Florida's Fall and Winter Fishing Calendar: The Dates on FWC's Pages
Fall is the season Florida anglers wait for: the humidity breaks, the water cools, and the fish get busy. It is also when the calendar on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) pages starts to fill up. Here is a tour of the dates those pages list for the coming weeks, as of October 17, 2026. This is a summary of what FWC publishes, so the official pages linked at the bottom are the place for exact wording.
Quick take: one closure is already underway, one starts on November 1, two begin in December, and one is a month-long closure in February. The dates differ by coast.
Already underway: flounder
FWC's flounder page lists a seasonal closure every year from October 15 through November 30. The page says its flounder information covers state and federal waters off Florida, and that it applies to Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder. On the page, the flounder season is shown as reopening on December 1.
Starting November 1: Indian River Lagoon trout
On FWC's spotted seatrout page, the Indian River Lagoon region lists a closed season of November 1 through December 31, with the open season shown as January 1 through October 31. Other regions on the same page list different schedules: the Panhandle region shows a closure in February, and the remaining regions list year-round seasons.
Did you know? FWC says spotted seatrout can be targeted in every major estuary in Florida, and that the state manages them region by region because conditions differ along the coast.
December: snook calendars split by coast
Snook is the one with the most dates to keep straight, because FWC lists different schedules for the Gulf side and the Atlantic side:
- Gulf-side regions (Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Southwest) list a winter closure beginning December 1 and running through the end of February.
- Atlantic-side regions (Northeast, Indian River Lagoon and Southeast) list a winter closure from December 15 through January 31.
Each coast also lists a summer closure, and FWC's page notes that the Florida Keys fall within the Southwest region. FWC's page also mentions a snook permit, and notes that buyers are asked to check the current regulations for the area they plan to fish before purchasing one.
A year-round item worth knowing about: Indian River Lagoon redfish
FWC's red drum page describes the Indian River Lagoon region as catch and release only. Other regions on that page list year-round seasons, with details that vary by region.
Why the dates differ from place to place
You may have noticed a pattern: Florida's agency sets many of these dates by region rather than statewide. FWC's pages describe regions with names like Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast, Indian River Lagoon and Northeast. Each page explains where one region ends and the next begins, usually by naming landmarks along the coast.
A few habits that help when you follow rule news
- Look at the date on any summary, including this one. Agencies update their pages.
- Check which region a rule is for. A rule listed for one region does not describe the others.
- Read the notes on the official page. They often mention special areas, gear details or exceptions that a short summary leaves out.
Where to read more
The four FWC pages in the sources list are the primary documents. If you only open one, the snook page has the most dates to compare across coasts.
Sources
- FWC flounder regulations
- FWC spotted seatrout regulations
- FWC snook regulations
- FWC red drum (redfish) regulations
For information only. This post summarizes public announcements and official pages as of the date above. It is not legal advice and does not say what you may keep or do on the water. Rules change and differ by place, so read the official sources listed here and check with your state or federal fishery agency.