Catching Dinner
Seasons
Winter (December - February)
Sheepshead, Black Drum, Stone Crabs, Penaeid Shrimp
Prime time for night shrimping off docks
Spring (March - May)
Spotted Seatrout, Redfish, Blue Crabs, Snook
Summer (June - August)
Blue Crabs, Mangrove Snapper, Snook, Redfish, Spotted Seatrout
Target early mornings, late evenings, or nighttime under dock lights
Fall (September - November)
Redfish, Southern Flounder, Black Drum, Shrimp, Stone Crabs
Mullet Run (Sept - Oct): Snook and Redfish follow mullet into a feeding frenzy around docks and inlets.
Crabs
Atlantic Blue Crab
Year-round
No minimum size
Must release egg-bearing females
Limit of 10 gallons of whole crabs per person
Florida Stone Crab
Only harvest the claws (and then return to water)
Minimum 2 7/8 inch from elbow to lower tip
Season: October 1 - May 1
Equipment
Weights and zipties (if dropping into moving current)
Locations in NSB
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park (riverside docks)
JB’s Fish Camp
Smyrna Dunes Park
Riverside Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
Canaveral National Seashore
Fish
Black Drum
Bait: cut crab or live shrimp
Locations
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Smyrna Dunes Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
JB’s Fish Camp
George R Kennedy Memorial Park
Canaveral National Seashore
Mangrove (Gray) Snapper
Bait: live shrimp or mud minnows
Locations
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Smyrna Dunes Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
JB’s Fish Camp
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park
George R. Kennedy Memorial Park
Redfish (Red Drum)
Bait: live shrimp, cut mullet, soft plastics
Locations
JB’s Fish Camp
Canaveral National Seashore
Smyrna Dunes Park
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park
Sheepshead
Bait: fiddler crab, cut shrimp, or sand flea
Locations
Ponce de Leon Inlet
North Causeway Boat Ramp
Smyrna Dunes Park
Riverside Park
JB’s Fish Camp
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park
Snook
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Smyrna Dunes Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
JB’s Fish Camp
Riverside Park
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park
Southern Flounder
Bait: live mud minnow or jig
Locations
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Smyrna Dunes Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
JB’s Fish Camp
Riverside Park
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park
Spotted Seatrout
Bait: live shrimp
Locations
JB’s Fish Camp
Canaveral National Seashore
Smyrna Dunes Park
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
Lobster
Florida Spiny
Recreational Season: Last Wednesday/Thursday of July
Main Season: August 6 - March 31
Locations
The Keys: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West
Biscayne Bay & Miami
Southeast Coast: Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Jupiter
Regulations
6 lobsters per person per day statewide
The carapace (body shell from between the horns to the back edge) must measure greater than 3 inches. You must measure the lobster while still in the water with an approved gauge.
Requires a valid Florida Saltwater Fishing License plus a Spiny Lobster Permit.
Scallops
Snorkel over 3–8 feet of turtle grass on sunny days. Look for their row of tiny, glowing blue eyes along the edge of their shells resting on top of the grass. Simply pick them up by hand or scoop them with a small dip net and drop them into a mesh bag. They can swim by clapping their shells together, but they are easy to catch!
Bag Limits: Generally 2 gallons of whole scallops in shell per person (or 1 pint of shucked meat), with a maximum boat limit of 10 gallons per vessel per day.
Equipment
Crystal River Charters
Port St. Joe Wading
MainStay Suites - 3951 East Hwy 98, Port Saint Joe, FL, 32456, US
Scallop Cove - Dive flag can be rented for $10/day.
Shrimp
Penaeid Shrimp (white, brown & pink)
Late fall through winter
Use shrimp lights (green or white underwater LED lights) at night to attract them to the surfact, then scoop them with nets.
Locations
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Smyrna Dunes Park
North Causeway Boat Ramp
Riverside Park
JB’s Fish Camp
