Snook caught in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Snook
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Snook Description
Snook are a wily inshore gamefish that are caught on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of North and South America. They generally live in mangroves, under docks and bridges, and around other types of inshore cover and structure. Their very pronounced lateral line (hence their nickname "linesiders" helps them detect prey movement even in very murky water. They can be found in both fresh and salt water and are a very popular gamefish wherever they are found.
Snook do not have teeth but do have a sharp gill plate you have to watch out for. Although often released, they do taste delicious.
Snook Tackle
I would recommend a light saltwater spinning or baitcasting setup. 30lbs braid should cover most situations, with a fluorocarbon leader between 15-40lbs depending ont he size of the fish and the water clarity. I generally like to use circle hooks since I release most fish. A Daiwa Pluton reel (pictured above) is perfect, while if you want to go with a spinning outfit a Daiwa Certate is the way to go. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Snook Techniques
Snook are often caught by pitching lures or baits near docks or other inshore cover/structure. They are extremely sensitive to tidal movements so keep that in mind when you are fishing for them. Different areas will fish well on different tides so be sure to check with the locals (assuming they will tell you the truth).
As an illustration of their sensitivity to tides, I was once fishing the inshore canals in Venice, Florida at night. I was fishing with an excellent guide (contact info below) and we could see literally thousands of snook hanging out under the lighted boat docks. However, they refused every live bait we threw at them. The guide was unperturbed and remarked that the tide would change at 9:10pm and then they would start feeding. Sure enough, at exactly 9:10pm the tide started moving the other way, the snook all turned to face the current, and they started feeding like crazy as if a light switch had been flipped on. I caught a few on every cast for about an hour before I got bored after landing around 25 or so between 3-5lbs. We then went and caught some ladyfish to use for bait for larger snook later on. Once the tide changed again, the snook turned the other directly and would not give a second glance at any bait cast their way.
In most of Central America, river mouths are a good bet for targeting snook if they haven't been netted into oblivion.
Snook Lures
Most of the snook I have caught on lures have been on bucktail jigs with plastic tails attached. This seems to be a popular approach in Central America. Soft plastic lures such as Jerk Shads and Gulp Shrimp often also work well.
Snook Baits
Depending on where you are fishing and what is in the area a variety of baits will work. Live shrimp, live pilchards, live mullet, and live sardines can all work depending on where you are fishing. As with most bait fishing it's usually best to catch some bait near the area you will be fishing.
Where to get the big Snook
Costa Rica has produced some mammoth snook on both the Caribbean and the Pacific sides. Florida has some nice big ones too but they tend to be a lot smarter. The most skilled snook guides in the world are in Florida because you have to really know your stuff to catch the big ones there.
Other Snook Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Snook. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
This interesting site provides excerpts from a number of sources: http://inshore.com/tips-snook.html
This guy really knows Snook: www.madsnooker.com
This guy will also put you on them in Florida: www.anotherkeeper.com
HOME
Snook Description
Snook are a wily inshore gamefish that are caught on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of North and South America. They generally live in mangroves, under docks and bridges, and around other types of inshore cover and structure. Their very pronounced lateral line (hence their nickname "linesiders" helps them detect prey movement even in very murky water. They can be found in both fresh and salt water and are a very popular gamefish wherever they are found.
Snook do not have teeth but do have a sharp gill plate you have to watch out for. Although often released, they do taste delicious.
Snook Tackle
I would recommend a light saltwater spinning or baitcasting setup. 30lbs braid should cover most situations, with a fluorocarbon leader between 15-40lbs depending ont he size of the fish and the water clarity. I generally like to use circle hooks since I release most fish. A Daiwa Pluton reel (pictured above) is perfect, while if you want to go with a spinning outfit a Daiwa Certate is the way to go. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Snook Techniques
Snook are often caught by pitching lures or baits near docks or other inshore cover/structure. They are extremely sensitive to tidal movements so keep that in mind when you are fishing for them. Different areas will fish well on different tides so be sure to check with the locals (assuming they will tell you the truth).
As an illustration of their sensitivity to tides, I was once fishing the inshore canals in Venice, Florida at night. I was fishing with an excellent guide (contact info below) and we could see literally thousands of snook hanging out under the lighted boat docks. However, they refused every live bait we threw at them. The guide was unperturbed and remarked that the tide would change at 9:10pm and then they would start feeding. Sure enough, at exactly 9:10pm the tide started moving the other way, the snook all turned to face the current, and they started feeding like crazy as if a light switch had been flipped on. I caught a few on every cast for about an hour before I got bored after landing around 25 or so between 3-5lbs. We then went and caught some ladyfish to use for bait for larger snook later on. Once the tide changed again, the snook turned the other directly and would not give a second glance at any bait cast their way.
In most of Central America, river mouths are a good bet for targeting snook if they haven't been netted into oblivion.
Snook Lures
Most of the snook I have caught on lures have been on bucktail jigs with plastic tails attached. This seems to be a popular approach in Central America. Soft plastic lures such as Jerk Shads and Gulp Shrimp often also work well.
Snook Baits
Depending on where you are fishing and what is in the area a variety of baits will work. Live shrimp, live pilchards, live mullet, and live sardines can all work depending on where you are fishing. As with most bait fishing it's usually best to catch some bait near the area you will be fishing.
Where to get the big Snook
Costa Rica has produced some mammoth snook on both the Caribbean and the Pacific sides. Florida has some nice big ones too but they tend to be a lot smarter. The most skilled snook guides in the world are in Florida because you have to really know your stuff to catch the big ones there.
Other Snook Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Snook. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
This interesting site provides excerpts from a number of sources: http://inshore.com/tips-snook.html
This guy really knows Snook: www.madsnooker.com
This guy will also put you on them in Florida: www.anotherkeeper.com
Click on a pic below to enlarge
