Largemouth Bass regulations

Wild shiners and big worms during the winter and spring spawn, topwater frogs over grass in summer mornings, and punching mats in the heat.

Applies to: statewide freshwater

Species / zone	Season	Size	Bag	Notes
Black bass (including Florida, largemouth, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw and shoal bass) Statewide	open now Open year-round	5 Black bass (including Florida, 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 Florida bass or largemouth bass. No person shall kill or possess any Suwannee, shoal, spotted, or Choctaw bass that is less than 12 inches in total length.	5 Black bass (including Florida, 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 Florida bass or 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. Wakulla River: No person shall kill or possess Suwannee bass on the Wakulla River from the headsprings of Wakulla Springs downstream to the confluence with the St. Marks River. Any Suwannee bass that are caught must be released immediately. An angler participating in the TrophyCatch Program may temporarily possess in live condition one Florida bass or largemouth bass, 8 pounds or greater, over the legal length limit and bag limit in order to obtain photographic or video documentation of the fish. All bass retained for this purpose must be released alive into the waterbody in which it was caught immediately after documentation. An angler may possess one Florida bass or largemouth bass 16.5 pounds or greater, per day over the legal length or bag limit when submitting for the certification of a potential state record provided they contact the Commission at this link (https://myfwc.wufoo.com/forms/potential-state-record-largemouth-bass/). Bass maintained in live condition may only be possessed on the waterbody or adjacent shore from which the fish was caught and may only be released alive in the same waterbody, unless otherwise directed by Commission staff. Keep game fish intact: black bass, striped bass and white bass or their hybrids, peacock bass, or black crappie and panfish (for black 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 apply to some lakes, rivers (this page) and Fish Management Areas. 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:
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.

Source: FWC, extracted 2026-10-29. Review flags: The page does not state whether seasons are open year-round; this is inferred from the absence of closure dates.; The page does not state which waters the rules apply to beyond 'statewide'; 'coast' is set to 'both' as freshwater rules apply statewide.; The page does not state license requirements.; The page does not state gear restrictions for most species except shad/herring (hook and line).; The page does not state size limits for panfish, crappie, shad/herring, grass carp, alligator gar, or sturgeon.; The page does not state bag limits for grass carp, alligator gar, or sturgeon (possession is restricted/prohibited).

Seasonal pattern

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