Recreational harvest of snook for most of Florida’s east coast will open Feb. 1

For immediate release: Jan. 24, 2024
Media contact: Emily Abellera, Emily.Abellera@MyFWC.com 

Suggested Tweet: Recreational harvest of #snook in Northeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Southeast regions will open 2/1: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/386b93d @MyFWC #Florida #fishing 

Recreational harvest of snook for most of Florida’s east coast will open Feb. 1 

The recreational harvest of snook in the Northeast, Indian River Lagoon and Southeast  management regions will open Feb. 1, and remain open through May 31. 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. 

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 person per day

Slot limit: 28–32 inches total length

Boundaries: The northern coastal boundary is at the Florida-Georgia border and the region extends south to the Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach. Includes all inland waters of the area colored yellow on the map, and the waters of the St. Johns River and its tributaries. Does not include the waters of the Withlacoochee and Kissimmee rivers, Cypress Lake, and lakes Hatchineha and Kissimmee.

 

 

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 person per day

Slot limit: 28–32 inches total length

Boundaries: The northern coastal boundary is at Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach and the region extends south to the Martin-Palm Beach county line. Includes all inland waters of the area colored yellow on the map, and all waters of the Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee and other lakes identified on the map with blue hatch. Does not include the waters of Loxahatchee and St. Johns rivers and their tributaries.

 

 

Southeast

Visit MyFWC.com/BNP to learn about the special regulations that apply to snook when fishing in Biscayne National Park.

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 person per day

Slot limit: 28–32 inches total length

Boundaries: The northern boundary is the Martin-Palm Beach county line and the region extends south to the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line. Includes all inland waters of the area colored yellow on the map. Includes all waters of Hillsboro Canal, Miami Canal, North New River Canal and West Palm Beach Canal, and the Loxahatchee River and its tributaries. Does not include Lake Okeechobee and Everglades National Park. 

  

For more information on recreational snook regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Snook. This page includes the snook annual reviews, which provide summaries of key findings from the annual evaluation of management metrics for each region.