PLEASE TREAT THIS AWESOME FISH WITH CARE AND PROPER HANDLING TECHNIQUES, ALWAYS SUPPORT THE BELLY WHEN POSING FOR PICTURES, AND GET THEM BACK IN THE WATER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
When reviving a snook, they will clamp down on your thumb until they are ready to be released.
Snook are opportunistic feeders, and eat everything from fiddler crabs to baby sea turtles. The most common live baits used are grunts,pinfish,shrimp,greenbacks,and cut bait such as ladyfish,mullet,shad, or other cut bait. A fresh mullet head, or a ladyfish head are deadly on large snook at certain times.
There are too many artificials that work for snook, but my favorites are:
1) Flair hawk jig
2) Spool-tek swimbaits
3) Red and White Bomber
4) Doa Shrimp
Snook move around during the year. In the winter time, they go into the back country and river in order to say warm. In the spring, they start to move out to the river mouths and surrounding grass flats. During the summer months, they gather in and around the passes to spawn.
In order to target them properly by season, it is important to know how they feed and act during that particular season.
Winter: When the water temperature get's cold (generally below 70 degrees) snook become somewhat lethargic, and don't want to use a lot of energy chasing or digesting bait. Cut bait and live shrimp are very effective baits during the winter. Good places to find snook during the winter are bends in rivers, dark bottom canals facing South, and areas in the back county that are protected from cold North winds.
Spring: During spring, when water temps climb to 70 degrees, snook start to move out of their winter haunts and start to feed after a long winter. Creek and river mouths and the surrounding areas will produce at this time of year, and they will readily take artificials and smaller live baits. Mud minnows are a great option and can be easily cast netted around any beach area with sand.
Summer: Snook gather in the passes during the full moons from May till August, with July and August being the prime months. Oily baits and bait fish are especially good this time of year, because the oil helps their eggs float. fishing the passes during summer with a flair hawk jig is one of the most exciting ways to fish for them. Until you have felt the "thump", you can't really understand why it is so addicting. Once again,please be a sportsman and treat these big breeders with proper handling and care.
Tackle,gear, and line: Tackle can vary greatly when targeting snook, from heavy line and leader for fishing around bridges and structure, to lighter set ups for flats and passes. Main line is a choice between mono and braid in the 10-30lb test range. I prefer 10lb mono and 30 lb flourocarbon leader for most applications, but again, that is just a preference. Hook size should always match the bait you are using, and free lining is usually best, but you may wish to add a little weight depending on depth and current.
Here are the current regulations for snook in Florida:
https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/snook/
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