Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission sent this bulletin at 10/01/2019 11:31 AM EDT

UPDATED: For Immediate Release October 24, 2019

 Governor Ron DeSantis and FWC Announce Extension for Gulf Red Snapper Fishing

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced two additional recreational red snapper fishing days for Gulf waters, due to the timing of Tropical Storm Nestor’s impacts to the state. The fall weekends season for private recreational anglers and state for-hire operations, which was previously announced to occur October 12-13, 19-20, and 26-27, is extended to include November 2-3.

“We are pleased to be able to extend the fall Gulf red snapper season for one more weekend,” said Governor DeSantis. “We want people to have a chance to enjoy the pristine resources we have here in Florida and understand that Tropical Storm Nestor prevented anglers from being able to fish for Gulf red snapper last weekend. Many anglers were focused on storm preparation and response, so we want to make sure they have another opportunity to get out on the water.”

“Angler data from the Gulf Reef Fish Survey gave the Governor and FWC the information we needed to allow for a fall red snapper harvest,” said FWC Chairman Robert Spottswood.  “In this case, the Gulf Reef Fish Survey allowed us the ability to respond to weather events like Tropical Storm Nestor, all while ensuring we are sustainably managing this fishery for the future. Once again, data from Gulf reef fish anglers is helping to improve access and management of this world class red snapper fishery.”

Private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal waters. However, state for-hire operations are limited to fishing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only.

All Information was provided from a myfwc.com

The post Red Snapper Fishing opens Six additional Days appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

June 2013: FWC Commissioners approved measures to make bonefish a catch-and-release only fishery. This includes the elimination of a tournament exemption permit. This exemption allowed tournament anglers with the proper permit to temporarily possess bonefish for transport to a tournament scale. This change went into effect Sept. 1, 2013. The use of a multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait to harvest or attempt to harvest bonefish was also prohibited Sept. 1, 2013.

Biology of the “Grey Ghosts”

Bonefish are one of Florida’s premier gamefish and are known as “grey ghosts of the flats” because they are stealthy, fast-swimming fish that are exciting and challenging to catch. South Florida is one of the few places in the United States where anglers have the unique opportunity to fish for bonefish and the shallow saltwater flats of the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay are considered a world-class destination for catching large, trophy-sized bonefish.

Bonefish mature at three to four years of age (17-18 inches total length), may live longer than 23 years, and grow to be three feet long and 15 pounds. Bonefish can be caught year-round in the Keys, but peak bonefish season is generally March through October. Not much is known about the biology of bonefish, but spawning occurs from November through May, probably in deep water or offshore.

There are multiple similar-looking species of bonefish that inhabit Florida waters, but the common bonefish (Albula vulpes) dominates Florida’s recreational fishery. Little is known about the other bonefish species, but many juvenile bonefish caught in Florida have been identified as bigeye bonefish (Albula garcia). Bigeye bonefish appear to live in Florida waters as juveniles and leave sometime before adulthood. (This information and photo was provided by myfwc.com)

Are you ready to target and catch a Bonefish

At Skyline Fishing Company Skyline Jigs we have you covered when your ready to target and catch a Bonefish anywhere in the world. We offer the Skyline Crusher Skimmer Bonefish Jig Heads for people looking to tie there own jigs.

Skyline Jigs also offers tied bonefish jigs as well the Skyline Ghost Bonefish Jigs are recommended.

The post Florida Bonefish Regulations Catch and Release appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

Recreational Regulations Gulf and Atlantic State Waters:

Minimum Size Limit: 12 inches total length

Daily Bag Limit: 10 per harvester

• Legal Gear: spears, gigs, hook and line, seine, cast net. We recommend using the Skyline Sparkie Mini Extra Strong Bucktail Jigs
• Illegal Gear: harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait; snatching prohibited

Recreational Regulations apply to Gulf flounder, Southern flounder, summer flounder and fringed flounder.

Commercial Regulations:

Species and License:

Includes Gulf , Southern, Summer and Fringed flounder.

Licenses required: SPL and RS.

Limits and Seasons:

Size limit: 12 inches fork length

Trip/bag limit:

• Directed harvest: unlimited
• Incidental bycatch: 50 pounds in shrimp trawls.

Closed season: None

Other Regulations:

Must remain in whole condition until landed ashore (head & tail intact).

Allowable gear: beach or haul seine, cast net, hook and line and spearing.

Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait or any snatch hook.

In Volusia County, spearing with barbed spear having more than 3 prongs prohibited.

Size limit applies to sale of fish.

Info from MyFWC.com

The post Recreational and Commercial Florida Flounder regulations appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

Florida Regulations Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic State Waters

Slot Limit: 14 to 24 inches with one fish over 24 inches

Daily Bag Limit: 5 per harvester per day (can include one over 24 inches)

Season: Open year-round

Gear Requirements:

• Legal Gear: hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig
• Illegal Gear: Cannot harvest using any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, Snatching is prohibited

Info:

• Florida State record for Black Drum is 96 pounds
• 15 pound fish and smaller are great to eat

We recommend using the Skyline Sparkie Jig Heads with chunks of crab on the bottom. The Skyline Sparkie Jig Heads is offered in a wide range of weight options for your fishing needs.

Info from MyFWC.com

The post Florida Recreational regulations for Black Drum appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

FWC Commission addresses shore-based shark fishing concerns with new regulations/educational component

At its February meeting in Gainesville, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved changes to shark fishing regulations, including management changes for the shore-based shark fishery. Some minor changes to the original proposal were also made, as noted below. These rules are intended to increase survival of released sharks, improve information gathering for the fishery and address some of the public safety concerns related to the fishery.

The rule changes go into effect July 1, 2019, and include:

• Creating a mandatory, no-cost, annual shore-based shark fishing permit. (CHANGE: This permit will be required for all shore-based shark anglers age 16 and older, including those 65 and older who are normally exempt from needing a fishing license.)
• CHANGE: Requiring those under 16 to take the educational requirement associated with the permit unless they are fishing with an adult who already holds the permit.
• Prohibiting chumming when fishing for any species from the beach.
• Requiring immediate release of prohibited shark species when fishing from the shore. (CHANGE: Requiring anglers to cut the leader, line or hook to prevent delaying release of prohibited species).
• Requiring that prohibited shark species remain in the water (when fishing from shore or from a vessel).
• Requiring the use of non-offset, non-stainless-steel circle hooks to target or harvest sharks when using live or dead natural bait (when fishing from shore and from a vessel).
• Requiring the possession/use of a device capable of quickly cutting the leader or hook when targeting sharks (when fishing from shore or a vessel).
• Defining beach, chumming and shore-based shark fisher (CHANGE: includes changes to how shore-based shark fisher is defined).
• Cleaning up and updating the current rule language.

Information was provided by MyFWC.com

The post New Rules for Land Based Shark Fishing appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

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

The post Requirements when keeping Spotted SeaTrout appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

Regulations Gulf and Atlantic State Waters

Minimum Size Limit: must be 18″ (old regulations where 15″ inches)

Daily Bag Limit: 2 fish per person

State regulations apply in federal waters.

Season: Open year-round

Gear Regulations:

• Legal Gear: hook and line gear only (no nets or spearing). (We recommend a live shrimp on the Skyline Sparkie Extra Strong Jig Heads)
• Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait; snatching prohibited.

This is a great eating fish and is highly recommended.

The post New Regulations for Tripletail appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

Florida Pompano:

Reference map below.

Minimum Size Limit: 11″ fork length

Season: Open throughout the year

Gear: Hook and line, cast net and beach or haul seine (We recommend choosing some of these Pompano Jigs )

Permit: (State and Federal Waters)

Slot Limit: Minimum 11″ and maximum of 22″ fork length; may possess 1 over 22″ included in the per person bag limit

Daily Bag Limit: 2 per harvester

Vessel Limit: No more than 2 over 22″ per vessel

Season: Open year-round

Gear:

• State waters: Hook and line only.
• Federal waters: Hook and line and spearing.

Permit: (Inside SPZ Special Permit Zone)

Reference map below.

Minimum Size Limit: 22″ fork length

Daily Bag Limit: 1 per harvester

Vessel Limit: No more than 2 per vessel

Season: Closed April 1-July 31

Gear: 

• State waters: Hook and line only. (we recommend using a live crab on a Skyline Sparkie Extra Strong Jig Head)
• Federal waters: Hook and line and spearing.

Special Permit Zone (SPZ)

(South of Cape Florida and Cape Sable)

The Special Permit Zone includes state and federal waters south of Cape Florida in the Atlantic and south of Cape Sable in the Gulf.

The Pompano Endorsement Zone (PEZ) pictured on the map above is a zone created that allows commercial fishermen who hold a pompano endorsement (PE) to use gill nets legally for pompano in federal waters off Florida.

African Pompano:

Minimum Size Limit: 24″ fork length

Daily Bag Limit: 2 per harvester

Vessel Limit: No more than 2 per vessel

Season: Open All year

Gear: 

• State waters: Hook and line only. (we recommend using a live crab on a Skyline Banana Jig Head)
• Federal waters: Hook and line and spearing.

Photo from MyFWC.com

The post Pompano, Permit and African Pompano Regulations and Fishing Rigs appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

Grouper are managed differently in the Gulf versus Atlantic and in state versus federal waters.

Gulf state waters are from shore to 9 nautical miles. The Atlantic state waters are from shore to 3 nautical miles.

There is a map provided below for reference.

Gulf of Mexico Regulations:

Gag Grouper must be a minimum of 24 inches total length.

Daily Bag Limit:

2 per person within 4 grouper aggregate.

Gulf of Mexico State waters only:

0 fish bag limit for Charter Captain and Crew

Gulf of Mexico State waters Open season:

June 1-Dec. 31 (excluding Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor, Jefferson counties)

April 1-June 30 and Sept. 1-Dec. 31 in state waters off of Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor and Jefferson counties

Gulf of Mexico Federal waters:

June 1 – Dec. 31

Now onto the Atlantic side of the state of Florida:

Atlantic Regulations:

Gag Grouper must be a minimum of 24 inches total length.

Daily Bag Limit:

1 gag or black within the 3 grouper aggregate

Atlantic Open season:

Open May 1-Dec. 31

Skyline Fishing Company offers a large variety of products that are effective for Gag Grouper be sure to check out the Skyline Jigs Bucktail Jigs

Photo from MyFWC.com

The post Knowing Gag Grouper Regulations appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.

Northwest Zone: Escambia through Fred Howard Park Causeway near Pasco County

Size Limit: Minimum of 18″ and no more than 27″ total length

Daily Bag Limit: 2 fish per person per day 8 fish vessel limit

—

Northeast Zone: Flagler through Nassau counties

Size Limit: Minimum of 18″ and no more than 27″ total length

Daily Bag Limit: 1 fish per person per day 8 fish vessel limit

***All state waters from the Pasco/Hernando county line through Gordon Pass in Collier County is catch-and-release ONLY through May 10, 2019

—

South Zone: Fred Howard Park Causeway through Monroe County (west coast) and Miami-Dade through Volusia counties (east coast)

Size Limit: Minimum of 18″ and no more than 27″ total length

Daily Bag Limit: 1 fish per person per day 8 fish vessel limit

***All state waters from the Pasco/Hernando county line through Gordon Pass in Collier County is catch-and-release ONLY through May 10, 2019

**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.

One of our favorite jig heads for redfish on the flats is the Skyline Killer Bee Jig Head

Below is the map for each of the zones:

Photo from MyFWC.com

The post When to keep and release Redfish appeared first on Skyline Fishing Company, Snook Jigs, Jig Heads, Bucktails Jigs.