The Snook is a large, Pike-like fish with a protruding
lower jaw and a prominent black lateral stripe that runs from just behind the gills to the
tail. The Snook is overall a silvery-green color with fins that are sometimes bright
yellow. The Snook is a sleek and extremely strong fish. They range in size up to
48" and 50 pounds. The largest Snook ever caught in Florida USA weighed about 44 lbs.
11 ounces. Snook are found in the Western Atlantic from South Carolina USA to Brazil,
South America. Snook are tolerant over a wide range of water salinity from freshwater to
offshore saltwater. They are however, extremely sensitive to temperature changes,
particularly cold weather. Water temperatures below 60 deg. F can cause the Snook to go
into shock or even die. In cold water areas, Snook can be found congregating in the warm
water discharges of power plants. They normally tend to gather near shorelines, inlets and
estuaries and prefer structures for shelter such as mangroves, rock formations and reefs.
The Snook is a powerful fish and a thrilling catch, much like the freshwater Largemouth
Bass. That is one of the reasons why it is one of the most sought after and prized
gamefish to catch. Once hooked it’s strength and speed is hard to compare to any
other game fish of its size.
Fishing Basics:
Live shrimp – Once the Snook has been located, fish live shrimp using a 10 to 20
pound outfit with 30" of 40# shock leader tied to a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Weight the line
with only enough split shot or sinker to get it to the bottom.
Live bait fish – Mullet, menhaden, pinfish,etc. Again using the same outfit but
using a larger hook to match the bait.
Lures – A wide variety of lures and jigs are used to catch
snook. Some of the
favorites include the Red Tailed Hawk jig and many of the Mirrolures.
Tides:
The best time to fish for Snook is from one hour before high tide through the first
three hours of the falling tide.
Location:
The majority of Snook caught by recreational fisherman are taken during the summer
months. Some of the best Snook fishing spots are Tampa Bay on the central west coast of
Florida and Jupiter, Lake Worth, and Sebastian Inlets on the central east coast of
Florida.
Fish Species - Snook 
