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1. Snook Size Florida
2. Snook Slot Size 2018
3. Snook Fishing Season Dates
4. Florida Snook Slot Size
5. Snook Slot Size 2019
6. Florida Snook Slot Size

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Welcome to our “How to Catch Snook Fishing Guide” where we tell you every possible Tip for catching the amazing gamefish, The Snook. Snook are one of the most highly targeted fish in Florida’s waterways. They are excellent eating, sometimes difficult to catch, and they put up a good fight. If you haven’t caught snook yet, you must give it a try!

[Page Updated – 18 October 2020. Bookmark this page (Windows CNTRL+D, MAC CMD+D) so you don’t lose it.]

NOTE – No snook may be kept from now through August 31, 2021 due to the especially harsh red tide that killed many fish in 2020. Until further notice, beginning September 1, normal snook regulations are in effect.

HOW TO CATCH SNOOK—Guide

Snook Gamefish Ratings

• Size: 8/10 stars
• Fight: 7/10 stars
• Difficulty to Catch: 6/10 stars
• Taste: 8/10 stars

INDEX to Sections in this Guide:

• GEAR to use for Snook? (our best recommendations)

PRO TIP – Snook are also landsiders, sergeant fish, and robalo. If you have any more names, let me know!

Snook Facts

Species:Seriola dumerili

4 Species of Snook

Most anglers don’t realize it, but there are actually 4 different species of Snook in Florida waters. Only one species grows big enough to reach the slot length and can be harvested as the law allows. The others are very rarely taken, so are protected from commercial and recreational fisherman.

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) – this is the largest growing snook and the one that is kept most often because it can easily grow to lengths that fit the legal slot limit.

Common Snook Identifying Features

• Maximum length 48 inches, common under 20 inches.
• Mouth extends to further than the rear of the eye.
• Black lateral line extends onto the tail
  

Fat Snook (Centropomus parallelus) – .

Fat Snook Identifying Features

• Maximum length 28 inches, common around 10 inches.
• Mouth extends to below horizontal center of the eye
• Black lateral line extends onto the tail
• Prefer freshwater more than other snook species
  

Swordspine Snook (Centropomus ensiferus) – .

Swordspine Snook Identifying Features

• Maximum length 15 inches, common around 10 inches.
• Anal fin extends past the base of the caudal fin.
• Largest scales of all snook.
• Prominent lateral line extends onto tail.

Tarpon Snook (Centropomus pectinatus) – .

Tarpon Snook Identifying Features

• Maximum length 22 inches, common around 15 inches.
• Only snook species with 7 anal fin rays, other species have only 6. (see arrow)
• Prominent black lateral line extends onto tail.

Similar Species: There are other species with morphology similar to the snook, but the black lateral line running down the length of the body to the tail distinguishes it from other Florida fish instantly.

IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern (LC) the snook is not considered threatened in any way at the present time. Snook around Florida are plentiful and a well-managed resource.

Appearance: Snook have a long body and extremely long lower jaw. They have an unmistakable black horizontal line (lateral line) running along each side of the body. Snook are strong fish with a lot of fin area. In comparison to other similar fish, the snook has a compressed, sloping, and elongated head/jaw region.

Color is typically white on the sides with some darker green or yellow on the top of the dorsal and darker tails. Some fins may appear yellow.

Length: As you’ve seen above, various species of snook are smaller and will never reach the slot length. That may mean you are catching the wrong snook. Fun, nonetheless, but not going to give you anything for dinner. Large snook can reach 53″ in length and over 50 lbs. On the Atlantic Coast, snook are slightly longer, with a maximum length of 43.5 inches. On the Gulf coast, the largest observed snook was 40.6 inches.

Weight: 5 to 10 lbs. is average for common snook, and the large ones can reach 50 lbs. or more.

Range/Distribution: South Florida starting in April and May.

Habitat: Snook prefer inshore waters, especially brackish rivers and saltwater canals. When the weather gets cold and the water temperatures dip to under 60°F, snook can perish. During these cold periods they come into saltwater canals and can be found in very shallow water taking advantage of the warming sun to keep their temperature above 60°F.

Snook love to hug the coast by the bank, piers, docks, and structure of any sort inshore.

Diet: Pinfish, mullet, other baitfish.

Snook Fishing World Records

On the 18th of October 1978 Gilbert Ponzi caught this massive IGFA world record common snook on hook and line at the Parismina River, Costa Rica. The record has stood for 42 years!

Florida State Snook Record

A 44 lb. 3 oz. common snook was caught near Fort Myers, Florida and remains the state record.

Why Catch Snook?

Half of Florida’s resident anglers have a fascination with catching snook. Why that is, I am not really sure, but it’s a fun fish to catch and broiled, it’s one of the best fish I’ve ever eaten. Part of the reason for fanaticism of anglers targeting snook is because they’re so accessible. You can catch snook from a boat, a pier, a dock, the shore, or wade-fishing. You can catch them from any inshore boat and you can catch them most of the times of the year. Snook get big, so there’s the bragging factor the comes into play when telling your friends about the huge fish you caught. The slot size is rather large, so bigger fish are common. The average size Redfish is much smaller in length than the average sized snook. The fact that you can only keep one snook per day is also a factor that makes them more desirable than other fish. You have to choose the one you’re going to keep and hope it’s the right one!

Where To Find Snook?

Habitat – Snook prefer to stay in water that isn’t moving much at all, next to water that is moving fast. When they see prey go by, they’ll attack it. They wait in ambush. Snook fishing is usually best on an incoming tide, but you can catch them just about anytime, including night time.

Snook are most commonly found inshore along the coast and especially in shorelines lined with mangroves, in seagrass, and around structure.

What Do Snook Eat?

When I think Snook, I think pinfish. I’ve caught more snook on pinfish than anything else by far. Some people prefer using artificials but I really love the live bait option when I can find it. Pinfish and mullet are excellent snook baits and they’re usually common where I fish around Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Other great baits are live crabs, squid, sardines, and big shrimp. If you can find them, throw a castnet over some pinfish in the seagrass and you’ll increase your chances of having a fantastic day of snook fishing.

How to Catch Snook—Techniques

From a Small Boat – Kayak, Canoe

Though you don’t need a kayak or other small boat to catch snook, you can cover a lot more area and increase your chances on finding snook hiding out close to the banks. Just toss a live pinfish over by the shore and under mangrove trees to prompt an explosive bite. There are well-known places where snook stack up when it’s cold and these are excellent spots to fish in. Some anglers reveal the spots over the years, you can find them on forums mostly. Personally, I think saltwater canals are the best place to find snook during morning or night. You can see them sometimes because they are not afraid to stay near the surface.

When Is the Best Time to Catch Snook?

From now until Sept 1, you cannot keep any snook, so give them a rest and target them after that time. The red tide has killed a lot of fish and they need to recover.

Typically the best time to catch snook is in the winter months when they’re easy to spot in the shallows under piers.

I told the story already here somewhere (here on this page) about my Uncle Jim who sat on my dock in Tampa, Florida one afternoon. it was a high tide and the water wasn’t moving much at all. He had a lightweight action rod and a small spinning reel that was nothing bigger than a 1000 series. He had on two or four pound test line and a hook that was almost like a Sabiki rig hook.

He somehow fitted a thumbnail sized piece of shrimp on the hook and well, you can read the story here. He caught the biggest snook I ever saw with that bit of shrimp and undersized gear!

Snook Gear—The Basics

Best Rod for Snook

I think just about any rod can catch a snook, but a medium-weight action rod is probably best. I love the Ugly Stiks, and I still prefer to use them for all my inshore fishing. Snook have a fast initial run when hooked and they can fight for a while, but as long as they aren’t wrapping your line around barnacle covered structure, you’ll probably be able to land it.

I like this rod for nearly all my inshore fishing…

UGLY STIK at Amazon

Best Reel for Snook Fishing?

Baitcasting / Trolling Reels

I love baitcasting reels, and have ever since I learned how to use them two decades ago. They are more accurate, twist the line less, and like being able to control the drag by adding my thumb to the spool. I almost always buy Penn baitcasting reels, but I’ve also used Abu Garcia for my smaller reels and I love them too.

I’ve said it many times before in these guides, but you should really buy the best reel you can afford. When I started spending over $100 for my reels (a piece) my satisfaction level went way up. I can’t recall breaking any of my baitcasting reels. Ever. They’re reliable and as long as you grease them up every now and then, they’ll last forever and you’ll be handing the down to your kids. That alone, makes them worthwhile.

My Favorite Reel (at Amazon) for Inshore Fishing (Snook, Redfish, Cobia) Made in America (Philadelphia, PA.)

Here’s a less-expensive alternative (at Amazon) that is also great for catching inshore fish, but more of a beginner’s baitcasting reel.

Best Spinning Reel for Snook?

Here’s a basic Sienna Spinning Reel (at Amazon) that works well for Snook and other inshore fish. This is a beginner’s reel that you might buy if you’re not sure you’re going to go headfirst into the fishing hobby or not.

This is one of my favorite Shimano Spinning Reels (at Amazon) that is for anglers who spend a lot of time on the water and need to use one of the top reels for consistency and reliability.

Best Line for Snook?

If you know you’re likely to hook into a big snook, you’re better off going with 50 lb. test line (braided). If not, you might drop it down to 30 lb. test. Snook have a strong pull almost like a cobia and you’ll want to have a line that can handle the pull and a hook that won’t bend.

Don’t Forget the Leader

50 lb. clear leader is ideal for snook. Keep in mind, they have very sharp gill plates that can cut smaller diameter line quickly.

Best Hooks for Snook Fishing?

The best hooks (at Amazon) for snook are the strongest 6/0 circle (non-offset) hooks you can get. Forged Vanadium Steel circle hooks are the best for this tough fish. Mustad hooks are high tech and trusted in the industry for decades. Get a good one to ensure the hook doesn’t bend or snap. A twenty pound snook has a strong pull and can bend hooks. Don’t buy cheap hooks, invest in something that isn’t going to bend and lose your fish. One of the worst feelings ever.

Best Snook Fishing Rigs?

The Old Egg Sinker Rig. This is nothing more than stringing your line and leader through an egg sinker to bring the bait down to the bottom of the water you’re fishing in. Your hook will be a 6/0 circle hook with a live pinfish, sardine or threadfin fish on it. This rig has worked well forever and you won’t go wrong like this. Personally, I just like to freeline a pinfish, but try them both and see what works for you.

Snook Fishing Laws in Florida

ALERT

Catch-and-release only measures for snook have been extended through May 31, 2021, from the Hernando/Pasco county line south through Gordon Pass in Collier County, including all waters in Hillsborough County. Since snook is closed annually from May 1-Aug. 31, this fishery will reopen to harvest Sept. 1, 2021. These are proactive measures due to impacts of red tide in this area.

Snook are never permitted for commercial harvest and sale.

Florida snook laws are different for each coast and federal waters. As you can see with the recent restrictions on keeping any snook until September 1, 2021 fishing laws are constantly adjusting to protect fish which are in danger of overfishing or threatened by other factors. It is your responsibility to check the latest laws on the Official Florida Game and Fish Commission here before you fish.

Snook License Requirements

Snook fishing requires a snook permit and Florida recreational fishing license.

Legal Gear for Harvesting Snook Fish

Hook and line is the only way permissable to catch snook. No netting, gigging, or snatching allowed.

Normal Gulf Coast Laws

During regular years without special restrictions, Gulf Coast Laws including Monroe County and the Everglades are:

Season: Closed Dec. 1-end of February and May 1-Aug. 31 NOTE: All state waters from the Hernando/Pasco county line through Gordon Pass in Collier County is catch-and-release ONLY through Aug. 31, 2021

Slot Limit: Not less than 28″ or more than 33″ total length

Daily Bag Limit: 1 per harvester per day; zero captain and crew for-hire limit

• Minimum Size Limit: 28-inch length to 33-inch.
• Daily Bag Limit: 1 per person, except during present-day restrictions ending 1 September 2021. Captain and crew on for-hire expedition cannot keep any snook.
• Season: Closed for a large portion of Florida’s West Coast – see red text above. Typically closed only during 1 January to the end of February and May 1 to August 31st.

East Coast (Atlantic) Laws

During regular years without special restrictions, East Coast Laws including adjacent federally governed waters and including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River are:

• Season: Closed from December 15, 2020 to January 31, 2021 and from June 1 to August 31, 2020
• Minimum Size Limit: Length Necessary to Keep is at least 28 inches and not more than 32 inches. Outside this slot, fish must be released in healthy condition.
• Daily Bag Limit: per licensed angler is 1 snook per day. When hired, captain and crew may keep zero snook per day.
• Special regulations apply for this species when fishing in Biscayne National Park. See details here.

Federal Waters Snook Laws

• Minimum Size Limit: None mentioned.
• Daily Bag Limit: 1 per person. Note – for hire captains/crew cannot keep fish when out with clients.
• Season: Open August 1 to October 31.

NOTE – a full list of rules for fishing for snook in Florida can be found at the Florida Rules website here.

Get the Fishing App

If fishing from 3 to 200 nautical miles off the coast of Florida, Georgia, South or North Carolina, you can use this mobile application to stay up to date on the fishing rules on the Atlantic Coast.

• Android Fishing Laws App
• Apple iPhone/iPad Fishing Laws App

Farming Snook

The country of Belize is involved in snook farming (common snook). Their weather is ideal and they’re centrally located for reaching a lot of countries close-by. I could find no states in the USA farming snook, perhaps because of the ban on commercial sale.

How to Cook Snook?

The best thing you could do to put snook on your dinner table is to broil it. Broil ALL YOUR FLORIDA FISH. I don’t think there’s any other decent way to eat fish unless you’re going to fry up some junk fish and throw it on a taco. Then you can’t really taste the fish, you taste the fat of the oil and breading.

With snook, I bleed it immediately after catching and then put it on ice in a cooler. I mean, if you want it REALLY fresh, do that. I’ve also just thrown it in a garbage bag and took it home without any ice at all, thrown it into the freezer for three days and ate it later. It was FANTASTIC. So, you probably can’t really go wrong with cooking snook. It’s a fish anyone can make taste great. So, if you screw it up, you know you did something horribly wrong!

Vern’s Broiled Snook Recipe

Ingredients

• Snook – gut them and scale them, but there’s no need to fillet. I fillet very few fish, I just don’t see the need for it.
• Butter – I mean good butter. Whole fat. Salted.
• Garlic – minced.
• Black pepper – finely ground.
• Lemon – squeeze a bit on the top of the fish, but don’t overdo it, unless you really love it. It can dominate the taste quickly with too much.

Cooking

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F or higher. I usually go to 600°F.
2. Cut a 5-foot long rectangle of foil (needs to cover length of snook twice. So, if your snook is 30 inches, you’ll need 5 feet of foil.
3. Put a thin coat of olive oil on the foil where the snook will lay on top and put the foil on a thin metal pan for quickest result. Or use a glass pyrex pan, but it will take 5+ minutes longer to cook.
4. Put the fish on the foil and make 5-6 incisions into the flesh with a sharp knife. Open the fish and apply butter in side and to the skin on top. You’re not going to eat the skin (I hope), but the butter will drip into the cuts.
5. Sprinkle a LOT of black pepper all over the top skin of the fish. The pepper taste will not be strong with cooking, it virtually disappears. You’re not eating the skin anyway.
6. Add garlic inside the fish and all over the top with the butter. Close the top of the foil by cinching it closed on top and sides. Poke foil with fork 4-5 times across top to let out some steam.
7. Drop that bad boy into the oven away from the heat source. If you’ve got the oven on broil, put the fish on the top rack. If it’s on bake setting, drop the fish down to the bottom rack.
8. Let it cook for about 8 minutes then check it. You don’t want it burned AT ALL. When you open the foil to check it, some steam should escape, the liquid should be boiling in the foil. If so, it’s probably ready, but check the thickest portion with a fork and pull some out. Cooked thoroughly? Time to eat!

PRO TIP – just about any fish can have parasites, worms, etc – usually near the tail area, but they can be anywhere in the flesh. Have a look at your fish as you fillet it or gut it and cut out anything suspicious. You can still eat your fish as long as it’s cooked well. When you have a choice, always choose to eat the smaller (younger) fish because they have less toxins and parasites. That’s true for all species!

Snook Guide Resources

• Recreational Snook Fishing Info / Research
• IUCN Redlist – The International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Image credits: Top of page – . Snook species illustrations ©Diane Peebles.

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Fishing Tacklebox Essentials

Snook Size Florida

Florida Fish Regulation Ruler (Belt)

Fish Scale (Digital and up to 110 lbs.)

Florida Fishing Identification Booklet – 5×7″ Laminated (Waterproof)

For snook, you fish on top for show, and smack on bottom for dough.

Long gone are the good old days when a Florida angler could legally tote home a leg-long snook and feed half the neighborhood. And that’s precisely why a lot more leg-long snook are being caught on a regular basis nowadays.

I would be willing to wager that nine of ten slot-size, and bigger snook, are caught on the bottom. That’s where the big gals wanna be. And that’s where you need to be, presenting artificial lures and live bait alike, to bag that fish for the table or to catch and release a real whopper.

I learned that as a boy during the ‘60s on family beach vacations in Naples. My dad and I had scant snook fishing experience when we first walked into a rustic, “old Florida” bait shop, Trader Zeke’s. Located about a block behind Vanderbilt Beach just a couple of miles from Wiggins Pass, Zeke’s largely catered to snook anglers during the summer. What I remember most is hundreds upon hundreds of custom-tied bucktail jigs strung on fishing line from wall to wall. Sure, there were some topwater plugs and spoons on pegboards, but my gosh, the jigs! White and yellow, and just a few pink jigs as I recall. Upperman-style and bullet-shaped jigheads mostly, ranging from 1⁄2 to 3 ouncers, for banging the sand bottom in the nearby Gulf passes. Smaller ones, too, for shallower backcountry and surf work.

“If you want a big pass snook, son, toss this big jig upcurrent, keep a tight line and let the tide roll it along the bottom,” I recall the counter man saying as he flipped me a big, bushy yellow jig tied on a stout 5/0 hook. I took his advice and tried not to stare at the space where his ring finger (reportedly donated to a snook’s razor-sharp gill plate on a dark night) used to be. Now, I would consider that a snook fisherman’s Purple Heart! When the locals went to famed Wiggins Pass in those days, it was in 4-wheel-drive Jeeps and pickups. At first light, or at sunset for the night shift, caravans of Jeeps with custom rod racks festooned with rods rigged with those white and yellow bucktails plowed down the soft sugar-sand trail. That beach trail ate our family station wagon alive on more than one occasion, but it is paved today for better or worse, depending on who you talk to.

Refuge plus Structure plus Food equals Slots

Snook that reach and surpass slot size have learned to avoid exposing themselves to dangers in the shallows—porpoises and sharks that can pin them against a sand bar, and flats boats and personal watercraft running over their heads. Though big snook occasionally venture into skinny water to chase up a meal, they’re largely ambush feeders that love home delivery. They set up shop where current brings food their way, particularly around structure that provides refuge from snook predators.

The biggest snook of all feed near the bottom in passes and inlets from May until October. Some days it seems all the fish you land are oversize, which is hard to classify as a problem, unless you’re out for a snook dinner. Same goes for the deepest holes of backcountry rivers and creeks, residential canals and even in the surf—presenting lures and baits that reach bottom are best. Snook are very efficient “up-feeders” but that underslung jaw is designed for pinning prey to the bottom, too.

If you sight cast for snook on the flats or in the surf, how often do you see big specimens swimming right at the surface? Probably not often, unless there is a surface feeding frenzy. Snook usually cruise along just above bottom, or they may park in a pothole or defined grass edge practically “standing” on their pectoral fins. In the absence of migrating, surface bait schools, snook eat lots of whiting, croakers and crabs, all of which are bottom-dwellers. Take a look at the next big snook you catch. Notice that its underside is somewhat flat, or boxy, from its lower jaw to about its rib cage. It’s the perfect body contour for bottom-hugging, not to mention hydrodynamic in current.

Around bridges, docks and jetties—all prime snook structure—the biggest fish are typically hooked by anglers fishing deep. In passes and inlets big snook prefer the slower moving water smack on bottom where they can feed with less exertion. The fish especially hang tight to bottom structure, be it riprap, boulders, depressions, dredge holes, displaced jetty rocks, manmade junk or natural depressions. The fish hold position just downcurrent of such current buffers. At tide changes a snook can meander about a bit before getting back into peak-tide position.

What’s Your Line?

So let’s fish deep. Choose lures that get down there and stay there. Consider depth and current strength when choosing either jigs, swimbaits, diving plugs, or sinker sizes for natural and live baits. Whatever you send down, keep in mind that your choice of line—type and diameter—can greatly affect your ability to keep your offering near the bottom. Heavier monofilament, say in the 25- to 40-pound-test class or higher, certainly gets pushed around by current more than 12- to 17-pound test does. When you’re casting and retrieving a lure cross-current, as you do when casting from the bank of a pass or inlet, the tidal flow can create a big belly in your line, not only slowing the sink rate, but diminishing your contact with the lure or bait, so you don’t detect pickups or set the hook as well. You can somewhat avoid these shortcomings when casting straight upcurrent, as you typically do when standing on, or anchored under, a bridge. Many snook anglers prefer GSP lines (gel spun polyethylene) because the lines are thinner and help lures sink faster. Plus GSP does not stretch, which helps you feel those subtle snook taps and helps you drive the hook home. The abrasion resistance comes in handy around structure.

Jig ’Em Up

The hair jig is the oldest conventional artificial lure known and is hands-down the best lure for snook. It’s the universal choice for bridges, docks, inlets, passes, wrecks, rivers or the surf. The granddaddy of big snook jigs, the Flare Hawk, is a nylon-skirted, leadhead jig that sinks quickly (due to the non-absorbent nature of nylon) yet is dressed heavily to present a big silhouette. It’s a super night-fishing jig, and among top big snook lures for bridge fishing along the East Central Florida coast. It may have suffered a dive in popularity now that we have a 32-inch maximum size on snook on this coast, but plenty of slot-size fish still fall to the 1⁄2- to 2-ounce sizes.

The Hawk normally has an arrow-shaped head with the hookeye located well back from the point of the jighead, making it ideal for vertical jigging. The jighead comes in sizes from 1⁄4 to 3 ounces, and has a bullet-shaped head, designed to dive straight for the bottom. Some have part of the nylon skirts tied “forward style” so that the hair really flares and pulsates in
the water, presenting the illusion of a really big baitfish. Top colors are all-chartreuse, red-and-white and yellow-and-white.

The larger Flare Hawks have 6/0 or 7/0 stainless or cadmium hooks, but lunker seekers have been known to fish models with 8/0 or 9/0 4X-strong hooks to prevent hook-straightening when fishing with 25-pound-class tackle. Another “hawk,” the Red Tail Hawk, is simply a white bucktail or nylon-skirted jig, accented with a single red saddle hackle, or strand of red material ( some makers use red Mylar or similar flash material) a bit longer than the skirt. Suggestions are that the red hackle represents a baitfish’s lateral line.

Of course, many other jigs take big snook. Most have a bullet head, like the Flare Hawk, or round, boxing glove, arrow, or something similar to the standard Upperman head, which is narrow and keel-shaped so that it sinks fast, offering little resistance to the water. Bulky bucktail skirts present a big profile, but if you prefer this material, it is important to buy or dress your jigs on heads heavy enough to compensate for bucktail’s natural buoyancy.

In this plastic age, you’ll find countless plastic grub tails and twister tails and other undulating tails of all descriptions to stick on a jighead. If there is a major advantage to plastic-tail jigs, it is that they sink faster and resist being carried by current as quickly as natural or artificial hair-dressed jigs, jighead weight being equal. Scented plastic and biodegradable tails are the rage, and many snookers are convinced they increase the bite, particularly at night or in turbid water. Don’t discount pinning a plastic worm to your hair jig—it’s an old trick that increases the lure’s bulk.

Lipped Plugs and Crankbaits

Lipped diving plugs and crankbaits are great snook lures that require little operator manipulation. The longer the lip the deeper they dive (particularly when worked across or against the current). And some of these plugs are heavy enough to sink while you pause in the retrieve. Many divers and crankbaits have rattle chambers, and some of the “slab-side” style crankbaits shaped like bunker (menhaden) wobble and give off lots of vibration. The only downside is you have to deal with treble hooks, and if an oversize snook inhales one, gill raker and gullet damage is likely. You might consider snipping off one of three prongs, or replacing the treble with a good single hook that does not throw off the lure’s balance and action.

Real Meat

Snook Slot Size 2018

If fishing live or fresh-dead baitfish, sliding egg sinkers come into play. Weights ranging from 1⁄2 to 3 ounces are used, depending on depth and current strength, and whether you are drift-fishing or at anchor. If anchored, and fishing live mullet, pinfish, croakers (a choice big-snook bait) or whitebaits downcurrent, the flow will cause your line to rise. Adequate weight is needed to keep your bait near bottom. A knocker rig (where the egg sinker slides freely to the hookeye) is not as effective as a fishfinder rig (the sliding egg sinker stops at a swivel above the bite leader). The knocker rig does suffice when you soak a whole or half ladyfish or mullet, or a mullet head on the bottom, which is a deadly method for trophy snook in passes or backcountry river holes.

Live shrimp are hard to beat for slot fish. The best way to present one is via a bare jighead. The Troll Rite is a time-honored jig; it has a torpedo-shaped head, an eye located so that the jig rides hook up, and (normally) a stout hook in sizes 1/0 through 4/0. Most are white or yellow, but color is an afterthought because you pin a frisky live shrimp to the jig. To keep it alive, and ensure it swims headfirst in a natural manner, you run the hook through the head from underneath, avoiding the brain. This rig casts well and, more importantly, sinks fast, which allows you to bump bottom. There may not be a better search bait for snook under bridges, and in passes and inlets. Large live shrimp are best, if not hand-picks—be sure to use a Troll Rite with a hook large enough to protrude from the shrimp’s head.

Big Snook Tackle

Slot and trophy snook tackle basically falls into the 12- to 25-pound class. Spin or casting tackle has its place, with artificial lure casters tending to go with rods on the light side of the spectrum, and livebaiters opting for bigger sticks. Nothing is worse than undergunning when you expect to hook oversize snook. It does the fish no good, and in some situations, anglers end up struggling to set big hooks with light rods. Always add a bite leader of at least 30-pound-test mono or fluorocarbon, and go to at least 50- or 60-pound for night fishing with big lures and baits. A leader in the 24- to 30-inch range, tied to a double line is ideal for casting lures, and it pays to go longer wherever you expect to encounter lots of rough structure such as bridge or dock pilings or jetties.

And Finally, for Fly Guys

There is no rule that says flyrod snook have to be small. Rather, Florida fly rodders specializing in snook have it figured out. There are limitations, however, in places like big, deep inlets and passes. It is all but impossible to get big flies down in big current. Fly fishers do rely on chumming with live baits to coax big snook to the surface to eat streamers. But in reality, this does not qualify as real fly fishing for traditional fly rodders. There are purer ways to catch slot and bigger snook, such as dredging streamers from just below the surface or deeper in bridge shadowlines at night. This calls for 9- to 11-weight rods, and clear intermediate- or medium-rate sinking lines or shooting heads. Baitfish streamers tied on 1/0 to 3/0 hooks get the nod, tied to 40- to 50-pound-test bite tippets.

Plenty of slot-size snook also roam the beaches, particularly from late August through October during the baitfish migration. Then, fly rodders score with topwater poppers and mullet patterns. Sight casting is terrific, too, on September days when the surf is light enough to allow for it.

Dinner’s Served!

Snook Fishing Season Dates

Bottom line is, you can target keeper snook, no matter how much complaining you hear from anglers who maintain that the slot is too restrictive to allow for a table snook. Or that 9 of 10 snook they catch is a half-inch short. Go deep, and you’ll get your slot fish. And you’ll enjoy some lively conversation over your snook dinner about those oversize beauties you released along the way.

Florida Snook Slot Size

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Snook Slot Size 2019

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Florida Snook Slot Size

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