Common Snook

Season in Big Bend

Sport Fishing: few snook reach as far north as Cedar Key; 73.8 F water in November was already at the low end of their range. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Rare this far north; few reach Cedar Key (Sport Fishing).

Ambush predator that does not chase prey far (FWC); holds tight to jetty tips, seawalls, docks and bridge shadows, and under mullet schools close to the beach during the fall run (Sport Fishing).

What to look for

Mullet schools pushed along the beach with fish popping underneath them, bait under dock lights at night, the shadow line of a bridge on a falling tide.

What to throw

Bucktail or jighead with a 4 to 5 in paddle tail1/2 to 1 oz, 4 to 5 in tail. Slow hops along the bottom: lift, drop, let it touch, repeat.

Topwater popper or walk-the-dog plug1 to 2 oz, 4 to 6 in. Popper: sharp pops with pauses. Walker: rhythmic side-to-side twitches.

Swimming minnow plug (Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow style)3/4 to 1 oz, 4 to 5 in. Steady medium retrieve with occasional twitches and pauses.

Jighead with a scented soft-plastic shrimp or mullet (Gulp style)1/4 to 1/2 oz, 3 to 4 in. Slow drag and hop on the bottom with pauses; scent does the work.

Bait

Live finger mullet, Live pilchards (sardines), Live shrimp, Live pinfish or pigfish, Mojarras. Free-lined or with about a half-ounce weight on an 18 in leader (Sebastian Inlet catwalk); a 3/0 circle hook on 40 lb fluorocarbon for mullet-run snook (Sport Fishing)..

Leader

About 40 lb fluorocarbon, lighter for small snook (Sport Fishing).

Common mistakes

• Fishing slack water; snook feed best on a moving tide (FWC)
• Fishing cold water; snook turn lethargic below 65 F (FWC)
• Fishing dirty water when a clean tide is coming (Sebastian Inlet reports)

Landing

Net it or lead it to a low landing spot; keep any fish you will release in the water.

Handling

No snook-specific handling guide was found. FWC's general practice for big fish (keep them in the water, support the body horizontally with wet hands) is the safe default.

Keep or release

Florida rules apply.

Recipes for common snook

Typical: unknown. Large: Up to 48 in and 38 lb in Florida waters (FWC FWRI). Florida record 45 lb 12 oz (near Sebastian).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the FL limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before you keep a fish.

Sources

• Sport Fishing, Chris Woodward, updated March 12, 2020: Cedar Key, Florida, feast of inshore fishing riches (Angler knowledge)
• Florida FWC species profile: snook (Official source)
• Florida FWC FWRI: A Sketch of the Common Snook in Florida (Official source)
• Florida Museum, Discover Fishes: common snook (Official source)

All the fish of Big Bend