Before You Book — Sebastian Inlet
Can We Keep What We Catch?
Yes, when the season is open and inside the limits. Here is what that means fish by fish, and why I keep to it.
The short answer: yes, when the season is open, inside the limits, and we clean and bag it for you. The longer answer is the one worth reading before you book, because it is the question I get more than any other and the rules on this coast are more particular than most people expect.
How It Works on My Boat
I fish to the regulations in force on the day. If a species is open, you can keep it within the bag and size limits. If it is closed, we still fish for it — a closed season means you cannot keep the fish, not that you cannot catch it — and it goes back in the water after the photo. I will tell you at the dock what is open that day, and I will tell you on the water what each fish is and whether it comes home.
Fish cleaning and bagging are included on fishing charters. You leave with fillets on ice, not a cooler of whole fish to deal with at a rental.
What That Means for the Fish People Ask About
Snook. Open in this region 1 September to 14 December and 1 February to 31 May. Slot 28″ to 32″, one per person per day. Closed in summer and over the holidays, when they are catch and release. The biggest ones are over the slot year-round and always go back.
Redfish. Catch and release in the Indian River Lagoon region, all year. We catch plenty. None come home, and that is not my rule.
Spotted seatrout. Open most of the year with a closure in November and December in this region. Slot 15″ to 19″, two per person per day. The reliable table fish on the lagoon.
Flounder. Closed 15 October to 30 November. Open the rest of the year.
Red snapper. Two weeks a year on the Atlantic, set by the state. In 2026 that is 9 to 22 October, one per person per day, no size limit. Catch and release the other fifty weeks.
Tarpon. Catch and release, always. They are the fish you come for, not the fish you take.
Sharks. Catch and release on my trips. The photo beside the boat is the point.
Mangrove snapper, grouper, mackerel and the rest. Each has its own size and bag limit and most are open most of the year. I will tell you on the day.
Why I Won't Bend It
I work with the FWC on research trips, I hold a state for-hire licence, and the regulations are checked on the boat by the same officers who check everyone else. A fish kept out of season costs you a fine and costs me the business. More to the point, the limits are why there are still snook in this lagoon. Keeping to them is part of fishing here.
If Keeping Fish Is the Point
Tell me when you book and I will put you on what is open. A trout day in spring or fall, a snook in the fall window, a reef day for snapper and grouper, or the two-week red snapper season if your dates land in it. If the point is the fight and the photo, any day works, and the biggest fish on this coast are the ones you cannot keep anyway.
The Current Rules
Everything above is checked against the FWC saltwater regulations as of 2 October 2026. Regulations change mid-year, and the regional rules for the Indian River Lagoon differ from the rest of the state, which is why guide books get them wrong. The monthly report notes any changes as they happen.
Book a Trip
Every trip is private — just your group on the boat, up to six guests. Tell Captain Richard Ladrew your dates and roughly what time of day suits you. He is on the water most days and gets back to you the same day. A $100 deposit holds the date and comes off the total.
Call 321-412-2440 Send your dates Deposit & detailsMore