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Florida

Freshwater Fishing

Freshwater Fishing

Bag & Length Limits


Statewide bag and length limits

Special bag and length limits apply to some lakes, rivers (this page) and Fish Management Areas (General FMA Regulations). Other fishes considered to be nongame fishes have no bag or possession limits, except as noted in individual Fish Management Area regulations.

No person shall take in any one day more than the following bag limits of freshwater game fish:

  • 5 Black bass (including largemouth, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw and shoal bass, individually or in total), only one of which may be 16 inches or longer in total length. There is no minimum length limit for largemouth bass.
    • No person shall kill or possess any Suwannee, shoal, spotted, or Choctaw bass that is less than 12 inches in total length.
    • Chipola River and its tributaries: No person shall kill or possess shoal bass on the Chipola River or its tributaries. Any shoal bass that are caught must be released immediately.
  • 50 Panfish including bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), flier, longear sunfish, mud sunfish, shadow bass, spotted sunfish (stumpknocker), warmouth and redbreast sunfish, individually or in total.
  • 25 Crappie (speckled perch).
  • 20 Striped bass, white bass, and sunshine bass (individually or in total), of which only 6 may be 24 inches or longer in total length.
    • In the Suwannee River, areas north and west of the Suwannee River, and in any tributary, creek or stream of the Suwannee River: the bag limit for striped bass is 3, each of which must be at least 18 inches in total length (20 fish combined bag limit).
    • In the lower Ochlockonee River (downstream of the Jackson Bluff dam to Ochlockonee Bay): the bag limit for striped bass is 3, only one of which may be 24 inches or longer in total length. There is no minimum length limit (20 fish combined bag limit).
  • 2 Butterfly peacock bass, only one of which may be 17 inches or longer in total length.
  • 10 Alabama shad, American shad, hickory shad, and blueback herring (individually or in total), which may only be taken with hook and line gear.
  • 25 American eels, must be nine inches or greater in total length. The recreational bag limit for American eels is 25 per angler per day. Wholesale/Retail purchase exemption. Recreational anglers purchasing American eel as bait may possess more than the legal bag limit provided that the eels were purchased from a licensed dealer.

Notes:

  • No person shall have in his possession more than two days’ bag limit of freshwater game fish (see Rule 68A-23.005 for details).
  • Each angler is responsible for his or her own bag limit. It is illegal to transport or possess more than two days’ bag limit of fish per licensed angler without a commercial license. Exceptions are fish legally acquired from aquaculturists (fish farmers) for use in aquaria, for brood stock, pond stocking, or properly marked for the market.
  • No native freshwater fish or their eggs may be taken or possessed except as permitted by these rules nor shall anyone wantonly or willfully waste the same.
  • It is illegal to possess grass carp or alligator gar without a permit; these fish must be released immediately (see Bag & Length Limits).
  • Keep game fish intact: black bass, striped bass and white bass or their hybrids, peacock bass, or crappie and panfish (for crappie and panfish, only in waters where minimum-length or slot-size limits for these fish apply) may not be filleted, nor their head or tail fin removed, until the angler has completed fishing for the day.

Special bag and length limits

See Fish Management Area regulations for bag and length limits for lakes in the Fish Management Area system (General FMA Regulations).

  • Jim Woodruff Reservoir, Lake Seminole. In the waters of and on the banks of the waters of Lake Seminole — bounded on the west by Florida State Road No. 271, on the south by the Jim Woodruff Dam, on the east by a line immediately east of the Chattahoochee Marina, also known as the Booster Club, running northwest across the lake to the tip of land at the junction of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers, west of Spring Creek; and on the north by the Herman Talmadge Bridge across the Chattahoochee River: 10 black bass, each must be 12 inches or greater in total length; 15 striped bass, white bass and sunshine bass (individually or in total), of which no more than two may be 22 inches or longer in total length; 30 crappie (speckled perch); 50 panfish (does not include crappie); 15 pickerel (chain, grass and redfin). Possession limit is 50 fish total, regardless of species.
  • St. Marys River and its tributaries: 10 black bass, each must be 12 inches or greater in total length; two striped bass, sunshine bass or white bass, both of which must be at least 22 inches in total length; 30 crappie (speckled perch); 50 panfish (does not include crappie); 15 pickerel (chain, grass and redfin).
  • Lake Talquin, Leon and Gadsden counties (including that portion of the Ochlockonee River lying between Lake Talquin and the railroad trestle that is located immediately below U.S. Highway 90, that portion of the Little River lying between Lake Talquin and County Road 268, that portion of the Rocky Comfort Creek lying between Lake Talquin and County Road 65-B, and that portion of Bear Creek lying between Lake Talquin and Bear Creek Road, those portions of Ocklawaha and Hammock creeks lying between Lake Talquin and State Road 267, those portions of Blount's, Freeman [Stoutamire], and Harvey and Polk creeks lying between Lake Talquin and State Road 20): Crappie less than 10 inches in total length must be released immediately.
  • Silver Glen Springs in Lake and Marion counties and Salt Springs in Marion County: Fishing is prohibited in and within 50 yards of the springs.
  • Rainbow Springs, Marion County: Fishing is prohibited from the headwaters of Rainbow Springs to a point one mile downstream on Rainbow River within Marion County.
  • Wildcat Lake, Marion County (Ocala National Forest): Black bass must be released immediately.
  • St. Johns River Water Management Area (Farm 13, including the Stick Marsh),
    Indian River and Brevard counties:
    Black bass must be released immediately.
  • Fellsmere Water Management Area (commonly known as Headwaters Lake and Egan Lake), Indian River County:
    • Black bass must be released immediately.
    • Circle hooks required when fishing with natural bait greater than 3" in length.
  • S.N. Knight Tract, Indian River County (locally known as Kenansville Lake): Black bass must be released immediately.
  • Lake Okeechobee: Crappie (speckled perch) less than 10 inches in total length must be released immediately. Lake Okeechobee, for purposes of these rules, is defined as any point lakeward of a boundary line delineated by the following points:
    • Intersection of St. Rd. 78 and U.S. 441
    • U.S. 441 SE to St. Rd. 5 (“80”)
    • St. Rd. 5 (“80”) to St. Rd. 25 (U.S. 27)
    • St. Rd. 25 (U.S. 27) to St. Rd. 78
    • St. Rd. 78 to U.S. 441

Including:

  • Harney Pond Canal (C-41) north of St. Rd. 78 to South Florida Water Mgmnt. District (SFWMD) structure S-71
  • C-41-A Canal, southeast of S-84
  • Indian Prairie Canal (C-40) north of St. Rd. 78 to SFWMD structure S-72
  • All of Taylor Creek and Nubbin Slough in Okeechobee County
  • C-38/Kissimmee River south of SFWMD structure S-65E to St. Rd. 78
  • All of L-50 Canal in Glades County
  • Fisheating Creek to U. S. 27
  • All of Sportsman’s Canal (LD-3) in Glades County
  • Perdido River: 10 black bass; 15 striped bass, white bass and sunshine bass (only 5 of which may be 22 inches or longer in total length); 30 crappie (speckled perch, all of which must be 9 inches or longer); 50 panfish (does not include crappie, possession limit is 50 fish total, regardless of species).
  • Lake Jackson (Walton County): 5 black bass (all of which must be 12 inches or greater in total length, only one of which may be longer than 22 inches in total length); 15 striped bass, white bass and sunshine bass (only 5 of which may be 22 inches or longer in total length); 30 crappie (speckled perch); 50 panfish (does not include crappie, possession limit is 50 fish total, regardless of species).