Spotted Seatrout (also known as Speckled Trout, Speck, Spotted Weakfish) in Florida. Minimum legal size, daily bag limit, possession limit, slot rule — verified against the FWC guide, 2026.
In Florida, the minimum legal size for Spotted Seatrout is 15 in and the daily bag limit is 3 per person/day (5 in Big Bend; 2 in the Indian River Lagoon). A slot limit applies: Slot: not less than 15" or more than 19" total length; allowance for ONE fish over 19" per vessel (or, if fishing from shore, one over 19" per person). Exception: in Indian River Lagoon and Northeast, no fish over 19" may be kept. There is no closed season in FL.
Slot: not less than 15" or more than 19" total length; allowance for ONE fish over 19" per vessel (or, if fishing from shore, one over 19" per person). Exception: in Indian River Lagoon and Northeast, no fish over 19" may be kept.
No closed season
Managed by named regional zones. Big Bend gets the higher bag (5); Indian River Lagoon and Northeast get the lower bag (2) AND lose the over-19" allowance. Panhandle has a February closure; Indian River Lagoon has a Nov 1 – Dec 31 closure. State-water values; spotted seatrout is an inshore, state-managed species with effectively no federal recreational fishery. Re-checked 2026-09: the FWC region table lists the Northeast region at three fish per person per day, not two — the two-fish limit applies to the Indian River Lagoon only. The over-19" restriction does still apply in BOTH the Indian River Lagoon and the Northeast.
These limits are pulled from the FWC recreational saltwater size and bag limits. Last verified September 2026.
Always check the official guide before keeping any fish. Regulations change. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) updates its guide annually and occasionally mid-year. Fines for over-bag or undersized fish are significant.
Florida requires a recreational saltwater fishing licence to take saltwater species (residents can get a no-cost Resident Saltwater Shoreline licence for shore fishing). A snook or tarpon permit is needed for those species. Florida saltwater licences.
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