FISHING
ALL ABOUT SIZE
FOR SNOOK
BY CAPT. JACK JACKSON
ILLUSTRATION BY ANTHONY BRATINA
Avicious explosion of water rudely disrupted the still of
9
the morning as the angler flipped a live finger mullet
under the dock. The bait stood no chance of escape as it
was immediately inhaled by the gaping maws of a big snook.
The angler set the hook, pulled the fish out from the barnacleencrusted
pilings, and led it to the net where his partner hauled
it over the side of the boat.
“That takes care of dinner for tonight!” whooped the angler.
His next words were expletives as he watched his partner
quickly measure and release his prize catch
into the water. “What the heck are
you doing?” he asked. His
partner murmured,
“Not long enough.
It’s gotta be over 27
inches to be
legal.”
While still
mumbling
unprintable
adjectives, but
not to be
deterred, our
angler re-baited
and tossed another
mullet toward a new
dock. An even bigger explosion
greeted that bait. This fish
was way larger than the first, showing off
its size by flipping completely out of the water. Once
again, the snook was led to the net, boated, measured and
released. All the poor angler could do was choke and sputter
while making some aggressive move towards his partner. “That
one wasn’t too small,’’ he said. The reply came back, “Nope,
too big.”
As tough as it was to swallow for that angler, such a frustrating
fishing scenario will be played out over and over this spring
as prime time snook fishing comes upon us.
The snook has all the qualities an angler could want. They get
big, are great fighters, and superb table fare. Occasionally growing
in excess of 40 pounds, with 15-25 pounders being commonplace,
the average legal-size snook will tip the scale at about
10 pounds.
Snook are savored as one of the best local eating fish. Many
feel it equals or surpasses the very popular and better-known
grouper. Surprisingly enough, snook used to be called “soap
fish” and discarded because of a soap-like taste imparted to the
meat when cooked with the skin. Removing the skin solved the
problem and elevated it to its present delectable level. Those
hoping to find snook on the menu of their favorite restaurant
will be sorely disappointed since it is a protected game fish and
may not be harvested for any commercial purpose.
Recreational anglers may keep snook as long as the fish falls
within the legal slot-size limits. At the present, local anglers may
keep two snook per day that are over the 27-inch minimum and
under the 34-inch maximum size limits. The slot limit, along
with a spawning season closure during June, July and August
allows for minimal harvest, yet preservation of the species.
Along the Treasure Coast, April and May are prime months
for catching the big ones. The water temperatures increase to
the ideal 74-78 degree range, and key big appetites for the big
fish. At this time, snook move into the inlets and bays following
the food supply of mullet, threadfin herring, croaker, and pinfish.
Employing the “match the hatch” philosophy
of bait choice, anglers will
use whatever is presently
available.
Being very structure
oriented, habitat
plays a large
role in successful
snook fishing.
Bridges,
docks, sunken
trees, and oyster
bars found
in the lagoon
provide both
cover and food.
Breakwaters and jetties
provide the same situation
in the inlets. Fishing around this
structure makes it imperative that the
angler fortify his tackle to keep from getting cut off.
Snook will head for the structure as soon as they feel a hook,
and heavier tackle is needed to stop them before they reach it.
Snook also have razor-sharp gill-rakers, as well as an abrasive
mouth, both able to cut or chafe through lighter lines. The gillrakers
also pose a threat to the angler when landing and dehooking
a fish. Anglers will commonly tie 40-pound to 80-
pound test leader line onto their 20-30-pound base line to minimize
premature releases.
The common snook is the largest of four species that inhabit
the waters of the Treasure Coast. Others include the fat or
Cuban snook, the swordspine, and the tarpon-snook. Seldom
do the latter three reach legal size. Considered tropical in nature,
snook populations are found in warm waters extending from
mid-Florida southward into Central and South America. A trip
in 1978 to Costa Rica netted Gilbert Ponzi the largest common
snook on record, a 53-pound, 10-ounce giant.
While Costa Rica is considered to be the “Snook Mecca”, why
go out of country to catch big snook, when you barely have to
go out of county? From Stuart to Sebastian, this area has the
biggest and the best, and now is the time to get snook,
not “snookered”!