Gag grouper is the clearest case of a season that cannot be memorised. Florida sets it by executive order, the dates have moved by months between years, and the Gulf and the Atlantic are on separate clocks.
State by state
Each block is one rule as the agency writes it, with the calendar band underneath. Where a state runs the same species on two different calendars — inshore against offshore, one peninsula against the other — both are here, because that is exactly the distinction people get wrong.
Florida FWC
Gulf state waters, excluding Monroe County
Set by FWC executive order for 2026 to match the federal Gulf season, and harvest closes at 12:01 a.m. on October 1. This is a one-month window that has landed in April, June and September in different years: the date is not a habit, it is a decision taken each year.
- Limit
- Part of the 4-fish grouper aggregate.
Atlantic state waters and all state waters off Monroe County
Recreational gag harvest closed on August 2, 2026 by executive order and stays closed for the rest of the year. The Keys follow the Atlantic rule here even though they sit on the Gulf side, which is the trap in this regulation.
Read on 2026-09-14 from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
How to read these dates
A season date is one of four things, and confusing them is how people end up on the water on the wrong day. Some are fixed and will be the same next year. Some are written as a rule — a weekday rather than a date — and we calculate those for 2026 from the regulation instead of copying a figure that goes stale. Some do not exist until the agency announces them, and no amount of searching will produce next season's date early. And some states simply do not close a season for this species, managing it with sizes and limits instead.
Every rule on this page has a published date, which is unusual: most species in this section have at least one state that sets the season annually.
Questions
When is grouper season?
It depends entirely on the state: Florida is september 1 to september 30. There is no national grouper season, and the dates below are the ones each agency publishes.
Can I keep grouper outside the season?
No. Where a season is closed, harvest is closed, and in several states the water stays open for catch-and-release. Sizes and bag limits apply on top of the season and are listed per state above.
Compiled and checked by Pablo Ruiz Quintero. Dates move: tell us if one has and it goes in the verification log.