Florida's recreational snook harvest closes Dec. 1 on west coast and Dec.15 on east coast

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

The recreational harvest season for snook closes Dec. 1 in all west coast snook management regions (Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Southwest) and on Dec. 15 in all east coast snook management regions (Southeast, Indian River Lagoon and Northeast). This includes all Florida state and inland waters within each management region, as well as adjacent federal waters.

The regional management regions are part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) holistic management approach for Florida’s most popular inshore fisheries. This approach uses seven metrics to evaluate the fishery by region, allowing the FWC to be more responsive to local concerns. To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Snook.

map of florida showing nine snook management regions

Panhandle
Open Season: March 1 – April 30 and Sept. 1 – Nov. 30.
Closed Season: Dec. 1 – end of February and May 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-33 inches total length.

Big Bend
Open Season: March 1 – April 30 and Sept. 1 – Nov. 30.
Closed Season: Dec. 1 – end of February and May 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-33 inches total length.

Tampa Bay
Open Season: March 1 – April 30 and Sept. 1 – Nov. 30.
Closed Season: Dec. 1 – end of February and May 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-33 inches total length.

Sarasota Bay
Open Season: March 1 – April 30 and Sept. 1 – Nov. 30.
Closed Season: Dec. 1 – end of February and May 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-33 inches total length.

Charlotte Harbor
Open Season: March 1 – April 30 and Oct. 1 – Nov. 30.
Closed Season: Dec. 1 – end of February and May 1 – Sept. 30.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-33 inches total length.

Southwest
Open Season: March 1 – April 30 and Oct. 1 – Nov. 30.
Closed Season: Dec. 1 – end of February and May 1 – Sept. 30.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-33 inches total length.

Southeast
Open Season: Feb. 1 – May 31 and Sept. 1 – Dec. 14.
Closed Season: Dec. 15 – Jan. 31 and June 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-32 inches total length.

Indian River Lagoon
Open Season: Feb. 1 – May 31 and Sept. 1 – Dec. 14.
Closed Season: Dec. 15 – Jan. 31 and June 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-32 inches total length.

Northeast
Open Season: Feb. 1 – May 31 and Sept. 1 – Dec. 14.
Closed Season: Dec. 15 – Jan. 31 and June 1 – Aug. 31.
Bag Limit: One fish per day per person.
Slot Limit: 28-32 inches total length.