New Redfish Rules Go Into Effect in Florida Waters

Red drum management changes made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at its Nov. 2011 meeting will take effect Wednesday, February 1. Many of these changes mean more angling opportunities, including increased recreational bag limits in some regions.

Changes affecting red drum include: The creation of three management zones for red drum instead of one statewide management area. The areas represent the northwest, northeast and southern sections of the state's waters; Increasing from one to two the number of red drum that a recreational fisherman can take per day in the Northeast and Northwest zones; Establishing a statewide vessel limit of eight red drum; Limiting the number of red drum that can be transported in a vehicle on land to six red drum per person.



Florida red drum regions are as follows:

Northwest: Escambia through Fred Howard Park Causeway near Pasco County.

Northeast: Nassau through Flagler counties.

South: Pinellas through Monroe counties on the west coast and Miami-Dade through Volusia counties on the east coast.

To learn more about red drum recreational fishing, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on "Saltwater Fishing" and then "Recreational Regulations."