Florida Fishing Rules for Popular Species
Copied from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on October 17, 2026.
These pages show the bag limit, size limit and season for popular Florida fish, copied by hand from the state agency’s own pages and dated. They are the same rules CatchCheck shows with a green “Verified” label when you identify a fish in Florida.
- Redfish (Red Drum) Rules: Redfish are one of Florida’s most popular inshore fish. Rules are set by region.
- Snook Rules: Snook have a slot limit, a permit requirement and closed seasons that differ by coast.
- Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout) Rules: Seatrout bag limits and seasons are set region by region.
- Black Drum Rules: Black drum have a slot limit that allows one oversized fish.
- Sheepshead Rules: Sheepshead have a minimum size and a bag limit, with a vessel limit in spring.
- Flounder Rules: Flounder have a minimum size, a bag limit and a closed season each fall.
- Largemouth Bass Rules: The statewide freshwater rule for largemouth (Florida) bass.
- Bluegill and Panfish Rules: The statewide freshwater limit for bluegill and other panfish.
- Crappie (Speckled Perch) Rules: The statewide freshwater limit for crappie.
- Catfish Rules: What the statewide freshwater rules say about channel, blue and white catfish.
Other Florida species, and every other state, are shown as AI estimates, which can be wrong. Always confirm with the state agency before keeping a fish.