Finfish Seasons, Limits, Sizes - Georgia Fishing (2024)

Species

Open Season

Daily Limit and Possession Limit

Minimum Size (inches)

Amberjack*

All year

1

28 FL

American Eel

All year

25

9 TL

Atlantic croaker

All year

25

Atlantic sturgeon

No Harvest

Billfish (Blue marlin,
White marlin, Sailfish)*

Catch and Release Only

Black drum

All year

15

14 TL

Black sea bass*

All year

15

12 TL

Bluefish

All year

15

12 FL

Cobia

Mar. 1 - Oct. 31

1 per angler, max 6 per boat.

36 FL

Dolphin*

All year

10 (Not to exceed 60 per boat, except for headboats which are allowed 10 per paying customer.

20 FL

Flounder

All year

15

12 TL

Gag grouper*

All year

2

24 TL

King mackerel*

All year

3

24 FL

Red drum (Channel bass,
Spottail bass, Redfish)**

All year

5

14 TL (23 TL maximum)

Red porgy*

All year

3

14 TL

Red snapper*

All year

2

20 TL

Sharks (other than Hammerheads, SSC and Prohibited Sharks)^A

All Year

1 per angler or boat, whichever is less

54 FL

83 FL (Shortfin Mako)

Sharks: Hammerheads (Great, Scalloped, and Smooth)^A

All Year

1 per angler or boat, whichever is less

78 FL

Small shark composite (SSC)^A
(Atlantic sharpnose, Bonnethead, Spiny dogfish)

All Year

1 per angler

30 FL

Prohibited Sharks
(NO HARVEST)^A

Sand tiger, Sandbar, Silky, Bigeye sand tiger, Whale, Basking, White, Dusky, Bignose, Galapagos, Night, Reef, Narrowtooth, Caribbean sharpnose, Smalltail, Atlantic angel, Longfin mako, Bigeye thresher, Sharpnose sevengill, Bluntnose sixgill, Oceanic Whitetip, and Bigeye sixgill

Sheepshead

All year

15

10 FL

Spanish mackerel*

All year

15

12 FL

Spot

All year

25

Spotted seatrout

All year

15

14 TL

Striped bass (Saltwater)

All year

2

22 TL

Striped bass (Savannah River)

All year

2

27 TL

Tarpon

All year

1

68 FL

Tripletail

All year

2

18 TL

Weakfish

All year

1

13 TL

* These species are also federally managed from 3 to 200 miles offshore. Go to www.safmc.net for federal regulations. BILLFISH: State regulation changes are proposed, effective March 1, 2022. See CoastalGaDNR.org/BillfishRule for regulation change.

** Red Drum are a gamefish in Georgia [O.C.G.A. 27-1-2 (36)(I)]. As gamefish, Red Drum may only be fished for with pole and line (rod/reel) [O.C.G.A. 27-4-5].

A These species are also federally managed. Go to www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-minimum-sizes-and-bag-limits for federal regulations.