Tampa Bay Fishing Seasons 2026–2027: What's Open Each Month, Inshore and Offshore

Fall is one of our favorite stretches of the year around St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Redfish are schooling, and snook are feeding hard before the water cools. A few Gulf seasons are still open, too.

It's also a year with more rule changes than usual. Florida rewrote its trout rules in April. Red grouper lost their winter offshore closure in October. On January 1, four more grouper species close for half the year in federal waters.

We put the 2026–27 Tampa Bay fishing seasons in one place: what opens and closes each month from October 2026 through September 2027, plus size and bag limits and what usually bites. Each species section links to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) or NOAA Fisheries page that sets the rule. If anything here disagrees with those pages, they win.

Last checked against FWC and NOAA on October 16, 2026.

Tampa Bay Fishing Seasons Month by Month (Oct 2026–Sep 2027)

Redfish, trout, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, hogfish, cobia and both mackerels are open all year in Tampa Bay. Snook are open March through April and September through November. Flounder close October 15 through November 30, and red snapper are open on weekends and holidays through January 4, 2027. Here's what changes each month, with the fish that usually bite best.

Still not set for 2027: gag grouper, greater amberjack and the red snapper days after January 4. Gag and amberjack both opened September 1 in 2026, and Florida announced its 2026 red snapper dates in May.

If you fish from St. Pete or Clearwater, FWC puts you in its Tampa Bay region for snook, redfish and trout. That region runs from Fred Howard Park, near the Pasco–Pinellas line, south to State Road 64 in Manatee County.

The Anclote River and Palma Sola Bay fall outside it, so anglers in Tarpon Springs or Bradenton should check their own region. Offshore species follow Gulf rules, and Florida's state waters in the Gulf reach 9 nautical miles from shore.

Size and Bag Limits at a Glance

Limits are per person per day unless noted. "Slot" means the fish must fall between the two lengths. Grouper count toward a combined four-grouper daily limit per person.

Fork length runs from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail. Total length runs to the tip of the tail.

Inshore Seasons: Snook, Redfish, Trout and Flounder

Snook season (Tampa Bay region)

Snook in the Tampa Bay region are open March 1–April 30 and September 1–November 30. Harvest closes on December 1. You may see December 15 elsewhere, but that date is for Florida's Atlantic coast, and every Gulf-coast region closes December 1.

Keeping a snook takes a $10 snook permit on top of your saltwater license, even from shore. Catch-and-release is still legal in the closed months, so handle fish quickly, especially in winter. UF/IFAS and FWC researchers have found that snook become cold-stressed below about 54°F.

Redfish season

Redfish are open all year in the Tampa Bay region, with an 18- to 27-inch slot. Fall is the time to go, because adult reds gather in big schools around the passes and in nearshore waters to spawn from late August through November. FWC calls Tampa Bay a key spawning area.

Trout season (spotted seatrout)

New seatrout rules took effect April 1, 2026. In the Tampa Bay region, trout are open all year with a 15- to 19-inch slot. One fish over 19 inches is allowed per boat (one per person for shore anglers), and it counts toward the three-fish limit. The Panhandle region closes trout in February, but Tampa Bay doesn't.

Flounder season

Flounder are closed October 15 through November 30 every year, in both state and federal waters. That closure lands in the middle of the fall flounder run, so release any you catch until they reopen on December 1.

Offshore Grouper Seasons: What Changes in 2027

Gag grouper season: 2026 recap and 2027 outlook

The 2026 gag season ran September 1–30 in both state and federal Gulf waters and closed October 1. Some fishing sites still list September 1–14 for state waters. That was an earlier plan, and FWC replaced it in August to match the federal dates.

Federal rules keep gag closed in federal waters from January 1 through August 31, so under current rules a federal season can't open before September 1. FWC sets its own state-waters dates and hasn't announced 2027 yet.

Red grouper season

Red grouper are open all year with a 20-inch minimum and a limit of two. On October 2, 2026, NOAA removed the old February–March closure for shallow-water grouper beyond 20 fathoms, and it said the change affects only red grouper. That opens up offshore red grouper fishing this winter. NOAA can still close the season early if the catch limit is projected to be met.

FWC's grouper page may still show the old February–March closure. NOAA's Gulf regulations page reflects the change. A few federal areas, such as The Edges, still have their own seasonal closures, so check before you fish a named area.

Scamp, black, yellowfin and yellowmouth grouper

This is the biggest grouper change for 2027. Starting next year, NOAA closes these four species to recreational harvest from January 1 through June 30 every year in Gulf federal waters. They reopen July 1.

FWC hasn't followed yet. As of mid-October 2026, it still lists all four species as open year-round in Gulf state waters and hasn't proposed a matching closure. The next FWC commission meeting is December 9–10, 2026. Check the FWC grouper page before your first trip of the new year, because the federal closure covers only waters beyond 9 nautical miles.

Red Snapper, Amberjack and Triggerfish Seasons

Red snapper season 2026–27

Florida manages its own private-boat red snapper season in Gulf state and federal waters. The 2026 season was announced at 140 days, and FWC added eight October days in September. After the summer and early-fall stretches, these days remain:

• October: daily through Oct 25, then Oct 30–Nov 1
• November: Nov 7–8, 14–15 and 21–22, plus Thanksgiving weekend, Nov 26–29
• December: Dec 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20, plus Dec 25–27
• January 2027: Jan 1–4

Fishing for red snapper from a private boat requires the free State Reef Fish Angler designation, covered below. Federally permitted charter boats have a separate season, which ends October 25.

Amberjack season

Greater amberjack got 43 days in 2026, September 1 through October 13, up from 26 days in 2025. The season is now closed until 2027 dates are set.

Triggerfish season

Gray triggerfish are open through December 31, then close for January and February and again for June and July. Federal waters can close early if the quota is reached.

What's Biting Each Season

Tampa Bay fishing seasons are set by law. What's biting depends on water temperature, bait and the last cold front, so take this as general guidance.

Fall (September–November)

Fall is redfish spawning season, so the schools are on the flats and near the passes. Snook feed heavily before winter, and their harvest season is open through November. The fall kingfish (king mackerel) run moves down the coast as the water cools, and grouper start moving shallower.

Winter (December–February)

Sheepshead stack up on bridge and dock pilings and nearshore reefs, then move nearshore to spawn in late winter and early spring. Trout settle into deeper holes and channels on cold days. Snook head up rivers and canals when fronts push through, and harvest is closed anyway. Offshore, red grouper are a solid winter target now that the deep-water closure is gone.

Spring (March–May)

Snook harvest reopens March 1. Kingfish, Spanish mackerel and cobia show up as the Gulf warms. The first tarpon usually arrive in April.

Summer (June–August)

Tarpon peak from about May through July along the beaches, in the passes and around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Mangrove snapper fishing is strong on nearshore structure. Snook spawn on the beaches and in the passes, but harvest is closed May through August.

Tarpon, Stone Crab and Scallops

Tarpon

Tarpon are catch-and-release only in Florida state and federal waters. Any tarpon over 40 inches has to stay in the water. The only exception is an angler who holds a $51.50 tarpon tag and is going after a state or world record. Tags are limited to one per person per year and are sold only at county tax collector offices.

Stone crab season

Stone crab season runs October 15 through May 1. Claws must be at least 2⅞ inches, and you can fish up to five registered traps per person.

Bay scallops

Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay and Pinellas waters south of Anclote Key have no scallop season, because they aren't in any open harvest zone. The closest is the Pasco Zone, which runs north from the Anclote Key Lighthouse. Its season is set for July 10–August 18 each year. FWC can close it early for algae toxins, as it did on August 6, 2026.

Florida Fishing Regulations to Know Before You Go

License and permits

You need a Florida saltwater fishing license to land saltwater fish in Florida, no matter where you caught them. A resident annual license is $17, and a nonresident seven-day license is $30, before vendor fees. Anglers under 16, residents 65 and older, and anglers on a licensed charter don't need one.

Florida's free resident shoreline license doesn't cover fishing from a boat. Anglers aboard a boat whose operator holds a recreational saltwater vessel license are covered by that license.

Add the $10 snook permit if you plan to keep a snook. New to boating here? Our first 30 days in Tampa Bay guide covers the boater safety card.

State Reef Fish Angler designation

If you fish from a private boat and plan to keep certain reef fish, you need the free State Reef Fish Angler designation. It covers red snapper, gag, red grouper, black grouper, amberjack, gray triggerfish, hogfish, vermilion snapper and a few others. You must renew it every year.

Some anglers who don't need a license still need the designation, including residents 65 and older, plus multi-year and lifetime license holders. Anglers under 16, anglers on a licensed charter, and anyone aboard a boat with a recreational vessel license don't.

Descending device

In Florida state waters, you must have a descending device or venting tool rigged and ready when you fish for reef fish, and you must use it on fish showing barotrauma. The federal requirement for Gulf waters expired in January 2026, and NOAA hasn't finalized a replacement. Keep one rigged offshore anyway, since it helps released grouper and snapper get back down alive.

Fuel Up Before the Run

An offshore grouper trip from St. Pete or Clearwater can burn through a lot of fuel. A common rule of thumb is one-third of your fuel for the run out, one-third for the run back and one-third in reserve.

If you need a fill on the way, here's where to get boat fuel in Tampa Bay. Make sure your scheduled engine service is current before the first long run of the season, too.

Our certified fueling captains bring REC 90 and marine diesel dockside to boats in St. Petersburg and Clearwater and around Tampa Bay on scheduled routes.

We fuel your boat on your area's route day. If a big trip falls between route days, request an extra fueling ahead of time in the app. Today's price per gallon is always posted on our fuel prices page.

The Bottom Line

Tampa Bay fishing seasons shift a few times this winter, but if you remember one date, make it January 1. That's when federal waters close to scamp and black grouper, and red snapper's last announced days run out on the 4th.

Check the FWC and NOAA pages linked above before each trip. If your boat lives in St. Pete or Clearwater, download the Mobile Marina app or call (727) 761-1173 to get on a scheduled fuel route. Our goal is to keep you on the water, not in line at the fuel dock.

Related: Fuel Prices | Vessel Management | Tampa Bay Sandbar Guide