Snook harvest opened in Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and along the whole east coast of Florida on September 1, 2026. In the water behind a Port Royal seawall, it stayed closed for another 30 days. Naples Bay reopened to snook harvest on October 1 and closes again on November 30. As of today, October 8, that leaves 54 days, counting today, until the closure that runs from December 1 through the end of February.
Most fall fishing coverage in Florida runs on the statewide September calendar. Port Royal runs on a shorter one, and once you know where that window sits, the rest of the fall plans itself around it.
The line at Vanderbilt Beach Road
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission splits Collier County at 26°15.227′ north latitude, near Vanderbilt Beach Road. North of that line is the Charlotte Harbor management region. South of it, through the Florida Keys to the Miami-Dade line, is the Southwest region. Naples Bay, Gordon Pass and every canal in Port Royal sit inside the Southwest region.
Both Charlotte Harbor and Southwest share the same snook calendar: open March 1 through April 30 and October 1 through November 30. Harvest is closed from May 1 through September 30 and again from December 1 through the end of February. FWC's April 28, 2026 release announced the May 1 closure and confirmed the October 1 reopening for these two regions, with no changes to the slot or bag limit. FWC's August 31 announcement of the September 1 opening named the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay on the west coast, plus the three east coast regions. Charlotte Harbor and Southwest were not on that list.
So a snook caught today in a Tampa Bay region that opened on September 1 has a three-month fall harvest season. One caught off a Port Royal dock has two months.
Fall 2026, in order
- September 1: Snook harvest opens in most of Florida, but not in Naples Bay.
- October 1: Snook harvest opens in the Southwest and Charlotte Harbor regions.
- October 9: FWC's next statewide red tide status report is scheduled.
- November 30: Last day of the fall snook harvest in Naples Bay.
- December 1: Snook harvest closes in the Southwest region through the end of February. Redfish and spotted seatrout harvest stays open.
- December 19: The Christmas Boat Parade on Naples Bay runs from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m., with Naples City Dock as the host and ticketed viewing site.
Three fish, three different rulebooks
Snook gets the attention because of its calendar, but the other two inshore staples in Naples Bay each run on their own rules. One of them changed this year.
| Species | Season in the Southwest region | Slot | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snook | March 1–April 30 and Oct. 1–Nov. 30 | 28–33 inches total length | One per person per day |
| Redfish | Open year-round | 18–27 inches total length | One per person per day, two per vessel |
| Spotted seatrout | Open year-round | 15–19 inches total length | Three per person per day, with one fish over 19 inches allowed per vessel, counted in the bag |
The redfish rules have been in place since September 1, 2022, when FWC's regional approach for that species took effect. Seatrout is the new one. In February 2026, FWC approved nine seatrout management regions with their own bag limits, slot limits and closed seasons, and they took effect on April 1, 2026. The seatrout line also crosses Collier County at 26°15.227′ north, which puts Naples Bay in the Southwest region.
For snook, the FWC snook page lists two licensing requirements: a snook permit and a recreational fishing license. The page also notes that permit sales are final, even if the species is closed to harvest when you plan to fish. Snook can only be taken on hook and line and have to stay whole until landed ashore.
Where the window gets fished from Port Royal
The first stretch of any trip out of Port Royal is slow. Florida's Collier County manatee rule sets year-round slow-speed zones across Naples Bay, Gordon Pass, Admiralty Bay, Port Royal and Bartell Bay. The exceptions are the marked north-south channel in Naples Bay, from south of marker 33 to north of marker 52, and the marked Gordon Pass channel east of marker 10. Both are 30-mph corridors year-round. FWC describes its maps as visual aids only and says the written rule controls if the two conflict. We covered the full run to the Gulf, including what the recent Gordon Pass dredging changed, in our Keewaydin piece.
Some of the best snook water in the fall needs no run at all. A Naples guide's fall breakdown on Naples Gone Fishin' puts snook in Naples Bay around lit docks at night. As nights cool, they move into the creeks of Rookery Bay. The same guide puts redfish on grass and pothole flats, mangrove points and shallow bars, and trout on grass and sand patches.
The inshore water within reach of the bay includes the Gordon River, Crayton Cove, Haldeman Creek, Rookery Bay east of Halloway Island, and Dollar Bay east of Keewaydin. All of it holds snook, redfish, trout, snapper, sheepshead, ladyfish and pompano.
The tide decides which of these spots is working. In the same guide's fall pattern, an incoming tide floods grass and mangrove edges for snook and redfish. An outgoing tide funnels bait through creek mouths and pass throats. The stronger currents around new and full moons push mullet movement and schooling reds. The fall mullet schools leave the back bays for the Gulf along lanes at Keewaydin Island and Big Marco Pass, and down the beaches toward Cape Romano.
For bait, Naples City Dock at 880 12th Ave. S. in Crayton Cove, just west of red marker 36, sells live shrimp and frozen bait along with fuel and ice. Charter vessels also run from the dock.
What the water looks like this week
The opening weeks of this window came with clean water. FWC's red tide sampling for September 18, September 25 and October 2, 2026 found no Karenia brevis in or offshore of Collier County. The Naples Pier sample collected September 28 was recorded as "Not Present." The Collier sites in that table are Naples Pier, South Marco Beach, Vanderbilt Beach, Barefoot Beach State Preserve and Seagate. None is in Naples Bay or Gordon Pass, so the pier is the closest reading to Port Royal. These results are a snapshot, and FWC's next update comes tomorrow, October 9.
The bait is already here. In a September 23 Naples and Marco Island report from Naples Fishing Charters, Capt. Mark wrote:
"Right now, baitfish are lining the beaches, filling the adjacent bays, gathering over offshore wrecks, and showing up just about everywhere."
He called September and October two of the best months for redfish, found in the passes, bays, cuts and shallows. Snook were in many of the same spots, Spanish mackerel were active along the beaches, and bonita were expected any day. Florida Sportsman's October 1 forecast for Southwest Florida reported schooling redfish in the shallows, good snook and trout fishing on late tides, and larger snook nearshore. That forecast covers Sarasota to Bonita Beach, so it reads as a regional signal rather than a Naples Bay report.
How the window closes, and what stays open
The last weeks of the snook window usually line up with the first cold fronts. That's when the season can feel strongest, just before it ends. Last year, a November 10, 2025 Naples report from Naples Offshore Fishing Charters linked the first front to a stronger bite and quality snook and redfish in the backcountry. A December 26, 2025 report from Fishing Charter Marco Island noted that the water had dropped into the low 70s. Fish had moved toward the middle islands and deeper backcountry, with reds along mangrove edges and deeper pockets and trout on potholes and the edges of deep runs. Those are last season's observations, not a forecast, but they show the usual direction of the season.
Once snook harvest closes on December 1, redfish and seatrout carry the inshore calendar through the winter under the year-round Southwest rules in the table above. On the evening of December 19, the boats that fished Naples Bay all fall come out for a different reason. Our boat parade piece covers how the parade ends in Port Royal's own canals.
A dock, the depth at its end, and how many slow-speed minutes separate it from Gordon Pass all shape how a Port Royal home actually gets used in a season like this one. If you're weighing those details on a waterfront property, or want our Port Royal perspective on how canal position fits into value, The Beretta Group is glad to walk the seawall with you. Schedule Your Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
