Florida Snook Fishing Basics

Snook fishing in Florida is highly favored amongst the saltwater anglers. The main reason is because of the fight that they will put up on light tackle. If you have been fishing for snook for awhile you will definitely be able to tell the difference between a snook hit and other hits from saltwater fish.

They can easily be recognized from a thin black line that starts at the top of their head right behind the gills, and extends down the middle all the way to their tail. They make one of the best fish meals there are, and they are illegal to buy or sell so you must catch a snook to eat a snook.

Snook like to hand around in warm waters, and can be found inland from central Florida down. They can also be found in northern Florida but they are not as common, and only when the water temperature is right. They prefer the water temperature to be between 70 degrees and 86 degrees, a pretty wide margin so finding them can be quite easy if you know where to go.

Common places in Florida for snook to hang out are at inlets, mangroves in the flats, docks, and piers. They love to feed on live bait such as shrimp and small mullet, but they will also hit lures and jigs if they are in a feeding frenzy. You will have to use a lot of trial and error when fishing for snook, just because they are there does not guarantee that they will bite no matter what kind of live bait you are using, you will just have to be patient.

Snook tend to be most active early in the morning and at night time, especially when it is a full moon. The best season to catch them is sadly the season you are not allowed to fish for them. Closed seasons are as follow, June through August, and the 5th of December through the end of January. If you are fishing for snook on a boat you will not only need a saltwater Florida fishing license but you will also need a snook stamp, which will run you 2 dollars if you are a Florida resident.

If it is open season and you happen to catch a snook, they must be within a very strict size limit. They must be at least 28 inches in length and are not to exceed 32 inches on the Atlantic coast. For the gulf coast the minimum is 28 inches and the maximum is 33 inches, the daily bag limit per person is one.

Due to the size and bag limits being changed all of the time, it would be good to check your local fishing laws since snook regulations change all of the time. But the fishing license and the snook stamp will almost always be mandatory to have if you are fishing from a boat, they are not required if you are fishing from a dock or a pier, but the size and bag limits stay the same.