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. This approach takes a more holistic view of the fishery by evaluating multiple metrics, including human and environmental factors, at a smaller regional scale. It improves our understanding of regional differences in environmental conditions and stakeholder experiences and provides greater flexibility to address localized 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 the Florida-Georgia border, and the region extends south to the Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach. The region includes all inland waters within the yellow shaded area on the map, covering Baker, Nassau, Duval, Clay, Putnam, Marion, Lake, Orange, Flagler, Seminole and St. Johns counties, most of Volusia County and the waters of the St. Johns River and its tributaries. The waters of the Withlacoochee and Kissimmee rivers, Cypress Lake, and lakes Hatchineha and Kissimmee are not included.

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 the Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach, and the region extends south to the Martin-Palm Beach county line. It includes all inland waters within the yellow shaded area on the map covering Brevard, Osceola, Okeechobee, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, a portion of Volusia County, and all waters of the Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee and other lakes identified on the map with blue hatch. The waters of Loxahatchee and St. Johns rivers and their tributaries are not included.

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. It includes all inland waters within the yellow shaded area on the map, including Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Also included are all waters of Hillsboro Canal, Miami Canal, North New River Canal, West Palm Beach Canal, and the Loxahatchee River and its tributaries. Lake Okeechobee and Everglades National Park are not included.

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.