Checkered PufferorSmooth Puffer
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
Checkered Puffer
Pale puffer with a dark net-like pattern over the back and bars around the eyes; inflates when handled.
Checkered puffer, next to smooth puffer: small, patterned.
Smooth Puffer
Large silvery puffer, to 2 ft, with a smooth back and a forked tail; offshore and inshore.
Smooth puffer, next to checkered puffer: large, plain silver.
Side by side
| Checkered Puffer | Smooth Puffer | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sphoeroides testudineus | Lagocephalus laevigatus |
| Also called | Puffer, Blowfish | Rabbitfish, Blowfish |
| Waters | Inshore | Offshore |
| Heaviest state record | — | — |
| On the table | Do not eat — puffers carry saxitoxin; poisonings are on record in Florida. | Do not eat — puffer toxin risk; sold illegally as 'sea squab'. |
| Rules of its own in | 2 states | 2 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 2 of 2 states with a rule for either. In Florida (Atlantic), checkered puffer is No size limit, Banned in 5 east-coast counties · elsewhere 2 fish or 100 lb and smooth puffer is No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per person, whichever is greater. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Checkered Puffer: size · bag · season | Smooth Puffer: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limitBanned in 5 east-coast counties · elsewhere 2 fish or 100 lbBanned in Volusia–Martin counties (toxin)CheckFWC, Fla. Admin. Code r. 68B-3.007 · checked | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per person, whichever is greaterOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 (default limits; 68B-3.007 names Sphoeroides only) · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limitBanned in 5 east-coast counties · elsewhere 2 fish or 100 lbBanned in Volusia–Martin counties (toxin)CheckFWC, Fla. Admin. Code r. 68B-3.007 · checked | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per person, whichever is greaterOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 (default limits; 68B-3.007 names Sphoeroides only) · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, checkered puffer or smooth puffer, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell checkered puffer from smooth puffer?
Checkered Puffer: Pale puffer with a dark net-like pattern over the back and bars around the eyes; inflates when handled. Smooth Puffer: Large silvery puffer, to 2 ft, with a smooth back and a forked tail; offshore and inshore. Smooth puffer, next to checkered puffer: large, plain silver. Checkered puffer, next to smooth puffer: small, patterned.
Which is better to eat, checkered puffer or smooth puffer?
Checkered Puffer: Do not eat — puffers carry saxitoxin; poisonings are on record in Florida. Smooth Puffer: Do not eat — puffer toxin risk; sold illegally as 'sea squab'.
Do checkered puffer and smooth puffer have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 2 state rulebooks. Florida (Atlantic): checkered puffer No size limit, Banned in 5 east-coast counties · elsewhere 2 fish or 100 lb, smooth puffer No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per person, whichever is greater; Florida (Gulf): checkered puffer No size limit, Banned in 5 east-coast counties · elsewhere 2 fish or 100 lb, smooth puffer No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per person, whichever is greater.