Weakfish:Cynoscion regalis
Florida Regulations:
| Regulations |
Weakfish Management Zone* |
State Waters Outside Weakfish Management Zone*
|
| Minimum Size Limit |
12 inches total length |
No size limit |
| Daily Bag Limit |
1 fish per person |
100 pounds per person |
*Includes weakfish-like fish including weakfish, sand seatrout and hybrids of the two.
Florida Rule 
Gear Requirements:
- Allowable Gear: Hook and line; cast net
Weakfish Management Zone:
The Weakfish Management Zone includes state waters from the Florida-Georgia line to the southernmost tip of Amelia Island, the inland waters of Nassau County and the St. Marys River and its tributaries east of Highway 17, north of State Highway 200A and north of the Shave Bridge on the Amelia River.
Maps are not to scale. State waters extend from shore to 9 nautical miles in the Gulf and from shore to 3 nautical miles in the Atlantic.
Habitat and Fishing Tips:
Weakfish are an Atlantic coast fish, possibly found in the extreme southeastern Gulf. Adults move inshore and north during warm months inhabiting the surf, inlets, bays, channels and estuaries and offshore and south during cold months. Juveniles inhabit estuaries which serve as nurseries.
State Record:
10 lb, caught near Port Canaveral
Management History:
July 27, 2010: Weakfish regualtions took effect creating a Weakfish Management Zone in part of Nassau County to address difficulty distinguishing between weakfish, sand seatrout and weakfish-sand seatrout hybrids. Additionally, the FWC decreased the recreational bag limit for weakfish in response to a recent stock assessment by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission that indiciates that the weakfish population along the entire Atlantic coast is severly depleted.
The Weakfish Management Area consists of state waters off Amelia Island and the Saint Marys River and its tributaries. This area is where the majority of genetically-pure weakfish occur in Florida. Inside the Weakfish Management Area, recreational anglers are limited to one weakfish, sand seatrout, OR weakfish-sand seatrout hybrid per person per day with a minimum size limit of 12 inches total length. Outside this area, recreational anglers may harvest up to 100 pounds per person per day of weakfish, sand seatrout, and weakfish-sand seatrout hybrids without size limits.
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