The recreational harvest of snook on Florida’s East Coast will be closed starting June 1, 2025. This closure affects the Northeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Southeast management regions. The season is set to reopen on October 1, 2025. These regulations apply to all Florida state and inland waters, as well as adjacent federal waters.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) employs a holistic management approach for inshore fisheries like snook. This method uses seven metrics to evaluate the fishery by region, allowing for responsive management decisions tailored to regional concerns. More information can be found at MyFWC.com/Snook.
In the Northeast region, the open season runs from February 1 to May 31 and September 1 to December 14. The closed season spans December 15 to January 31 and June 1 to August 31. The bag limit is one fish per person per day with a slot limit of 28–32 inches total length. Boundaries extend from the Florida-Georgia border southward to Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach.
For the Indian River Lagoon region, similar seasonal restrictions apply: open from February 1 to May 31 and September 1 to December 14; closed from December 15 to January 31 and June 1 to August 31. The bag limit remains one fish per person per day with a slot limit of 28–32 inches total length. This region extends from Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach southward to the Martin-Palm Beach county line.
In the Southeast region, the same open and closed seasons are observed as in other regions. The northern boundary is at the Martin-Palm Beach county line extending southward to Miami-Dade/Monroe county line.
Special regulations apply when fishing for snook in Biscayne National Park; details are available at MyFWC.com/BNP.
For further information on recreational snook regulations and annual reviews summarizing key findings from each region’s management metrics evaluation, visit MyFWC.com/Snook.
