Fishing Guide · Southwest Florida

SWFL Season & Regulation Calendar

Gulf-region rules for Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties. Gulf and Atlantic regulations differ for several of these species — figures here are Gulf-only and were fetched directly from myfwc.com on August 3, 2026.

Status at a glance

Snook (Gulf/SWFL): Closed May 1 – Sept. 30 and Dec. 1 – end of February; slot 28"–33"
Redfish (SWFL): Open year-round; slot 18"–27"; 1/person, 2/vessel
Tarpon (statewide): Catch-and-release only, always, unless tagged for a record
Spotted seatrout (SWFL): Open year-round; slot 15"–19"; 3/person/day
Gray (mangrove) snapper (Gulf): Open year-round; 10" min. (state waters); 5/person/day
Red snapper (Gulf state waters): Closed in August 2026 — reopens Sept. 1; 16" min.; 2/person/day
Gag grouper (Gulf state waters): Closed through Aug. 31, 2026 — reopens Sept. 1; 24" min.; 2/person/day

Snook — Gulf slot differs from Atlantic

SWFL's Charlotte Harbor and Southwest snook regions use a 28"–33" slot and are closed May 1–Sept. 30 plus Dec. 1–end of February. Southeast Florida's Atlantic coast uses a narrower 28"–32" slot with different closed dates — forum advice written for the Atlantic side will misquote the Gulf slot.

Closed season (Charlotte Harbor & Southwest / Gulf): Dec. 1 – end of February, and May 1 – Sept. 30
Slot limit (Gulf, incl. Charlotte Harbor & Southwest): Not less than 28" or more than 33" total length
For comparison: Southeast Atlantic slot: Not less than 28" or more than 32" total length (different region, different rule)
Bag limit: One fish per person per day
Permit: Snook permit required in addition to saltwater license

Sources

FWC: Snook — confirmed region boundaries, closed seasons, and slot limits for Gulf vs. Southeast Atlantic

Redfish — open year-round in SWFL

Redfish harvest is open year-round in the Charlotte Harbor and Southwest regions covering Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties — no closed season, no emergency closure in effect as of August 3, 2026. The slot is 18"–27" with a 1-fish-per-person, 2-fish-per-vessel limit.

Season: Open year-round (Charlotte Harbor & Southwest regions)
Slot limit: Not less than 18" or more than 27" total length
Bag limit: 1 fish per person per day
Vessel limit: 2 fish per vessel

Sources

FWC: Red Drum (Redfish) — confirmed Southwest/Charlotte Harbor region is open year-round, no active closure, slot and bag figures

Tarpon — catch-and-release, plus a Boca Grande Pass overlay

Tarpon fishing is catch-and-release only everywhere in Florida unless you're holding a paid tag ($51.50/year) and pursuing a record. Boca Grande Pass adds its own gear restrictions on top of that statewide rule.

Harvest: Catch-and-release only, except one tagged fish per person per year pursuing a state/world record
Handling: Tarpon over 40" must stay in the water unless tagged for a record attempt
Boca Grande Pass — year-round: Gear with weight positioned lower than the hook (when suspended) is prohibited for all species inside the pass
Boca Grande Pass — April, May, June only: Vessels limited to 3 fishing lines deployed at once; breakaway gear prohibited entirely

Sources

FWC: Tarpon — confirmed catch-and-release rule, tag price, and Boca Grande Pass gear restrictions

Spotted seatrout (trout) — open year-round in SWFL

Spotted seatrout is open year-round in both the Charlotte Harbor region (Lee, Charlotte, and most of Collier) and the Southwest region (southern Collier below 26°15.227'N and south), with the same 15"–19" slot and 3-fish daily bag in both.

Season: Open year-round in both the Charlotte Harbor and Southwest regions
Slot limit: Not less than 15" or more than 19" total length
Bag limit: 3 fish per person per day, plus 1 fish over 19" per vessel (or per person from shore) countable toward that bag
Region boundary: Charlotte Harbor and Southwest regions split at 26°15.227'N latitude in Collier County

Sources

FWC: Spotted Seatrout — confirmed both regions' status, slot, bag, and the boundary line

Snapper — mangrove open year-round, red snapper on a narrow federal-style calendar

Gray (mangrove) snapper is open year-round in Gulf state waters at a 10" minimum. Red snapper is not: the 2026 Gulf state-waters season ran May 22–July 31, then reopens Sept. 1, 2026–Jan. 4, 2027 — August sits in the closed gap between those two windows.

Gray (mangrove) snapper — season: Open year-round
Gray (mangrove) snapper — size/bag: 10" TL minimum (state waters), 5 per person/day (within 10-snapper aggregate)
Red snapper — 2026 season: May 22 – July 31 (summer), then Sept. 1, 2026 – Jan. 4, 2027 (fall, with some weekend/holiday-only closures)
Red snapper — size/bag: 16" TL minimum, 2 per person/day (within the 10-fish state snapper aggregate)

Sources

FWC: Snappers — confirmed gray snapper year-round status and red snapper's 2026 Gulf season dates

Gag grouper — closed in Gulf state waters through Aug. 31, 2026

Gulf state-waters gag grouper is closed Sept. 15, 2025 through Aug. 31, 2026 and reopens Sept. 1, 2026 — meaning it's closed for all of August 2026. This is separate from the Atlantic gag closure that started Aug. 2, 2026; the two coasts are on different calendars.

Season (Gulf state waters): Closed Sept. 15, 2025 – Aug. 31, 2026; reopens Sept. 1, 2026
Minimum size: 24" total length
Bag limit: 2 per person, within a 4-grouper aggregate per person per day
For-hire: Charter captains and crew have a 0-fish gag bag limit

Sources

FWC: Groupers — confirmed the exact Gulf closure dates, minimum size, and bag limit (verbatim text pulled twice to confirm)

Not published here

Federal-water red snapper rules for boats running past 9 nautical miles, and other Gulf reef fish (vermilion snapper, mutton snapper, cubera, lane snapper), weren't researched this session — treat "not listed" as "not verified," not "unregulated." Check myfwc.com/fishing or the free Fish Rules app before you go, especially for anything with a narrow open window like grouper or red snapper.

FAQ

Is Gulf gag grouper open right now?

No. FWC lists Gulf state-water gag grouper as closed Sept. 15, 2025 through Aug. 31, 2026 — it reopens Sept. 1, 2026. This is a Gulf-only closure; it is unrelated to the separate Atlantic gag closure that started Aug. 2, 2026.

Is the snook slot limit the same on the Gulf side as the Atlantic side?

No. Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties (Charlotte Harbor and Southwest snook regions) use a 28"–33" slot with closed seasons Dec. 1–end of February and May 1–Sept. 30. Southeast Florida's Atlantic coast uses a narrower 28"–32" slot with different closed dates (Dec. 15–Jan. 31, June 1–Aug. 31).

Can I keep a redfish in Lee, Collier, or Charlotte County right now?

Yes. Redfish (red drum) harvest is open year-round in the Charlotte Harbor and Southwest management regions that cover SWFL, with an 18"–27" slot, 1 fish per person, and a 2-fish vessel limit.

Can I keep a tarpon I catch in Southwest Florida?

No, unless you hold a paid tarpon tag and are pursuing a state or world record. Otherwise tarpon fishing is catch-and-release only statewide, and any fish over 40" must stay in the water.

What makes Boca Grande Pass different from the rest of Charlotte Harbor?

Boca Grande Pass bans weighted fishing gear positioned below the hook year-round for all species. From April through June it also caps vessels at 3 lines and bans breakaway gear entirely, on top of the statewide catch-and-release tarpon rule.

Is Gulf red snapper season open in August 2026?

No. The 2026 Gulf state-waters private-recreational red snapper season ran May 22–July 31 (summer) and reopens Sept. 1, 2026 through Jan. 4, 2027 (fall, with some weekend/holiday-only closures). August falls in the gap between those two windows.

Can I keep spotted seatrout in SWFL right now?

Yes. Spotted seatrout (trout) is open year-round in both the Charlotte Harbor and Southwest regions covering Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties, with a 15"–19" slot and a 3-fish daily bag.