My father brought me on Florida snook fishing trips
when
I was a kid, and now I make the trip with my own boys each year. Snook
fishing has become our family tradition!
Florida
snook fishing is often challenging, sometimes maddeningly
so...but after you've hooked your first one, you'll understand the
attraction that keeps "snookers" coming back to familiar fishing holes
year after year.
If
you've never been to Florida, or have never been saltwater fishing
before, many anglers believe bass fishing is
comparable to Florida snook fishing. Both like to hang out near shore
in cover. Both species are similar in size and ferocity.
Snook and bass like to lurk and pounce on their meals.
Similar baits and lures work on both species.
Snook
with the distinctive body-length stripe.
Photographer: Stacey Lynn Brown
Both
snook and largemouth
bass are native to Florida.
The pursuit of snook becomes for many anglers a single-minded
passion. Just as bass fever strikes more than a few otherwise
rational folks, snookers are a dedicated breed in pursuit of a single
species, too.
Like bass, snook not only are edible but have a nice flavor, too.
While there are similarities, there are a good many differences between
snook and bass. For starters, snook aren't limited to
freshwater as bass are, but enjoy brackish and their native saltwater,
too, which gives the
snooker a greater variety of environments to explore for his prize fish.
Unlike bass, snook cannot tolerate cold water very well.
They're hard to
find
in temperatures less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, because snook cannot
survive for long in colder waters.
Well, that's enough of the comparisions. Let's get down to
what you're here for: snook knowledge!
Florida
Snook Fishing: A Little About Snook...
Snook
are a tropical species found on the larger islands of the
Caribbean, including Cuba, Puerto
Rico and Hispaniola. The biggest populations in Florida snook fishing
are
found in the southern half of the state, but individuals may range as
far north as Jacksonville
on the Atlantic side, and the Panhandle on the Gulf side,
though warmer weather will bring larger a little further
northward.
Florida fish identification: Snook
While
there are a dozen species of snook worldwide, there are only four
kinds of snook caught in Florida waters: common snook,
swordspine snook, tarpon
snook, and fat snook.
The
common snook
has the greatest
numbers (hence the name 'common')
and is the one species caught most often in Florida. Those found on the
East Coast tend to live longer and
consequently grow a little bigger than the West Coast snook.
This occurs because the east coast snook are a
slightly different strain. Atlantic snook live to be about 15
years old, Gulf
Coast snook live to about 12 years of age.
The sword-spined
snook is both the rarest and the smallest of the snook
species in
Florida, achieving a maximum length of only twelve inches. This fish is
so rare, the only place
you'll catch one is in the freshwater canals in the Miami
area. The tarpon snook gets its name
because of
the tarpon-like upturn of the jaw
and a body that is not as long and narrow as other snook species.
The fat snook is the second largest
variety found in Florida
waters, reaching a length of about 18 inches. It is commonly
found from the drainage at Lake Okeechobee south down through the Keys.
Snook have no teeth, and their rough upward-jutting jaws
are somewhat like those of a
tarpon. As mentioned,
they have a sharply drawn lateral line running from
head to tail on both sides. Because of this distinctive
marking snook are sometimes called 'sideliner'. Their
coloration is most commonly a gray-green back with silver sides in
snook favoring the coastal areas. Anglers in Florida for snook fishing
venture up
the creeks of the
Everglades, and know that snook in those waters can have
gold sides with nearly black backs due to the tannin in the water.
During spawning season, snooks' fins
are
a bright yellow color.
Florida Snook Fishing: A
Lunker
Photographer
| CC
License
Snook
are naturally agressive and are ferocious fighters when hooked,
often
favoring the lurk-and-strike method of foraging. Pound for
pound, snook are exceptionally strong and wily opponents.
They have an advantage when trying to free themselves because
of their razor-sharp gill plates. Unless
you use
heavy-duty leaders, those gill plates will slice right through your
line, bringing an abrupt end to your battle.
You won't find snook in deeper water as they favor depths of
60
feet or less, and are at home in shallow lagoons and estuaries
(particularly in winter months) and along beaches.
Something that stands out about snook
is that all are born male; many transition to female between 2
and 7
years, or when their fork length is between 17-30 inches. Snook
generally mature at around the age of 4-5, when they reach
about 24-26 inches in length. Because
of this, most very large snook caught are females.
The average length caught is between 18 and 30 inches. An
average
size of snook caught is 16- to 30-pounders, with a maximum of
about 30 to 40 pounds. The Florida snook fishing state record
is 44 pounds,
3
ounces. The World Record is 53 pounds, 10 ounces.
Speaking of state records, this video from the Chew on This saltwater
fishing show records a
possible record snook being landed by Capt Ben Chancey.
His obvious delight at landing his prize won this video a spot
on our
home page, because this is what fishing in Florida
is all about!
If
you didn't know that Captain Ben enjoys Florida snook fishing
regularly, and gets
paid to do it, too, you'd never guess it by watching this video. Here's
a man who loves what he does for a living! The rest of us
only
dream of a few days a year like this one, devoted to Florida fishing...
Florida Snook Fishing
Snook...
seasons and seasonal movements
Let's
spend some time talking about the open seasons and closed seasons
for Florida snook fishing. A good understanding of the snook
spawning seasons and the subsequent movements of the fish, along with
the
laws regulating Florida snook fishing, will help you to plan your
fishing
vacations. This knowledge will also help you to decide where
the best fishing spots are
likely to be found, and when to try your luck.
Florida snook fishing seasons:
The
Gulf side is closed for snook from Dec 1 through the end of Feb as well
as the months of May, June, July, and August.
The rest of the state is closed for snook from Dec 15
through Jan 31; additionally, the Atlantic side is closed in the months
of June, July, and August. (Regulations are
effective as of 7/12/07)
During "open" seasons, you may keep one fish per person per day IF you
have purchased the required snook tag for $2 per person.
During
"closed" seasons, you can still catch fish, but not keep them.
The snook you do catch and keep must meet the size
requirements
in order to have them in your possession. Florida snook
fishing
bag limits: On the Atlantic side, 28 to 32 inches total length; while
on the Gulf side the range is 28
to 33 inches. Anything smaller or larger
cannot
be kept. You may only have one snook in your possession per
person at any given time.
As always, we recommend that you familiarize
yourself with the Florida
State fishing laws. For more info, visit
www.floridaconservation.org.
Now
that you know the seasons, let's talk about the life cycle of
snook, patterns of movement related to the natural cycles, and how it
all relates to Florida's snook fishery conservation
efforts which are reflected in the state laws regarding snook seasons.
Much of the movement patterns of snook are due to that low tolerance of
colder temperatures as we've already mentioned.... In the winter,
snook
congregate where the water temperature is
most stable - in the backwaters and
offshore reefs; in deeper inland waters; brackish creeks, ship
channels,
and under bridges. They can and do go upriver at times and
are quite adept in brackish and even fresh waters.
Snook are especially fond of warm-water
outflows near power plants; the upper reaches of
estuaries, and sometimes are found in more shallow water if the
temperature stays
warmer. Winter feeding is limited to the warmer days since
their
activity lessens with colder temperatures.
Hence the reasoning behind the state laws regulating Florida snook
fishing
during the winter months - The season is closed December 15 through
either
January 31 or through the end of February (depending on which coast
you're snook fishing), because snook become so lethargic
during severe cold that they are very easy to catch with a net or even
your
hands (those methods are not legal, by the way).
photo
credit: Full Boat Charters, www.floridainshoreguide.com
On
warmer days in the winter, snook will venture from the shelter of
deeper waters into
the flats, grabbing up any baitfish they can find. The bay
anchovy are often a favorite target for the insatiable snook appetites.
With the increasingly rising temperatures of spring
comes a
veritable
snook feeding frenzy. The fish agressively seek to rebuild their mostly
depleted fat stores as they prepare for the coming summer's spawn.
You'll find them at
night in
their favorite haunts around piers and bridges, lurking in the shadow
lines awaiting to fill up on baitfish like menhaden or mullet.
In early spring they move
to the mouths of bays, rivers, creeks, and canals, moving out to
shallow waters in late spring in preparation for spawning
The summer months are the snook spawning times.
During
this time, the Florida snook fishing is closed. Why?
Snook
are found in large groups during spawn, the food is limited, and
consequently, their appetites are fierce. This makes fishing
for
snook somewhat like shooting fish in a barrel. Closing the
season
gives the snook the best chance to reproduce and keep the fish supply
in healthy numbers, so that future anglers may enjoy snook fishing in
Florida waters.
During the summer, you'll
find snook gathering, sometimes in large groups, in inlets, passes and
along the beaches.
Larger numbers are found offshore around underwater
structures
that provide cover, as well as inshore around piers and
bridges.
Summer fishing is the most productive as they're found in
large
numbers in concentrated areas and are ravenously hungry, too.
Look for snook hanging out at openings in points,
bends,
jetties and other spots
that create eddies in the current.
Remember, however, that you
must catch and release only during the summer months
as that's a closed season for keeping any snook.
Snook follow the mullet run in the fall, stuffing
themselves silly and
rebuilding their fat reserves to carry them through another winter.
Look for mullet rain, as the locals call it (airborne
mullet), around
docks, bridges, and seawalls, and you'll know where the snook
are waiting to
ambush their dinner. Florida snook fishing can be
very fast-paced and exciting in the fall; don't miss out on the action!
As the temperatures drop again in the fall, snook make their way in and
up into shallow
creeks where the sun will warm the bottom and their sluggish bodies as
well as they wait out another winter season.
Florida Snook Fishing
Best Baits, lures, and
snook fishing techniques
Snook
feeding habits are unpredictable.
Known as moody and fickle feeders,
snook are nocturnal foragers that
sometimes don't feed at night. They'll often go crazy at a
first cast but
then refuse it no matter what afterwards. They
eat according to the wind or tides, the moon or food source, depending
on whom you ask. Just like the weather, knowing what will
tempt a
snook to strike is anybody's guess at times.
This unpredictability is part of the snook mystique and what makes this
fish such an attractive game fish. Snook will pile up visibly
like L.A. traffic under bridge or dock lights at
night, then
will
proceed to feed on teeny minnows while turning up their snouts at
everything cast before them. Frustrating? You bet!
This
has kept many an angler awake all night long waiting for the snook to
change up their feeding desires, and give the fisher achance to settle
an old score or two with the crafty sideliners.
Ferocious fighters with many tricks, they're most respected for their
ability to shoot like lightening straight for cover - such as
bridge
pilings or underwater structures - and if you're caught napping, a
snook will wrap the line around an
obstacle, snap the line and be gone before you know it.
Many an angler new to Florida snook fishing has been left staring
bemusedly
at the frayed end of his snapped line, wondering what just
happened...and another dedicated "snooker" emerges from the experience
a little wiser, determined to try
his luck again.
Here's a Florida snook fishing video filmed out of Jupiter Florida,that has great advice on baitfish and snook
fishing techniques, as well as outstanding underwater snook footage:
So,
what works best when in Florida snook fishing? Try some of
the
following baits, lures, and techniques for a good chance at landing
some snook in Florida:
Live shrimp
- shrimp ride
the tides in the cooler months, and snook
hang out under dock and bridge lights at night, keeping still in the
current and waiting for hapless shrimp to come their way.
freeline a shrimp and
walk it along the shadow
line of a dock or
bridge, and you'll soon be rewarded with that distinctive audible "pop"
as a snook
sucks up your offering. In deeper waters, around rocky areas
with
sandy bottoms with a nice current, rig your shrimp to a jighead for a
tempting snook morsel.
Spanish sardine
are also a
good choice; hook them through the nose, belly,
or back, and wait a minute or two for hungry snook to spot them as it
dives and surfaces.
Live mullet
are great for
finding schools of snooks; hook a mullet
through the back, which makes it swim down, and watch for it to dash to
the surface when snook are near. Different sizes of mullet
bring
different sizes of snook; fingerlings will attract any size snook,
while
larger mullet attract snook mostly too big to keep. For
top-notch
action, fish a 12-inch mullet on 100-pound test line off a bridge and
hang on to your hat!
Dead mullet work well,
too; just cut the head
off a dead one
and hook it thru the lips; use good strong test with a minimum 3-ft
leader, and get ready for a knock-down, drag-out battle!
Artificial lures
that mimic
baitfish work well on with Florida snook fishing, as do topwater
plugs. Snook sometimes approach topwater lures from a
different
direction
each time it's cast out, and it's exciting because you never know what
to expect when fishing topwater plugs.
Fly fishing
is growing in
popularity, and fly
fishers have found that it's best to use small flies when casting at
night next to lights. Snook under lights are usually very cautious,
even when they're plenty stacked up. A very small fly - anywhere from
three-quarter to and inch long - is often a winner with snook. When the
fish are skittish at night under the lights, use a little epoxy and
shrimp flies.
The
seeming moodiness of the species is tries the angler's patience at
times; but an understanding of how snook are designed can ease your
mind. Snook are made to eat when the getting is easy,
like at
night or during strong tides. Snook tend to conserve energy
when the
effort to find
food becomes too great. From our perspective, it only seems
like
they're
finicky, but in reality snook simply don't waste their time if the
angler's
offering isn't 'right'.
Top
Florida Snook Fishing Locations
Now
that you know a little more about snook and how to catch them,
you're probably wondering - where are the best fishing spots in
Florida for snook
fishing?
Inlets
On the East Coast, the Big Five inlets are: Sebastian,
Fort Pierce, St.
Lucie, Jupiter and Palm Beach. The prime
time to try your luck at these inlets is the spring
through
fall months, but snook are catchable year round if you know where to
look and
what bait to use...live bait is best; redtailed hawk jigs and
swimming-action plugs are also popular. Wintertime shrimp runs in
Miami's
governmentt cut attract loads of snook; a live shrimp freelined or on a
jig
will get you a nice-sized snook that's come for the all-you-can-eat
shrimp buffet.
On the Gulf Coast, there are many passes to fish for snook; a couple of
the more noteworthy ones are Wiggins Pass and Captiva
Pass.
In the spring, the big snook head out of the mouth of the
Cocohatchee River at Wiggins Pass for the spawn. Popular
baits
used there are live baitfish drifted through the mouth of the pass, as
well as shrimp and jigs cast out from the shore. At Captiva
Pass,
try live sardines drifed off the south side along the dropoff.
Other reliable fishing spots are Passage Key Inlet
and Stumps Pass.
Flats
Pine Island Sound, with mangrove-lined
islands and tannic-colored
waters, consistently produces some great Florida snook fishing.
Herman's
Bay on the Indian River is one of the best places to visit in
an area
already snook-rich. Located between Ft Pierce and Jensen
Beach
near the St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, Herman's Bay is a series of
flats that covers a cove on one end and the deeper Big Mud Creek at the
other end.
Florida Bay isn't known for the biggest
snook population, but
it makes up
for it by sheer numbers of snook to pursue. The
many creeks
and rivers have respectable snook populations, but a favorite spot of
snook fishers has got to be the shallow-water potholes in front of the Flamingo.
Island moats, in good current, attract many snook.
Spring and summer finds snookers casting topwater plugs,
skimmer
jigs, spoons and flies aimed at the sandy potholes and depressions in
grassy areas. The Keys
are a good home base for Florida snook fishing in the Florida Bay area.
If size doesn't matter to you and you just want to catch a whole bunch
of snook, Charlotte Harbor
is the place for you. Lasting from spring clear through to
fall,
snook are thick in the large sandy areas and depressions in the Harbor.
The flats in Old Tampa
Bay are also popular Florida snook fishing haunts.
Bridges
If you're after a trophy snook, try timing your
Florida fishing
vacations to coincide with the spring mullet run and fish around Flagler
Bridge in West Palm Beach. More large snook have
been caught
there than at any other structure in south Florida. Try
fishing
around the bridge after dark, using live sand perch and
mullet.
In the fall and spring, the two Matlacha Pass bridges
on Hwy. 78 are
snook hot spots. The bridges connect Little Pine Island with
Cape
Coral on the mainland and have superior fishing all year long. Live
baits and artificial lures work well; fly fishing
after dark around the
pilings is also good.
The Skyway
Fishing Bridge
connecting St Petersburg with Tampa is a favorite for snook anglers.
Fish around the pilings from a boat using livebait after
dark, or
park your car and fish from the bridge itself, known as the world's
longest fishing pier!
Biscayne Bay is also noteworthy for
snook fishing around its
bridges. During the spring and winter shrimp runs,
favorite
tactics are freelined shrimp offered at night, or a live pinfish
freelined over sandy
bottoms into the current.
Beaches
Summer beach fishing on Jupiter Island and south Hutchinson
Island is
very good early in the predawn through early morning hours.
Toss
plugs and flies to the rockpiles along the beaches.
If your fishing vacation takes you to south
Florida, Captiva Island and Sanibel Island
shore fishing for snook is
best from late spring to early fall, at first light.
Florida Bay's beaches are good to fish for snook, especially where
baitfish are
plentiful. You can either anchor your boat offshore and cast
along the beach with pinfish and mullet, or walk the beach and cast
parallel to the beach using plugs and jigs. The best beach
fishing is from East Cape to northwest Cape Sable from spring through
fall; the points on the capes are very good.
One of the best stretches of beach for Florida snook fishing is found
at the
north end of the Honeymoon Island Recreation Area
in Pinelles County
near Dunedin Florida. A bit crowded in the early morning,
it's
for a good reason: snook are plentiful!
The last video presented here is proof that snook are caught on
beaches, as well as by fly fishing:
Rivers
Lunker
sideliners are found in the Eastman river in
Palm beach, but
they're not easy to trick. Several docks on the river are
snook hangouts,
along with the spillway where baitfish like mullet congregate.
Sand perch freelined near dock pilings work well, as well as
live
baits and jigs.
The Lostmans River in Everglades National Park is a
gathering place for
snook, beginning around April, with peak times in May and June, but
strong action holding through September . The fish stick
close
to the mangroves but come out in the open to feed during the outgoing
tides.
In the winter, the Cotee River's deep holes along
its bends.
Jigs
alone, or combined with shrimp work well but keep work your bait
slowly, just about the bottom.
Beginning in October, snook migrate to the Anclote River,
where they
winter in the deeper holes and channels in between Tarpon Springs and
Salt Lake. Bounce a live shrimp on a jig along the bottom to
draw
the snooks' attention. With warmer weather snook move out to
the
islands around the rivers' mouth.
While cold-weather Florida snook fishing spots can be hot in all the
rivers
emptying into Tampa Bay, the best snook fishing is
found around
docks and shorelines on the Little Manatee River
from November through
January.
There are a few decent bridges where snook lurk on
the Peace River in southwest Florida, but the best
fishing on the river is
found at dawn, working a topwater lure along the shore lines, or
anywhere there's sandbars. Snook hang out there, waiting for
what
comes their way.
The
Caloosahatchee River, also in
southwestern
Florida, has
several reliable points for fish for snook. In the winter,
you'll
find snook hanging out near the power plant where the water is warmer.
Larger fish are consistently around the bridges, the Cape
Coral
bridge being particularly noteworthy. Shore fishing is best done by
using rattling plugs and jigs, live mullets or sand perch.
The
flats at the mouth of the river in the spring and fall are a sure
thing, too. Big snook are known to hang around the docks at
the
Sanibel Harbor Resort, and also the bridge at Punta Rassa. To
attract snook around the bridges and docks, try live pinfish,
whitebait, or mullet drifted close to the pilings.
Live
shrimp are very effective during
late winter and early spring months.
Other Florida snook fishing locations
Lake Worth Spillway, near
the West Palm Beach
Canal in the town by the same name. In the spring, when the
rains
overflow and bring bream and shad, you'll find lots of snook of various
sizes gorging themselves. Use live shad or bream or lures
resembling shad or swimming baitfish.
Tamiami Trail, in particular a 30-mile
stretch along
Hwy 41 near Marco Island in southwestern Florida that
is popular with both
light-tackle and flyfishing enthusiasts. If you just want to
catch a lot of snook and aren't concerned about the size, this is the
place for you.
In the warm waters of the St Lucie Nuclear Power plant
outflow
in southeastern Florida, abundant groups of snook are found feasting on
the baitfish and shrimp drawn to the currents there. Drop
live
baitfish over the outflow pipe to the bottom for best results.
For
exciting nighttime Florida snook fishing in south Florida, the Intercoastal
Waterway's docks and bridges are a favorite haunt of the
dedicated snookers.
Send us your Florida Snook fishing photos
We'd
like to invite you to share your photos and stories of your
own snooker
adventures (or any other Florida fishing photos you'd like to brag
about). Send them to us and we'll post 'em up!
Webmasters,
you can get a FREE file upload tool like this one at SendThisFile.com.
Learn about another
great game fish, the tarpon,
by reading our review of Tarpon
Fishing in Florida.
Looking for lodgings for
your Florida fishing
vacations? Please visit our Florida
hotels reviews section. If hotels aren't to your
liking, you may prefer other great Florida
vacation rentals like a private home or condo.
