Something is always in season in the Lower Keys, but the quality of the hunt swings hard with water temperature and wind. Use this as a planning calendar, then confirm the current regulations with the FWC before you dive — seasons and limits are updated every year.
Winter (December–February)
Cool, clear water and the best visibility of the year. Cobia show up on the reef line, mutton snapper move shallower, and the shallow patch reefs fish well on the few calm days between fronts.
- Highlights: cobia, mutton snapper, hogfish, mackerel
- Wear a 3 mm suit — water can dip into the low 70s
Spring (March–May)
Warming water, lighter winds and the start of the best all-around window. Black grouper season typically reopens in the Atlantic in May, and mutton snapper start staging for their summer spawn.
- Highlights: black grouper (season permitting), mutton, hogfish, amberjack on the wrecks
Summer (June–August)
Flat calm mornings, 85-degree water and the busiest season on the water. Lobster mini-season lands on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday of July, and the regular season opens August 6.
- Highlights: lobster, mutton snapper, mangrove snapper, black grouper
- Plan mini-season lodging and boats months ahead
Fall (September–November)
The locals' favorite. Crowds thin out, bait pours through, and big pelagics show along the reef edge. Amberjack and blackfin tuna keep the wrecks interesting, and the first fronts clean the water up.
- Highlights: mangrove snapper, amberjack, wahoo, blackfin tuna, hogfish
Always verify before you shoot
Florida limits change: hogfish in the Keys has its own minimum size and a low daily bag, grouper species have staggered closures, and goliath grouper and Nassau grouper are fully protected. Species like snook, tarpon, bonefish, permit in Special Permit Zones, billfish and all sharks may not be taken by spear at all.
GEAR WE RECOMMEND
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Lobster tickle stick and net set
$Mini-season essentials — the Keys bugs come out of ledges much easier with a tickle stick than a bare hand.
CHECK PRICEGauge and bag combo
$Legal carapace measuring underwater plus somewhere to keep them; required for lobster in Florida.
CHECK PRICEPole spear (6–7 ft)
$Perfect summer patch-reef tool for hogfish and mangroves, and legal where spearguns feel like overkill.
CHECK PRICEDive computer with freedive mode
$$$Tracks depth, bottom time and surface intervals so long summer sessions stay safe.
CHECK PRICE
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KEEP READING
- Best Spearfishing Spots in the Lower Keys
Where to spearfish around Key West: patch reefs, the Western Dry Rocks area, wrecks, and Gulf-side ledges — with depths, species and access notes.
- Spearfishing Gear Guide for the Florida Keys
Exactly what gear works in Key West water: gun length, wetsuit thickness, floats, weighting and the safety kit you should not dive without.
- Florida Keys Spearfishing Rules and Closed Areas
License requirements, protected species, sanctuary closures and distance rules for spearfishing in Key West and the Florida Keys.