Southwest Florida Snook Season Ends May 1st
The spring Southwest Florida snook season is wrapping up. Recreational harvest of snook for Florida’s west coast will close May 1st.
The recreational harvest season will reopen Sept. 1, in the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay regions. The recreational harvest season will reopen Oct. 1, in the Charlotte Harbor and Southwest regions. This includes all Florida state and inland waters as well as adjacent federal waters within each management region.
These regions and regulations are part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) holistic management approach for Florida’s most popular inshore fisheries. Through this approach, seven metrics are used to evaluate the fishery by region, adding a holistic perspective to management decisions and allowing the FWC to be more responsive to regional concerns. To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Snook.
- 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 person per day.
- Slot limit: 28–33 inches total length.
Other Snook Regulations
No commercial harvest or sale of snook is permitted.
Must remain in whole condition until landed ashore.
When on a for-hire trip, captain and crew may not retain a bag limit.
Allowable Gear: Hook and line only
License Requirements: Snook permit and recreational fishing license.
In 2023, FWC adopted a new regional management approach for snook that brings a holistic view to management decisions by using multiple metrics (SPR, relative abundance, habitat, harmful algal blooms, fishing effort, temperature, and stakeholder feedback) to evaluate the fishery on a smaller regional scale. Each year, FWC will evaluate the snook fishery in each management region using these metrics, and key findings will be summarized in “Annual Review” publications.
The Southwest Florida area is widely known as one of the best places for snook fishing. Once one is hooked they put up a spirited fight and are one of the more sought after fish in our area. The Southwest Florida snook season will reopen on October 1st.
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