The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced that the recreational harvest season for snook will open on September 1 in all east coast management regions, including Southeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Northeast, as well as most west coast regions such as Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, and Sarasota Bay. The open season applies to all state and inland waters within each management region.
For the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, and Sarasota Bay management regions, the harvest season will remain open through November 30. In the Southeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Northeast regions, the season will continue until December 14.
According to FWC, these management regions are part of a holistic approach designed to manage Florida’s popular inshore fisheries. The agency uses seven metrics to evaluate each fishery by region. This allows FWC to respond more effectively to local concerns. Additional information is available at MyFWC.com/Snook.
Specific regulations vary by region:
- In the Panhandle region—stretching from the Florida-Alabama border to Franklin County near Alligator Point—the open seasons are March 1–April 30 and September 1–November 30. The bag limit is one fish per person per day with a slot limit of 28–33 inches total length.
- The Big Bend region runs from Franklin County near Alligator Point south to Fred Howard Park at the Pasco-Pinellas county line. Regulations mirror those of the Panhandle.
- For Tampa Bay (Fred Howard Park south to State Road 64 in Manatee County) and Sarasota Bay (State Road 64 south to near Venice Municipal Airport), rules are consistent with other west coast regions.
- On the east coast: Southeast covers Martin-Palm Beach county line south to Miami-Dade/Monroe county line; Indian River Lagoon stretches from New Smyrna Beach south to Martin-Palm Beach county line; Northeast extends from the Florida-Georgia border down to New Smyrna Beach. These areas have an open season from February 1–May 31 and September 1–December 14 with a bag limit of one fish per person per day and a slot limit of 28–32 inches total length.
Boundaries for each region define where certain river systems or water bodies are included or excluded from regulations.
The FWC provides additional details on recreational snook regulations—including annual reviews that summarize key findings for each management region—at MyFWC.com/Snook.