Florida cast net regulations require a saltwater fishing license, cap the net at 14 feet stretched length in nearshore and inshore waters, limit you to two nets per vessel, restrict which species you can keep, and prohibit using a net to take snook under any circumstances. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) enforces these rules, and penalties range from ordinary citations up to third-degree felony charges with gear forfeiture.
The License You Need Before You Throw
You need a valid Florida recreational saltwater fishing license the moment you attempt to take any marine organism with a cast net, whether you’re after mullet, shrimp, or bait.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 379.354 – Recreational Licenses, Permits, and Authorization Numbers; Fees Established
A resident annual saltwater license costs $17. Nonresidents pay $47 annually, $30 for seven days, or $17 for three days.2Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Saltwater Recreational Licenses and Permits Children under 16 are exempt, and Florida residents 65 and older qualify for a no-cost license from a county tax collector’s office, which they must carry along with proof of age and residency.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 379353 – Recreational Licenses and Permits; Exemptions
Florida’s no-cost resident shoreline saltwater license has gear limitations, and FWC guidance indicates it does not cover cast net use. If you plan to throw from shore, buy the full recreational saltwater license.
Size, Material, and How Many Nets Per Boat
In Florida’s nearshore and inshore waters, the stretched length of a cast net cannot exceed 14 feet. Stretched length is measured from the horn at the center of the top to the lead line, with the net pulled taut.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 68B-4.0081 – Statewide Net Gear Specifications; Cast Net Specifications The total mesh area cannot exceed 500 square feet.
No more than two cast nets may be fished from a single vessel at any time in nearshore and inshore waters.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 68B-4.0081 – Statewide Net Gear Specifications; Cast Net Specifications
Monofilament is allowed. Florida treats any net made wholly or partly of monofilament as a prohibited entangling net, with an exception for hand-thrown cast nets and handheld landing or dip nets.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 68B-4.0081 – Statewide Net Gear Specifications; Cast Net Specifications A monofilament cast net inside the size limits is legal; the same material in almost any other net form is not.
What You Can Keep in a Cast Net
Only a specific list of regulated species may be harvested with a cast net:5eRegulations. Florida Saltwater Fishing Recreational Gear
- Black drum
- Bluefish
- Cobia
- Flounder
- Mullet
- Florida pompano
- Red drum (redfish)
- Sheepshead
- Shrimp
- Spanish mackerel
- Weakfish
- Any unregulated species
Every species on the list still has to meet its own recreational size and bag limits. The cast net doesn’t override those caps. For unregulated species with no established bag limit, the default is 100 pounds or two fish per person per day, whichever is greater.5eRegulations. Florida Saltwater Fishing Recreational Gear
Anything not on the list and not an unregulated species has to go back in the water. That rules out popular game fish like spotted seatrout and tarpon, regardless of their size.
The Snook Rule Gets People Cited
Snook is the species most likely to turn a cast net day into a citation. Florida law allows snook to be harvested by hook and line only. You cannot harvest or attempt to harvest snook with any other gear.6Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 68B-21-006 – Allowed and Prohibited Gear for Snook
You also cannot possess a snook while possessing a net. The exception for cast nets is narrow: on a vessel, you are not in violation if the cast net is stored off the deck.6Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 68B-21-006 – Allowed and Prohibited Gear for Snook An angler who catches a snook on hook and line can keep a cast net aboard as long as it is stowed below deck or otherwise off the deck surface.
If a snook ends up in your cast net by accident, release it immediately, alive and unharmed.6Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 68B-21-006 – Allowed and Prohibited Gear for Snook The same goes for any protected or non-permitted species that lands in the net.
Where You Can’t Throw
Cast nets are allowed across most of Florida’s nearshore and inshore state waters, but a few restrictions apply everywhere.
You cannot set or place any net in a way that obstructs a river, creek, canal, pass, or other waterway and prevents the free passage of fish.7Florida Senate. Florida Code 379.2421 – Fishers and Equipment; Regulation A throw that spans a narrow channel or inlet can run afoul of that rule.
FWC rules also restrict gear use near public swimming beaches, fishing piers, and jetties, with specific distances varying by location and gear. Counties and municipalities can set rules stricter than the statewide FWC regulations, so a quick check of local ordinances before throwing in an unfamiliar spot is worth doing.
Florida state waters extend nine nautical miles from shore in the Gulf of Mexico and three nautical miles on the Atlantic coast. Beyond those lines, federal regulations apply instead of FWC’s. Most cast netting happens well inside state waters because the target species stay close in.
What a Violation Costs
Florida treats illegal net use seriously, and the penalty tier depends on what you did.
The top tier is “flagrant violations,” which include using a prohibited monofilament net (other than a lawful cast net) or fishing with a net whose mesh area exceeds 2,000 square feet. A flagrant violation is a third-degree felony. First offense: a $5,000 civil penalty and a 12-month suspension of all saltwater license privileges. Second flagrant violation: lifetime revocation and forfeiture of all gear used.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 379.407 – Administration; Penalties; Violations
“Major violations” of the constitutional net ban provisions escalate on a seven-year lookback:
- First major violation within seven years: $2,500 civil penalty and 90-day license suspension.
- Second within seven years: $5,000 civil penalty and 12-month suspension.
- Third or subsequent within seven years: $5,000 civil penalty, lifetime license revocation, and forfeiture of all gear used.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 379.407 – Administration; Penalties; Violations
For a typical recreational user, the realistic scenarios are more ordinary: an oversized net, keeping a species not on the permitted list, exceeding a bag limit, or fishing without a license. These usually draw misdemeanor-level citations and fines. But keeping a snook from a cast net, or using a net that clearly exceeds 14 feet, can escalate quickly if an officer views the violation as intentional. The gear forfeiture provision is its own reason to stay inside the lines.