snook fish swimming after lure
The recreational harvest season for snook starts Oct. 1 in the Charlotte Harbor and Southwest management regions. The harvest season in these two management regions will remain open through Nov. 30. This includes all Florida state and inland waters within these management regions.
Snook Season Regulations
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 person per day.
Slot limit: 28–33 inches total length.
Boundaries: The northern coastal boundary is at 27°04.727’ north latitude, near the Venice Municipal Airport, and the region extends south to 26°15.227’ north latitude, near Vanderbilt Beach Road in Collier County. Includes all waters of the Caloosahatchee, Myakka, and Peace rivers and their tributaries. Does not include Lake Okeechobee.
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 person per day.
Slot limit: 28–33 inches total length.
Boundaries: The northern boundary is at 26°15.227’ north latitude, near Vanderbilt Beach Road in Collier County, and the region extends through the Florida Keys to the Monroe/Miami-Dade county line. Includes all waters of Everglades National Park.
Snook Management
FWC states "Snook has long been a popular sportfish in Florida and its harvest has been regulated since the mid-1950s. In 1985, snook were considered severely depleted and conservative management strategies were suggested to minimize harvest and increase the chances of recovering."
Southwest Florida is an ideal place to fish for snook. Some of the top spots include shallow saltwater flats, rivers, areas right off the beach, and under bridges. When fishing, use live pinfish, small mullet, shrimp, or sardines free-lined or fished off the bottom with a fish finder rig. They take a large variety of lures based on water conditions. But beware of the snook’s razor-sharp gill covers!
Florida Has 3 Of The Top 10 Bass Fishing Lakes In The Country
The state of Florida continues to show as a top destination for fishing in the latest "Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2023." The annual rankings come from the highly regarded Bassmaster. Theyshow that when it comes to bass fishing lakes, Florida is a clear choice. And with winter approaching in the north, many will be flocking down here to Florida to fish.
In a press release, Roger Young, FWC Executive Director stated, “We take a tremendous amount of pride in managing our freshwater fisheries. The recognition of multiple Florida waterbodies in the Best Bass Lakes is a testament to our commitment to preserve the well-being of our aquatic ecosystems while promoting recreational fishing in Florida,”
Fishing is a big part of the Florida lifestyle. Whether you're out in the gulf fishing for grouper, or just passing the time at the retention pond at your Fort Myers condo. People here love to fish. But sometimes you want to hit a lake and do some bass fishing. Fortunately for us, 3 of the top 10 lakes in the U.S. for catching bass are right here in Florida.
If you're up for a road trip, number one on the Bassmaster list is the O.H. Ivie Lake. The lake is a reservoir on the Colorado and Concho Rivers, 55 miles east of San Angelo, Texas. The reservoir was formed when a dam was built in 1990. They're seeing a lot of double digit bass being pulled from there this year. Some of these spots will be best if you wait until spring. Do your research, but here's some ideas to get you started.
Here's the Florida lakes that made the top 10.
5. Fellsmere Reservoir
Sometimes known as Headwaters Lake or Lake Egan, this is a 10,000-acre manmade lake in Indian River county. This place was made to be a bass fishing lake with underwater features and am ideal habitat. Recommended lures are topwater lures and weedless soft plastic jerkbaits or stickbaits. When the lake was originally flooded, it was stocked with 1,000,000 Florida bass.
8. Orange Lake
This lake is 20 miles southeast of Gainesville. A lot of vegetation on this lake, making some areas inaccessible. The deeper areas are good fishing for largemouth bass. This lake also features a handicap-accessible pier with a fish attractor to provide for good fishing.
10. Lake Okeechobee
In the Seminole language, this literally means 'big water'. Because Lake O is so heavily affected by rainfall, it's levels vary. The current restriction "For largemouth bass only one may be 16 inches or longer in total length per angler per day, with no minimum length limit. The bag limit remains the same, at five." Because the releases of Lake O always make negative headlines here in SWFL, it's easy to forget that it's a really good spot for bass fishing.
Some Florida lakes that just missed the top 10.
Lake Tohopekaliga
Lake Toho is an 18,810-acre lake located southeast of the city of Kissimmee. The FWC has installed fish attractors, so check here for locations of the best spots.
Lake Seminole
A reservoir at the juncture of the Florida, Georgia, and Alabama state lines. 80% of this lake is in Georgia, but Florida fishers can fish up to an imaginary line. More details on that here. Beautiful place.
Lake Placid
Lake Placid has 27 freshwater lakes. Cool small town. I like it because it's not too far from here. My neighbor has a place on one of those lakes and it's a really nice change of pace from Southwest Florida.
Lake Panasoffkee
This place is more well known for it's trails, but four spring-fed creeks enter the lake which provides for some solid bass fishing. Bass as big as 8 pound on up to double digits. Just to the northwest of Orlando.
Lake Istokpoga
Lake Istokpoga is five miles northeast of Lake Placid. There's fishing resorts on the lake with accomadations. Excellent largemouth bass fishing can be done from the bank near the canal.
Lake Rousseau
West of Ocala, this is a man made reservoir on the Withlacoochee River. A real old Florida feel out here. You might even see a manatee.
Rodman Reservoir
This one comes as a recommendation from Captain Debbie Hanson, host of ESPN Reel Talk Radio. This man made lake is a premier largemouth bass fishery located in Putnam County in Northeast Florida. North of Ocala.
