Snook
Snook Management Regions and Regulations
* Regulations apply in all inland, state and adjacent federal waters.
The western boundary is located at the Florida-Alabama border and the region extends to the eastern coastal boundary at 84°20.800ꞌ West Longitude in Franklin County near Alligator Point. Includes all inland waters of the counties named and colored yellow on the map. Does not include all waters of the Ochlockonee Bay, the Ochlockonee River and its tributaries.
Closed Season: December 1 – end of February, and May 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 33” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The western coastal boundary is located at 84°20.800ꞌ West Longitude in Franklin County near Alligator Point. The region extends east and south to Fred Howard Park, near the border of Pasco and Pinellas counties. Includes all waters of the Ochlockonee, Withlacoochee, and Anclote rivers and their tributaries. This region also includes all inland waters of the counties named and colored yellow on the map.
Closed Season: December 1 – end of February, and May 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 33” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The northern coastal boundary is located at Fred Howard Park, near the border of Pasco and Pinellas counties and the region extends south to State Road 64 in Manatee County. Includes all inland waters of the area colored yellow on the map. Includes all waters of the Alafia, Braden, Manatee, and Hillsborough rivers and their tributaries. Does not include the waters of Palma Sola Bay and all waters of the Anclote River and its tributaries.
Closed Season: December 1 – end of February, and May 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 33” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The northern coastal boundary is located at State Road 64 in Manatee County and the region extends south to 27°04.727’ North Latitude, near the Venice Municipal Airport. Includes all waters of Palma Sola Bay, Phillippi Creek, Cow Pen Slough Canal and Curry Creek. Includes all inland waters of the are colored yellow on the map. Does not include the waters of the Braden and Manatee rivers.
Closed Season: December 1 – end of February, and May 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 33” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The northern coastal boundary is located 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 Rd in Collier County. Includes all inland waters of the area colored yellow on the map. Includes all waters of the Caloosahatchee, Myakka, and Peace rivers and their tributaries. Does not include Lake Okeechobee.
Closed Season: December 1 – end of February, and May 1 – September 30
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 33” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The northern boundary is located at 26°15.227’ North Latitude, near Vanderbilt Beach Rd 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.
Closed Season: December 1 – end of February, and May 1 – September 30
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 33” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
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.
Special regulations apply for this species when fishing in Biscayne National Park.
Closed Season: December 15 – January 31, and June 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 32” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The northern coastal boundary is located 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.
Closed Season: December 15 – January 31, and June 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 32” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
The northern coastal boundary is located 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.
Closed Season: December 15 – January 31, and June 1 – August 31
Slot Limit: Not less than 28” or more than 32” total length
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
Other 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.
- NOTE: Prior to purchasing a snook permit, check current regulations in the area you plan to fish. All sales are final. Refunds will not be given even if the species you plan to target is closed to harvest.
Snook Management
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 snook recovering.
Over the decades, regulations were adopted to prohibit commercial harvest or sale of snook, implement the “snook stamp” requirement, and refine the seasons and slot limits. These regulation changes have helped increase the abundance and size of snook. Snook stocks have rebounded and are currently exceeding the FWC’s management goal of 40% spawning potential ratio (SPR) on both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. SPR is the percent of the total biomass of mature fish in a fished population compared to the number that would exist if the population were not fished.
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 (see links below).