What’s on
Fishing Seasons 2026
Opening and closing dates for the seasons people plan around — Florida lobster and the mini-season, stone crab, bay scallops, red snapper, and the lobster and conch closed seasons island by island. Every date is as the regulator publishes it, with a link. Rules change — check the regulator before you fish.
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35 seasons · 23 open today · dates as each regulator publishes them · last checked October 24, 2026
| Season | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annapolis MD | |||
| Maryland Chesapeake Striped Bass Season (fall harvest) Maryland Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries (excluding Potomac main stem) | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 5, 2026 | Open now · closes December 5, 2026 |
| Maryland Chesapeake Striped Bass Season (summer harvest) Maryland Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries (excluding Potomac main stem, managed by PRFC) | May 1, 2027 | Jul 31, 2027 | Opens May 1, 2027 |
| Maryland Recreational Oyster Season Maryland public oyster grounds, Chesapeake Bay and tributaries (not aquaculture leases) | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | Open now · closes March 31, 2027 |
| Belize | |||
| Belize Stone Crab Closed Season Belize | Oct 1, 2027 | Jul 1, 2027 | Open · closes July 1, 2027 |
| Bermuda | |||
| Bermuda Spiny Lobster Season Bermuda | Sep 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | Open now · closes March 31, 2027 |
| Cayman Islands | |||
| Cayman Islands Conch and Whelk Season Cayman Islands | Nov 1, 2026 | Apr 30, 2027 | Opens November 1, 2026 |
| Cayman Islands Lobster Season Cayman Islands | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | Opens December 1, 2026 |
| Florida | |||
| Atlantic Hogfish Season (Florida and the Keys) Florida's Atlantic coast and the Florida Keys. Gulf waters north of Cape Sable are open year-round. | May 1, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | Open now · closes October 31, 2026 |
| Cedar Key, Crystal River and Homosassa Bay Scallop Season (Levy, Citrus and Hernando Counties) State waters south of Alligator Pass daybeacon #4 (Levy County) down to the Hernando–Pasco county line, including Cedar Key, Crystal River and Homosassa. | Jul 1, 2027 | Sep 24, 2027 | Opens July 1, 2027 |
| Florida Gulf Snook Season (Panhandle to Sarasota Bay) Four FWC regions: Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay — Alabama line to 27°04.727′N near Venice. | Mar 1, 2027 | Dec 1, 2026 | Open · closes December 1, 2026 |
| Florida Lobster Mini-Season (Sport Season) All Florida waters, with tighter rules in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park (lower bag limit; no night diving in Monroe County during the sport season). | Jul 28, 2027 | Jul 29, 2027 | Opens July 28, 2027 |
| Florida Spiny Lobster Season All Florida waters; harvest is barred year-round in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary and the Coral Reef Protection Areas in Biscayne National Park. | Aug 6, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | Open now · closes March 31, 2027 |
| Florida Stone Crab Season Florida state waters, both coasts. | Oct 15, 2026 | May 1, 2027 | Open now · closes May 1, 2027 |
| Franklin County to Northwestern Taylor County Bay Scallop Season State waters from the west tip of St. Vincent Island east to Rock Island near the mouth of the Fenholloway River in Taylor County, taking in the Carrabelle, Lanark and St. Marks areas. | Jul 1, 2027 | Sep 24, 2027 | Opens July 1, 2027 |
| Gulf Federal For-Hire Red Snapper Season Gulf federal waters, vessels holding a federal for-hire (charter/headboat) reef fish permit | Jun 1, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | Open now · closes October 25, 2026 |
| Gulf Red Snapper Season (Florida) Gulf waters off Florida, state and federal, under Florida's state-managed season. | May 22, 2026 | Jan 4, 2027 | Open on scheduled days · until January 4, 2027 |
| Pasco Bay Scallop Season State waters south of the Hernando–Pasco county line to the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County, including the whole Anclote River. | Jul 10, 2027 | Aug 18, 2027 | Opens July 10, 2027 |
| Southwest Florida Snook Season (Charlotte Harbor, Naples and the Keys) Two FWC regions: Charlotte Harbor (27°04.727′N near Venice to 26°15.227′N near Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Collier County) and Southwest (from there south through the Florida Keys to the Monroe–Miami-Dade line). | Mar 1, 2027 | Dec 1, 2026 | Open · closes December 1, 2026 |
| St. Joseph Bay and Gulf County Bay Scallop Season State waters from the Mexico Beach Canal (Bay County) east to the west tip of St. Vincent Island (Franklin County), including all of St. Joseph Bay. | Aug 16, 2027 | Sep 24, 2027 | Opens August 16, 2027 |
| Steinhatchee Bay Scallop Season (Fenholloway to Suwannee Rivers Zone) State waters east of Rock Island (Taylor County) and north of Alligator Pass daybeacon #4 near the Suwannee River mouth (Levy County) — all of Dixie County, Keaton Beach and Steinhatchee. | Jun 15, 2027 | Sep 6, 2027 | Opens June 15, 2027 |
| Florida Atlantic | |||
| Atlantic Shallow-Water Grouper Closure (Florida) Florida's Atlantic coast and the Florida Keys. | May 1, 2027 | Jan 1, 2027 | Open · closes January 1, 2027 |
| Florida Atlantic Snook Season Three FWC management regions: Northeast (Georgia line to New Smyrna Beach), Indian River Lagoon (New Smyrna Beach to the Martin–Palm Beach line) and Southeast (Martin–Palm Beach line to the Miami-Dade–Monroe line). | Feb 1, 2027 | Dec 15, 2026 | Open · closes December 15, 2026 |
| French West Indies | |||
| Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin Recreational Lobster Closed Season Recreational fishing (pêche de loisir) | Oct 1, 2027 | Jun 1, 2027 | Open · closes June 1, 2027 |
| Galveston TX | |||
| Texas Flounder Fall Closure Texas coastal and state waters | Dec 15, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Open · closes November 1, 2026 |
| Mexico — Caribbean | |||
| Quintana Roo Lobster Closed Season (Veda de Langosta, Caribe Mexicano) Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean off Yucatán and Quintana Roo | Jul 1, 2027 | Mar 1, 2027 | Open · closes March 1, 2027 |
| Norfolk, VA | |||
| Virginia Chesapeake Striped Bass Season (fall) Chesapeake Bay and its Virginia tributaries (Potomac tributaries under PRFC rules) | Oct 4, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | Open now · closes December 31, 2026 |
| Virginia Chesapeake Striped Bass Season (spring) Chesapeake Bay and its Virginia tributaries (Potomac tributaries under PRFC rules) | May 16, 2027 | Jun 15, 2027 | Opens May 16, 2027 |
| Puerto Rico | |||
| Puerto Rico Queen Conch Closed Season (Veda del Carrucho) Commonwealth waters (0-9 nm); federal waters off Puerto Rico are closed to conch year-round | Nov 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | Closed until November 1, 2026 |
| Puerto Rico Red Hind Spawning Closure (Federal Waters) U.S. Caribbean EEZ off Puerto Rico | Mar 1, 2027 | Dec 1, 2026 | Open · closes December 1, 2026 |
| US Caribbean Grouper Spawning Closure (Federal Waters) U.S. Caribbean EEZ | May 1, 2027 | Feb 1, 2027 | Open · closes February 1, 2027 |
| St. Lucia | |||
| Saint Lucia Lobster Season Saint Lucia | Aug 2, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open now · closes February 28, 2027 |
| The Bahamas | |||
| Bahamas Crawfish (Spiny Lobster) Season The Bahamas | Aug 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | Open now · closes March 31, 2027 |
| Turks and Caicos | |||
| Turks and Caicos Nassau Grouper Closed Season Turks and Caicos Islands | Mar 1, 2027 | Dec 1, 2026 | Open · closes December 1, 2026 |
| US Virgin Islands | |||
| US Virgin Islands Queen Conch Closed Season Territorial waters (0-3 nm) territory-wide, plus federal waters east of 64°34′W off St. Croix (Lang Bank) | Nov 1, 2026 | Jun 1, 2026 | Closed until November 1, 2026 |
| US Virgin Islands Whelk Closed Season Territory-wide | Oct 1, 2027 | Apr 1, 2027 | Open · closes April 1, 2027 |
We summarise each regulator’s published dates; bag, size and gear rules are on their pages. Rules change — check the regulator before you fish.
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