Illegal to fish on snook lights?

[kmagnuss]

I guy at work today tried to tell me that in Charlotte County it is illegal to catch snook by fishing underwater dock lights. C'mon... there's no way this is true.

[dtobias]

He's pulling your leg...

[RexLan]

I don't think so .. I'm pretty sure it is illegal unless the light is black.

[Joey Buttons]

Not true...fish them and have fun.

[anejo22]

bs

[shamboner]

Keeping the snook you catch under the lights is currently illegal. Fishing them however is a blast as long as the owner of said dock does not care.

[Joey Buttons]

Keeping the snook you catch under the lights is currently illegal. Fishing them however is a blast as long as the owner of said dock does not care.

Even if the owner does care. They don't own the water under the dock.

[Flat_Top]

As long as you don't touch the dock or any private property the owner can not stop you from fishing their dock/light. They can turn the light off or jump up and down on their dock while you are fishing it if they like.

[Pmoconnor89]

At one point it was illegal. I believe it was recalled in about 2009. It fell under a 1950's law against the use of underwater lights to harvest fish. Key word harvest, catch and release has always been legal.

[chico]

At one point it was illegal. I believe it was recalled in about 2009. It fell under a 1950's law against the use of underwater lights to harvest fish. Key word harvest, catch and release has always been legal.

I remember in 2007 I was monkeying around with one of those underwater green lights on our dock on the Peace River, FWC stopped by and kindly informed me that the "light is illegal" in Charlotte County. That has changed as you stated. In other states when the counties passed such laws, the superior state courts have ruled that the counties do not have the power to pass and enforce such game laws. Don't know if it was ever challenged in Fla. courts.