The snook is one fish with one of the most distinctive body shapes out there. It has a tapered head and snout with an underslung lower jaw and large fins. The most distinctive feature of the snook is the black line which extends along the whole lateral sides of the body of the fish. This stripe is there in all of the species of snook. The colors of the fish is generally something that ranges from dark gray to black on the dorsal surface area and it transitions to a more silvery color towards the sides. The fish varies in its size from about just 3 pounds to 15 pounds and it isn’t unusual to find snooks weighing in at around 20 to 20 pounds on the coastal areas of Florida either. Over the years, there even have been snooks caught which were an astounding 40 pounds or more with the world record of the biggest snook being caught weighed in at 53 pounds and 10 ounces.
This fish is one of the best all-round sporting fish out there. Being proportionally very thick around the shoulders, accompanied by an incredible ability to fight, this fish is truly one of the most prized sport fish out there. When it comes to the tackle and bait, even though spinning and bait casting tackle is mostly used when it comes to fishing snook, the light saltwater boat rods also get plenty of action particularly in passing and inlets. With this fish, patience and stealth are the most important. You cannot even stomp loudly on the boat and have no flashy lights on it.
The snook is a very clever fish besides being just a strong and meaty one. They hang around sea walls, docks and basically all the venues which you can access by foot or by boat. Sneak into position and cast your bait up-current from the fish so you can avoid spooking this cautious creature. Allow the tide to carry down your bait to the fish. The snook waits idly by in eddies near structures much like largemouth bass and attack their prey when the flow of the current brings the fish within their reach.
The best place to catch snook depends on the season. During spring and summer, your best bet to catching yourself a good snook is to fish structure found snook at inlets. During the late fall and winter season, you have a better chance to get a bite from snook in the areas surrounding the coastal rivers with the shoreline trees and the different limbs and piers over there. You should fish in the last hour of an upcoming tide and also during the last three hours of a falling tide. The water movement during those times provides the best possible conditions to catch the snook. Once you do get a bite, just hold on for dear life as it will be a very tough one featuring very long runs and high jumps. Be sure to use heavy fishing lines and a stout rod when you’re fighting this fish because it won’t hold back.
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