide variety of other fish.

We recommend any color really but matching the match is always a good start. I personally love the Psycho Mackerel color and since it's a little deeper water the 80g or 60g are the best. Later this year we will have even larger sizes for deeper drops as well! So keep an eye out for that.

Whether you're fishing reefs or wrecks the importance of strong abrasion resistant line is by far the most important element to look for in a line. GT4 offers a superior abrasion resistance and allows you to make you bring that fish onboard.

We recommend anywhere from 30-60lb line when targeting these fish.

Pointy pointy...gaffs are always a needed tool on the boat just in case a kraken decides to show up. But once you get those fish up to the surface the proper tools whether a landing net or a gaff is needed.

We recommended something with a 2-inch hook, this allows minimal damage to the flesh when hooking the fish. With meat that good you want to make sure it's well taken care of.

While you should always have a good strong knife on board at all times in case of pirates. You'll need one for all the fish you're landing with our gaffs and line too. The only reason you wouldn't need a fillet knife is if you're not catching fish...but that's unlike you so make sure you have one on board.

If you are looking for a knife it's especially important to have one with a spoon on the end so that you can have something to eat the fish with once you're done filleting it. But really the spoon is there to scrape off any excess meat between the bones.