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Fishing Guide

South Florida Fishing Regulations

Every figure below was fetched directly from a specific FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) page on July 31, 2026 and links to that page. Nothing here is guessed, remembered, or copied from a third-party summary.

Regulations change — this page is a snapshot, not the authority.

FWC is the only authority on current Florida fishing regulations. Size limits, bag limits, and seasons are adjusted throughout the year, sometimes with only weeks of notice. Verify every figure at myfwc.com before you fish — a citation is issued against the rule in effect that day, not the rule that was in effect when this page was written. Figures on this page were retrieved July 31, 2026.

Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties sit entirely on Florida's Atlantic coast. Gulf-coast regulations (different snook seasons, different grouper seasons, etc.) do not apply here and are omitted. Where a rule changes again at the Miami-Dade/Monroe (Keys) line, that's called out below.

Licenses & permits

A Florida saltwater or freshwater recreational fishing license is required to fish, including catch-and-release — casting a line requires a license even if you keep nothing. Common exemptions include anglers under 16, Florida residents 65+, shoreline anglers fishing from a licensed pier, and anglers aboard a vessel with a valid recreational vessel license, among others listed on FWC's site.

Snook, spiny lobster, and tarpon each require a separate permit in addition to the base saltwater license — the base license alone does not cover targeting or landing these three species.

Sources

Snook

All of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties fall in FWC's Southeast Region for snook management (Martin/Palm Beach county line south to the Miami-Dade/Monroe line).

Closed season
Dec. 15 – Jan. 31, and June 1 – Aug. 31
Slot limit
Not less than 28" or more than 32" total length
Bag limit
One fish per person per day
Permit
Snook permit required in addition to saltwater license
Sources

Tarpon

Harvest
Catch-and-release only, except with a paid tarpon tag pursuing a state/world record (one tag per person per year; one fish per vessel)
Size limit
None
Handling
Tarpon over 40" must stay in the water unless tagged for a record attempt; keep gills submerged, use a long-handled dehooker or cut the line close to release
Permit
Tarpon permit required in addition to saltwater license, when landing tarpon
Sources

Permit (the fish)

Most of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade fall outside the Special Permit Zone (SPZ) and use the standard statewide rule. The SPZ only starts at Cape Florida (south end of Key Biscayne) — waters south of the Rickenbacker Causeway in Biscayne Bay, and points south — and carries different rules. If you're fishing that southern stretch of Miami-Dade or the Keys, check the SPZ rule separately at FWC before you fish.

Standard zone (most of PB/Broward/Miami-Dade)
24" fork length minimum, 2 per harvester, open year-round
Special Permit Zone (south Biscayne Bay & south)
Slot 11"–22" fork length (may keep 1 over 22"), 1 per harvester, closed April 1 – July 31
Sources

Gag grouper (Atlantic)

Minimum size
24" total length
Bag limit
1 gag or black grouper, within a 3-grouper/tilefish aggregate per person per day
Season
State and federal Atlantic waters: open May 1 – Aug. 1
For-hire
Charter captains and crew may not retain gag grouper in Atlantic waters
Sources

Mangrove (gray) snapper

Minimum size
10" total length in state waters, 12" in federal waters
Bag limit
5 per person in state waters (10 in federal), within the overall 10-fish snapper aggregate
Season
Open year-round
Note
Special regulations apply inside Biscayne National Park (southern Miami-Dade) — check FWC before fishing there
Sources

Sailfish

Minimum size
63" lower jaw fork length
Bag limit
1 billfish per person per day
Season
Open year-round
Release rule
A sailfish you intend to release cannot be taken out of the water if you're fishing federal waters, or fishing state waters while holding a federal HMS permit
Sources

Dolphinfish (mahi-mahi)

Minimum size
20" fork length (Atlantic state waters)
Bag limit
5 per person, or 30 per vessel — whichever is less (private recreational)
Season
No closed season stated for Atlantic state waters
Sources

Spiny lobster

Regular season
Aug. 6 – Mar. 31
Sport (mini) season
Last consecutive Wed–Thu of July each year (2026: July 29–30)
Minimum size
Carapace longer than 3", measured in the water
Bag limit
6 per person in Monroe County & Biscayne National Park; 12 per person for the rest of Florida (this covers most of PB/Broward/Miami-Dade)
Gear
A measuring device must be in your possession at all times; tails may not be separated from the body in state waters
Permit
Lobster permit required in addition to saltwater license
Sources

Freshwater: largemouth (Florida) bass & peacock bass

Relevant to canal, lake, and Everglades-adjacent freshwater fishing across all three counties — different license (freshwater, not saltwater) and different permit than the saltwater species above.

Black bass bag limit
5 per day (largemouth/Florida, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw, shoal bass combined), only 1 of which may be 16" or longer
Largemouth/Florida bass size
No minimum length limit
Butterfly peacock bass bag limit
2 per day, only 1 of which may be 17" or longer
Sources

Not published here

Any species or figure not listed above was left off deliberately — either it wasn't researched this session or sources didn't resolve cleanly. Don't assume "not listed" means "unregulated." Check myfwc.com/fishing or the free Fish Rules app for anything not covered here, and for anything time-sensitive before you go.