Schoolmaster SnapperorMangrove Snapper
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
Schoolmaster Snapper
Snapper with 8 pale vertical bars, a blue streak under the eye, and every fin yellow.
Mangrove Snapper
Gray-bronze with reddish tinge, two canine fangs up top, dark stripe through the eye on juveniles.
Mangrove snapper, next to schoolmaster snapper: darker, no bars, red-brown cast.
Side by side
| Schoolmaster Snapper | Mangrove Snapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lutjanus apodus | Lutjanus griseus |
| Also called | — | Gray snapper, Mango |
| Waters | Nearshore | Nearshore |
| Heaviest state record | 3.69 lb · Florida (2024) | 18.67 lb · Texas (1998) |
| On the table | Good — typical snapper. | Excellent. |
| Rules of its own in | 6 states | 10 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 8 of 10 states with a rule for either. In Alabama, schoolmaster snapper is No size limit, 20-fish reef fish aggregate and mangrove snapper is 12 in total length minimum, 10 per person. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Schoolmaster Snapper: size · bag · season | Mangrove Snapper: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No size limit20-fish reef fish aggregateOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · likely · checked | 12 in total length minimum10 per personOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | 10 in TL min10 per person (within 10-snapper aggregate)Open year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked | 10 in TL min5 per person within 10-snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | 10 in TL min10 per person (within 10-snapper aggregate)Open year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked | 10 in TL min5 per person within 10-snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Georgia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in total length10 per person per day within 10-snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFederal rule (South Atlantic federal waters)SAFMC / NOAA SERO 2026 · checked |
| Louisiana | No size limit10 per person in snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenLDWF 2026 · likely · checked | 12 in total length10 per person in snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenLDWF 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | No size limit20 aggregate; max 10 of any one speciesOpen year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked | No size limit20 aggregate; max 10 of any one speciesOpen year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Mississippi | 12 in total length minimum10 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked | 12 in total length minimum10 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in total length10 per person per day within 10-snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFederal rule (South Atlantic federal waters)SAFMC / NOAA SERO 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in total length10/day snapper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Texas | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in total lengthWithin 10-snapper aggregate (10 snappers combined per person per day)Open year-roundOpenFederal rule (Gulf federal waters)NOAA SERO 2026 / Gulf Council 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, schoolmaster snapper or mangrove snapper, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell schoolmaster snapper from mangrove snapper?
Schoolmaster Snapper: Snapper with 8 pale vertical bars, a blue streak under the eye, and every fin yellow. Mangrove Snapper: Gray-bronze with reddish tinge, two canine fangs up top, dark stripe through the eye on juveniles. Mangrove snapper, next to schoolmaster snapper: darker, no bars, red-brown cast.
Which gets bigger, schoolmaster snapper or mangrove snapper?
Mangrove Snapper. The heaviest state record we hold is 18.67 lb in Texas; the heaviest schoolmaster snapper record is 3.69 lb in Florida.
Which is better to eat, schoolmaster snapper or mangrove snapper?
Schoolmaster Snapper: Good — typical snapper. Mangrove Snapper: Excellent.
Do schoolmaster snapper and mangrove snapper have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 8 state rulebooks. Alabama: schoolmaster snapper No size limit, 20-fish reef fish aggregate, mangrove snapper 12 in total length minimum, 10 per person; Florida (Atlantic): schoolmaster snapper 10 in TL min, 10 per person (within 10-snapper aggregate), mangrove snapper 10 in TL min, 5 per person within 10-snapper aggregate; Florida (Gulf): schoolmaster snapper 10 in TL min, 10 per person (within 10-snapper aggregate), mangrove snapper 10 in TL min, 5 per person within 10-snapper aggregate; Louisiana: schoolmaster snapper No size limit, 10 per person in snapper aggregate, mangrove snapper 12 in total length, 10 per person in snapper aggregate; Georgia: schoolmaster snapper no rule of its own, mangrove snapper 12 in total length, 10 per person per day within 10-snapper aggregate; and more in the table on this page.