Bluefish regulations
Wintertime surf and inlet blitzes on the Atlantic coast. Metal spoons and plugs with a wire leader.
Applies to: state and adjacent federal waters · Licenses: Federal bluefish charter permit required for for-hire vessels in Atlantic federal waters to keep bluefish.
| Species / zone | Season | Size | Bag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefish Atlantic state waters boundaryNassau through Miami-Dade counties | open now Open year-round | Minimum size limit: 12" fork length | Daily bag limit: 3 fish per person from Nassau through Miami-Dade counties | Legal Gear: hook and line, spears, gigs, seine, cast net Effective Oct. 26, 2020: The recreational daily bag limit is three fish per person along the Atlantic coast from Nassau through Miami-Dade. |
| Bluefish Atlantic federal waters boundaryregulated by the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council | open now Open year-round | Minimum size limit: none | Daily bag limit: 3 per person for anglers fishing from private recreational vessels and 5 per person on for-hire vessels | For-hire vessels are required to have a federal bluefish charter permit to keep bluefish. |
| Bluefish Gulf state and federal waters boundaryincludes Monroe County | open now Open year-round | Minimum Size Limit: 12" fork length | Daily Bag Limit: 10 per harvester (includes Monroe County) | Legal Gear: hook and line, spears, gigs, seine, cast net |
- A 2019 federal stock assessment found Atlantic bluefish is overfished.
- Federal fishery managers adopted more restrictive recreational bag limits in federal waters, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Commission requested states implement similar regulations.
Source: FWC, extracted 2026-09-12. Review flags: The page lists '10 per harvester' for Gulf waters. The schema expects 'bag_per_person'. It is assumed 'harvester' equates to 'person' for this context, but the specific term 'harvester' is retained in bag_text.; Gear requirements are listed under 'More Information' and appear to apply generally, but are attached to the Gulf rule entry as the most comprehensive gear list provided; Atlantic rules do not explicitly restate gear restrictions on this page.