The "lure" to Snook Fishing - is it basically Saltwater Bass fishing?
Have you ever wondered what its like to catch a 20 pound bass? Maybe just what gear you need to land a fish of that size? The world record for largemouth bass is just over 20 pounds and while the vast majority of us will never have the chance to set the hook on a 20 pounder, many of us that snook fish have had the chance to set the hook on a 20lb Snook. Even on lighter rods and line than you would ever use for largemouth bass fishing. When it comes down to it, if you love angling for bass fishing, you will certainly love snook fishing. At least the way that I snook fish.... Not everyone agrees on methods, so in this article we will dig into snook fishing in saltwater locations such as Florida, more specificially the west coast of florida like Clearwater Beach and Port Charlotte Harbor and how it is similiar to bass fishing and how it is different than bass fishing. We will also take a look at these elusive big snook and what you can do to give yourself a chance to land one!
Ive fished what seems to be almost every spot for common snook, I have a fond appreciation for these tropical fish and love sharing what makes them tick because I know first hand how hard it can be to not only get one to eat but land one on the boat. They are a leery fish, when it comes to eyesight, they can see straight through the water and even see things in the air above the water. When saltwater fly fishing for snook they will routinely see you fly line in the air before you even touch the water. Casting as far away from a fish as possible is lesson number one. If they can see fly line in the air, they can see you and the boat, kayak or on the beach. Big common snook on the beach will routinely swim through beachgoers legs without fear of anything becuase they have no intention of eating and they dont feel threatened by you whatsoever. Their pronounced lateral line gives them keen feeling of their souroundings. Snook also love moving water, this allows them to ambush their prey which is usually baitfish such as pilchards or threadfin, where the weaker fish cant swim as fast with the current as they can. Snook are notorious for their aggressive strikes and rarly miss their target when they are committed to eating. Speaking of eating, this doesnt happen all day, in fact night fishing is one of the best times to land a huge snook. When it comes to eating, early in the morning is their favorite. Your chances are best from the night to 9 or 10 am. After that, they usually shut down and hide for most of the day. Night fishing around bridges and structure with moving water with lures such as flair hawk jigs are your best bet. Find a local tackle shop or just go to bass proshop to find the right snook lure. If you arent fishing near structure you can use medium spinning fishing rod with 15lb main fishing line and 20-25lb leader for clear water fishing. Pair that with a 3000 series saltwater spinning reels like a penn saltwater reels or shimano saltwater reels with super smooth drag and you will be good togo. When you bring night and structure into play, up the gear to heavy, 50lb main and 40lb leader with a 6-8k series fishing reel. A 40 inch snook will rip drag on the strongest reel and break you off on anything they can. Often times anglers will mistake a big snook for a grouper with the way they run for cover.
Snook Gear
During daylight hours inshore snook fishing can be productive around mangroves and other vegetation that helps snook find shade and cover from predators like dolphins and sharks. Here you will be casting medium to medium heavy gear with 15lb braided fishing line and 25lb flourocarbon leader. I like lures like paddle tails and mirrorlures for the best bet. Snook fishing at daybreak with topwater lures like a zara spook plug reminicing of bass fishing will do the trick. With the airformentioned sight of these fish, long casts are the call here, with many of our snook caught while charter fishing at the longest casts possible. This puts the boat out of play and when you size your line and casting abilities together you stand the best chance to produce fish. Color of your lure will matter greatly. My charter fishing guests and I fish stained water of Charlotte Harbor often. These waters requre bright colored lures such as white, chartruce or other colors that pop in the stained waters of Charlotte Harbor. The same goes for night fishing, one of the best snook lures is the flairhawk jig purchased at bass pro shops or your local tackle shop should be bright colored as well. Look for bright greens and that will be the ticket to landing a big one. When fishing mangrove edges just picture yourself working a weed line for bass, the same techniques work in saltwater and freshwater fishing. If you take the time to put the lure near a fish, you will likely get hit. The main difference here is the depth of water. When we fish for snook around mangroves we are fishing less than 2 feet of water. Some of the bridges and rock jetty will be a little deeper, up to 20ft. but snook rarely live in that deep of water. Key in on docks, along flowing water ways for other opportunities for big snook. Using your sonar will help you find these fish as well. Good electronics like sidevision on a Humminbird unit proves to be one of the best tools to help find these
Size and Habitat
Another key aspect to snook fishing is they can breate both salt and fresh water. Making these fish super versitile. Fishing along the Peace or Mayakka rivers, they are tidal rivers that are brackish water at some points. This is an opportunity for snook to feed on both saltwater baitfish and freshwater baitfish. As the weather cools, expect snook to move from the saltwater to the shallower freshwater rivers and streams where the bottom will be muddy. This will retain the heat necessay to keep them alive over the winter. This brings me to the next point; snook will die if the water temps drop below 50 degrees. Their super adaptivity to their environment with the exception of cold water is what makes them such a formidable fish.
Snook size is another topic of discussion. All snook that are under teh 24-26 inch range are all males. Snook actually carry both sex genes and all snook turn to female as they grow above that range. As spring comes around and the water temps heat up, snook move from those brackish water hiding habitat to the warm crystal clear ocean beach waters. There on the beaches during the summer time is where snook spawn. Both male and female snook are ripe for the pickings in the clear beach waters of the west coast of Florida. Dont be fooled though, this can be the absolute toughest conditions to catch snook. They can see you coming from a mile away and feel every vibration in the water. This is where using baitfish and a ton of patience comes into play. This is the habitat that is by far the hardest to get an eat, but when you do, it can be super rewarding. The fishing techniques used here would include early casting, leaving your bait minnow sitting for a long time anticipating where the fish will be vs where they are. Any casts near a group or single fish will scare them away very quickly.
Lures for Snook
Snook tend to like fishing lures like soft plastic. Using stop and go fishing techniques will help you get the bite you are looking for. I prefer the white color or something with some sparkles in it. Trolling a spread is not an effective fishing techniques for these fish. Get yourself a swimbait or a twich bait for best success. Ive even heard of snook being caught by spinnerbait on occaision. Most of the time this would be in a retention pond while targeting big trophy bass.
Regulations/ Best Practices
While there are plenty of fishing regulations for catching snook including a slot limit, I would highly encourage everyone to practice catch and release of these fish. While yes they are good eating, they are more prized for their fight and the angling ability of the fisherman to land one of these fish. You will need a fishing license if you arent with a fishing guide and I encourage everyone to read the regulations, they are not open year round. These fish also have been affected by red tide and they deserve a chace to regrow their species without fisherman interference. There are plenty of other fish out there like mangrove snapper, mackerel, grouper, founder, and plenty of other species that can be harvested year round for food. Commercial fishing for snook is non existent in our country, however in Mexico it does happen.
Conclusion
I strongly feel that recreational fishing on either coast of Florida for this saltwater fish that can live in freshwater or brackish water of a coastal estuary can be one of the most rewarding fish to catch anywhere. You can fish in Kentucky, Illinois, Tennesee, or any other mid western state in the United States for largemouth bass, crappie, trout or smallmouth bass all you want, but once you have a chance to get down to Florida and fish either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico for these Saltwater inshore game fish, I have no doubt that you will have a rejuviation for this sport. These fish deserve the utmost respect from anglers and outdoorsman alike. I know everyone wants a trophy snook, but at the end of the day, any snook is a great snook. So feel free to lip that snook and grab em hard, hold your rod tight, and get outdoors to see what snook fishing in Florida is all about!
If Snook fishing interets you please feel free to reach out to me and we can get you on a pile of them down here in Charlotte Harbor. Im Capt. Phil with Suncoast Expeditions
