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Fishing in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco County: licenses, lakes, the Gulf, and boat ramps

Freshwater lakes and rivers inland, the Gulf of America along the coast, and public boat ramps in all three counties. This page covers which license you need for each, where to fish, where to launch, and how to find a guide.

Checked against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and county sources listed at the bottom. Fees and seasons change, so check the linked page before you go. Last reviewed: October 5, 2026.

The short version:

Licenses: freshwater and saltwater

Do I need a saltwater and freshwater fishing license in Florida?

Florida sells them as two separate licenses. A Florida resident pays $17 a year for either one, or $32.50 for both together. Visitors pay $47 a year for either one, $17 for three days, or $30 for seven days. Prices are on FWC's freshwater and saltwater license pages.

Florida residents 65 and older don't need either one. FWC's "Do I need a license?" page lists the exemption. It also covers the extra permits for snook and spiny lobster. Carry your Florida driver's license or state ID as proof, or get the free Resident 65+ Hunt/Fish Certificate at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or your county tax collector's office.

Which license counts depends on the fish, not the water. FWC's license FAQ says license rules "follow the species of fish, regardless of where they are caught." That matters in the brackish rivers near the coast, where fresh and salt water mix. If you only have a freshwater license and catch a redfish, you have to let it go.

One thing to watch if you're 64. FWC still sells a Silver Sportsman's 64+ license for $13.50 a year. It covers freshwater fishing and hunting, but not saltwater fishing.

Can you freshwater fish without a license in Florida?

Yes, if you're a Florida resident 65 or older. Most other adults need a freshwater license.

For saltwater fishing from the shore or a pier, Florida residents can get a free shoreline license. FWC's shoreline license page says residents 65 and older don't need it, and neither does anyone fishing from a licensed pier. The free shoreline license doesn't work from a boat.

A few things still apply at 65. Keeping a tarpon takes a tarpon tag, with no exemptions. Fishing for grouper from a boat means signing up for the free State Reef Fish Survey.

Freshwater lakes and rivers

FWC keeps a page with maps, boat ramps, species, and a current fishing forecast for each of these. Start there before you go.

Saltwater fishing on the Gulf

The coast here is in FWC's Big Bend region, which has its own size and bag limits. Redfish, spotted seatrout, snook, and cobia are the usual inshore targets. FWC's saltwater regulations page has the current rules for each fish, and they change. Snook is closed December through February and May through August. Gag grouper closed on October 1 for the rest of 2026.

FWC also publishes a free boating and angling guide for Hernando and Pasco, with channels, seagrass, and ramps on a map.

When can you go scalloping in Crystal River?

In summer. The 2026 season for Citrus and Hernando ran from July 1 through September 24. Pasco's season runs July 10 through August 18 each year, but in 2026 it closed early, on August 6, because of a toxic algae bloom. Check FWC's bay scallop page in late spring for 2027 dates.

Florida residents 65 and older don't need a license to scallop. The limit is 2 gallons of whole scallops in the shell, or 1 pint of scallop meat, per person. You gather them in the water, by wading or snorkeling.

What month is stone crab season in Florida?

October 15 through May 1. To set your own traps, even at 65, you need FWC's free recreational stone crab trap registration, renewed each year at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com. You can set up to five traps. Claws must be at least 2 7/8 inches, the limit is 1 gallon of claws per person, and the crab goes back in the water. The full rules are on FWC's stone crab page.

Boat ramps

Is there a public boat ramp in Homosassa, Florida?

Yes. Citrus County runs MacRae's ramp at 5290 S. Cherokee Way in Homosassa, which charges a launch fee, and lists a ramp at Chassahowitzka too. The county's boat ramps and piers page has the full list with addresses.

To search any ramp in Florida on a map, with photos, use FWC's Boat Ramp Finder.

How much does a boat ramp cost?

It depends on the county and the ramp.

Citrus County says most of its ramps are free. Four charge: Fort Island Gulf Beach, Fort Island Trail Park, Hernando Beach, and MacRae's of Homosassa. The fee is $10 a day, or an annual pass of $25 for Citrus residents and $75 for everyone else. Details are on the county's launch fee page.

Free Citrus ramps include Pirates Cove in Crystal River, Duval Island in Floral City, Eden Park in Inverness, and the Hernando ramp on N. Railroad Way. Duval Island and Eden Park put you on the Tsala Apopka Chain, which is freshwater.

Hernando County lists its ramps on its boating resources page. Gulf access is at Bayport Park, with two ramps and a fishing pier, and at Jenkins Creek Park, for small boats and canoes. Rogers Park is on the Weeki Wachee River. Nobleton Wayside Park is on the Withlacoochee. These parks charge for parking. Cars with a handicap placard, and disabled veterans, park free at every Hernando County park.

In Port Richey, Nick's Park at 7929 Bayview Street has the city's only boat ramp, with limited trailer parking, restrooms, a dock, and fishing. The Bait Depot is across the street.

Pasco County charges $10 a day to park at its two Gulf ramps, Anclote River Park in Holiday and Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park in Hudson. An annual pass is $75 for Pasco residents and $100 for others. The rates are on the county's park rules page.

Bait and tackle shops

These shops have current listings with posted hours. We list them so you know what's near your ramp or pier, not because any of them paid us or because we've shopped there. Hours change with the weather and the season, so call before you drive.

Pasco County

The Anclote area of Holiday, near Anclote River Park and Anclote Gulf Park

Hernando County

Citrus County

Fishing piers

Do I need a license to fish off a pier in Florida?

Not if you're a Florida resident 65 or older. For everyone else, it depends on the pier and the water.

On a saltwater pier that holds its own pier license, nobody on it needs a personal license. On a saltwater pier without one, Florida residents can use the free shoreline license, which covers "the land or a structure attached to land." Visitors need to buy a saltwater license. On a freshwater pier there's no exemption, so anyone who isn't exempt needs a freshwater license. FWC explains this on its shoreline license page. Fishing for sharks from shore or a pier takes FWC's free shore-based shark permit, with no exemptions.

Public piers and docks the counties and cities list:

Only Fort Island Gulf Beach has an official page calling its pier wheelchair accessible. If you use a wheelchair or walker, call the park before you go and ask about the walk from parking and the railing height.

Fishing guides and charters

Who are some reputable fishing guides in Crystal River?

We don't recommend individual guides. Three lists will get you started, and you can compare from there.

Before you book, know that FWC says plainly that "Florida does not license or permit guides nor have minimum requirements for them." Ask any captain whether they hold a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license and carry insurance. If getting in and out of a boat is hard for you, say so when you call, and ask how you'll board.

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