Florida's yearly flounder closure starts October 15. From then through November 30, recreational anglers can't keep a flounder anywhere in Florida's state or federal waters, Tampa Bay included. Harvest reopens December 1.
The closure covers Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder. FWC approved it in December 2020, after a stock update suggested flounder were declining statewide. It's timed for the weeks when flounder bunch up before spawning, and FWC says leaving those groups alone lets more fish spawn each year.
That lines up with what flounder do around here. FWC's angling guide to Tampa Bay says they spend spring and summer in the bay near the grass flats, then start turning up in the Gulf in fall as the weather cools.
What it means on the water:
- If a flounder grabs a shrimp or jig meant for trout or redfish on the flats, unhook it quickly and let it go.
- The same goes for the passes, beaches and nearshore Gulf.
- Save the gig for December. The closure covers flounder taken any way, gigs and spears included.
When harvest reopens December 1, the limits are 14 inches total length and five flounder per person per day. Hook and line, gigs, spears, cast nets and seines are legal gear. FWC doesn't allow snatching, or treble and other multi-point hooks fished with natural bait.
Check FWC's current flounder rules before you go.