by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The recreational harvest of snook in the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Southwest management regions closed May 1. 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.
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 inland waters of the area colored yellow on the map and all waters of Everglades National Park.
