Florida’s east coast lines are about to get a lot quieter for snook fishermen. Starting June 1, the recreational harvest of snook will officially close across three major zones: the Northeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Southeast management regions.
The seasonal shutdown affects all state, inland, and adjacent federal waters within these territories. Anglers will have to wait until Sept. 1 for the recreational harvest season to reopen.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), these regional restrictions are part of a “holistic management approach for Florida’s most popular inshore fisheries.” Under this framework, the FWC evaluates the health of the snook population using seven specific metrics per region. The agency notes that this method adds “a holistic perspective to management decisions and allowing the FWC to be more responsive to regional concerns.”
For fishermen tracking boundaries and limits before the midnight deadline, the specific regional rules outline exactly where the hooks must stop keeping catch:
- Northeast Region: Covers waters from the Florida-Georgia border down to the Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach, including the St. Johns River. It excludes the Withlacoochee and Kissimmee rivers, Cypress Lake, and lakes Hatchineha and Kissimmee.
- Indian River Lagoon Region: Runs from the New Smyrna Beach causeway south to the Martin-Palm Beach county line, encompassing the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee, while leaving out the Loxahatchee and St. Johns rivers.
- Southeast Region: Stretches from the Martin-Palm Beach county line down to the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line. This includes the Hillsboro, Miami, North New River, and West Palm Beach canals, alongside the Loxahatchee River, but excludes Lake Okeechobee and Everglades National Park. Special separate regulations apply within Biscayne National Park.
Across all three of these eastern regions, the baseline rules remain identical during the open stretches: a daily bag limit of one fish per person and a strict slot limit requiring the fish to measure between 28 and 32 inches in total length to be kept.
Once June arrives, the summer closure takes effect through Aug. 31, followed by a second winter closure later this year from Dec. 15 through Jan. 31. Anglers looking for detailed annual evaluations or specific local boundary charts can find the full annual reviews online at MyFWC.com/Snook.
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