When your out fishing on the flats and you catch a spotted seatrout it is a good idea to know the regulations and requirements in order to keep what you catch.
Management Zones
Northwest: Escambia County through Fred Howard Park Causeway near Pasco County.
Southwest: Fred Howard Park Causeway through Monroe County line at Card Sound.
Southeast: Miami-Dade County at Card South through Volusia County.
Northeast: Flagler through Nassau counties.
Below is a map that provides details:
Regulations
Northeast Zone
Minimum Size Limit: Must be 15″ and less than 20″ total length (may possess one over 20 inches included in bag limit)
Daily Bag Limit: 6 per harvester
Season: Open year-round
Northwest Zone
Minimum Size Limit: Must be 15″ and less than 20″ total length (may possess one over 20 inches included in bag limit)
Daily Bag Limit: 5 per harvester
Season: Open year-round
Southeast and Southwest Zones
Minimum Size Limit: Must be 15″ and less than 20″ total length (may possess one over 20 inches included in bag limit)
Daily Bag Limit: 4 per harvester
Season: Open year-round
Gear Requirements:
- Allowable Gear: Hook and line; cast net (we recommend using the Skyline Sparkie Mini Extra Strong Bucktail Jigs
UPDATE: From FWC posted on 02.20.2019: Currently, anglers may harvest a single spotted seatrout per day that is larger than 20 inches. Starting Friday, Feb. 22, recreational anglers will no longer be allowed to harvest any spotted seatrout over 20 inches total length when fishing in state or federal waters from the Pasco-Hernando county line south to Gordon Pass in Collier County. This rule change will remain in effect through May 10, 2019. Red drum and snook are currently catch-and-release only in this region through May 10 as well.
** Effective May 11, 2019 spotted sea trout, snook and red drum will remain catch and release only for an additional year through May 31, 2020. This closure is for all state waters from the Pasco/Hernando county line through Gordon Pass in Collier County on the Gulf Region. Refer to map below.
**Update 2/19/2020
FWC extends snook, red drum and spotted seatrout catch-and-release measures in areas impacted by prolonged red tide
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will extend catch-and-release measures for snook, red drum and spotted seatrout for an additional year via an Executive Order. All three species will remain catch-and-release through May 31, 2021, in all waters from the Hernando/Pasco county line south through Gordon Pass in Collier County.
These temporary regulation changes were made to help conserve these popular inshore species that were negatively impacted by a prolonged red tide that occurred in late 2017 through early 2019.
Photo from MyFWC.com