Striped and Sunshine Bass regulations
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Live shad and jigs below dams, in the St. Johns and in the deeper Panhandle rivers during the cool months.
Applies to: Statewide freshwater waters
| Species / zone | Season | Size | Bag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Striped bass, white bass, and sunshine bass Statewide | open now Open year-round | of which only 6 may be 24 inches or longer in total length. | 20 Striped bass, white bass, and sunshine bass (individually or in total) | Keep game fish intact: striped bass and white bass or their hybrids may not be filleted, nor their head or tail fin removed, until the angler has completed fishing for the day. |
| Striped bass Suwannee River and tributaries boundaryIn the Suwannee River, areas north and west of the Suwannee River, and in any tributary, creek or stream of the Suwannee River | open now Open year-round | each of which must be at least 18 inches in total length | the bag limit for striped bass is 3... (20 fish combined bag limit) | Combined bag limit with white bass and sunshine bass is 20. |
| Striped bass Lower Ochlockonee River boundarydownstream of the Jackson Bluff dam to Ochlockonee Bay | open now Open year-round | only one of which may be 24 inches or longer in total length. There is no minimum length limit | the bag limit for striped bass is 3... (20 fish combined bag limit) | Combined bag limit with white bass and sunshine bass is 20. |
- No person shall have in his possession more than two days’ bag limit of freshwater game fish.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Source: FWC, extracted 2026-09-12. Review flags: The page lists 'Black bass' as a group including Florida, largemouth, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw and shoal bass. Specific size restrictions for Suwannee, shoal, spotted, and Choctaw bass (min 12 inches) are noted separately from the general 'one over 16 inches' rule.; Coast designation for freshwater species is marked as 'unknown' or inferred based on river location (e.g., Suwannee and Ochlockonee are Gulf coast rivers, but the regulation is statewide freshwater).; Sturgeon are listed as protected; season is treated as closed year-round for recreational take.