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General Statewide Bag and Length Limits

Special bag and length limits apply to some lakes, rivers (see Special Limits) and Fish Management Areas (see FMAs). Other fishes considered to be nongame fishes have no daily bag or possession limits, except as noted in individual Fish Management Area regulations. (Note:  Total length is the maximum length of the fish, with the mouth closed and the tail fin pinched together. The best way to obtain this length is to push the fish's snout up against a vertical surface with the mouth closed and the fish laying along a tape measure, then pinch the tail fin closed and determine the total length. Do NOT pull a flexible tape measure along the curve of the fish.  Illustrated instructions on measuring fish and estimating weight are also available from our fish identification and biology page.)

5 Black bass (largemouth, Suwannee, redeye, spotted, and shoal bass, individually or in total), only one of which may be 22 inches or longer in total length.
--In south Florida (see map): only one bass may be 14 inches in total length or longer.
--South and east of the Suwannee River (see map): black bass less than 14 inches in total length must be released immediately.
--In the Suwannee River (see map), areas north and west of the Suwannee River, and in any tributary river, creek or stream of the Suwannee River: black bass less than 12 inches in total length must be released immediately.

50 Panfish including bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), flier, longear sunfish, mud sunfish, shadow bass, spotted sunfish (stumpknockers), warmouth and redbreast sunfish, individually or in total.

25 Black Crappie (speckled perch) and/or white crappie, individually or in total.

20 Striped bass, white bass, and sunshine bass (individually or in total), of which only 6 may be 24 inches or longer in total length.

• In the Suwannee River, areas north and west of the Suwannee River, and in any tributary, creek or stream of the Suwannee River:  the daily bag limit for striped bass is 3, each of which must be at least 18 inches in total length (20 fish combined bag limit).