The Top 5 Saltwater Fishing Game Fish And How To Catch Them

This article will outline the five most sought after saltwater game fish. It will outline strategies you can use to locate and catch them.

The Snook inhabits much of the state of Florida. You can find Snook primarily in inshore areas. You will rarely catch a Snook if you are fish a far distance from a shoreline. The absolute best area to fish for Snook is in and around docks.

Snook can be caught on live bait and artificial bait. If you are a live bait fisherman there is nothing better than a lively pinfish or large shrimp presented in an area the Snook inhabits.

Because you will be fishing dock area you need to have a rod that will allow you to initially horse the fish away from the potential hazard rather quickly. If you fail to do this and allow the fish to take your line into the obstruction you will surely lose the fish. Snook are extremely intelligent fish that know their surroundings. They can and will use any piece of terrain they can to remove a hook from their mouth.

The barracuda is a fish that requires a great deal of care when you angle for them. When you look at one the first thing you will notice is their impressive rows of large sharp teeth. You immediately realize you need to gear up with a wire leader to prevent line breaks.

You can catch barracuda in many different places. In Northern Florida for instance they are most commonly found offshore near fish wrecks and other areas with some form of cover. As you travel south and enter the Florida Keys you will often find Barracuda inshore. It is not uncommon to see a Barracuda as large as four to five feet swim right up to your boat.

You can of course catch Barracuda with live bait. You should use bait that is definitely large than you would for a Snook. The most exciting way to catch a Barracuda however is with a topwater lure. The lure of choice for Barracuda resembles an eel. It is light green in color, generally a plastic tube about twelve inches long with three sets of sharp treble hooks. When you retrieve this lure it swims across the surface of the water resembling a snake or eel. It really has great action. The only difficulty about fish with this method is setting the hook too soon. You will often see a Barracuda swim behind this lure and follow it for a short bit before striking it. Be careful to wait until he hits the lure before you set the hook.

Redfish can be caught almost anywhere in the inshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico. They are very popular in Louisiana, Texas and of course Florida. You will find them in many of the same areas as Snook and yes like Snook they are experts at using terrain to cut lines.

One habitat unique to Redfish is the grassy flats. I like to fish for Redfish in areas of water that are one to three feet deep.