Size and haul regulations should be verified with authorities.
Check Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation for recreational seasons and limitations.
Hogfish, aka hog snapper, are most frequently found along patchy hard bottom and ledges, and caught best when spearfishing or by rod and reel using live bait like shrimp or crab.
Essential reading on hogfish from the Florida Sportsman. And a primer from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Hogfish has no closed seasons.
Red Drum is being managed in the Gulf. While the daily bag limit is lower, this popular sport fish makes a great catch. Look for redfish among seagrass, over muddy or sand bottoms, and near oyster bars.
A primer from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Detailed regulations are also available from the FWC. Red Drum has no closed seasons, but in areas with red tide, is catch-and-release only. Highest catch rates are recorded March through July.
Red Snapper are prevalent in Homosassa Bay, among other locations, and most frequently spotted during the summer months. In winter, they move to the Chassahowitzka River, finding comfort in deep water holes.
A primer from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Red snapper season is June 11-July 25, 2020.
Grouper, including black grouper, gag grouper, red grouper, and warsaw grouper, love water temperatures between 66 and 77 degrees, and hang out over hard and muddy bottoms. Grouper are large catches, and warsaw grouper can reach up to 500 pounds, so be prepared!
Gag grouper season is June-December, 2020. Other groupers have no closed season. Black grouper is best caught November through January and May through July. Gag grouper, November through January. Red grouper, November through January.
Black Drum, and Sheepshead tend to linger along the Chassahowitzka River. Sheepshead and Black Drum have no closed season. Sheepshead is best caught December through May. Black drum, July through September.
Want to go spearing (bow fishing, gigging, underwater spearfishing)? Florida’s Nature Coast is a wonderland of possibility, but make sure you know the regulations!