Native to the hot, humid climates of Florida and the Gulf Coast, snook are one of the most sought-after game species these warm waters hold. And whether you call them robalo or anything else, nothing beats the excitement of fighting these big fish in shallow water.
If you’ve got a trip planned to the coast and snook are in season, you need to bone-up on these hard-fighting, great-tasting fish – and every tip can help you catch your limit.
Want to know the best tips for catching more and bigger snook?
Keep reading!
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What Are Snook?
Snook get big, but most will average about 18 inches.
The common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is a large inshore predator growing to a maximum length of just short of 5 feet. At that size, a snook will weigh in at about 50 pounds.
That’s a trophy of a lifetime!
Most fishermen will find that snook measuring about 18 inches are far more common, but they’re still capable of a memorable fight. Fast runs, acrobatic leaps, and lots of head-shaking attention are the order of the day!
Anglers should expect slot limits that place keepers in the neighborhood of 30 inches. Florida’s Atlantic regulations, for instance, reflect the snook’s precarious status as well as their usual size range, with a slot limit running between 28 and 32 inches.
Identifying this species is a snap: its silver-gray scales and golden fins are contrasted by a dark lateral line that’s unmistakable. Also look for a sloping head, a protruding lower jaw, and a dorsal fin that sports a clear separation.
The common snook is distinctive and hard to mistake for anything else.
Snook have very sharp gill plates, too, a fact that plenty of anglers learn the hard way!
Snook habitat preferences
Snook are protandric hermaphrodites, meaning that they change sex from male to female as they mature. Spawning stretches from April to October, with the warmest months bringing the peak spawn along with them.
Expect the spawn to take place immediately adjacent to tidal estuaries and other brackish environments. In some areas, snook season will be closed during peak spawn to protect the future of the species.
Mangrove beaches and lagoons are prime snook territory.
Mature fish will remain in salty, inshore environments like lagoons and beaches, but snook fry will head immediately for brackish and freshwater estuaries, and their remarkable ability to osmoregulate allows them to move easily between high- and low-salinity environments. These juveniles will stick tight to marshes and other tidal environments until they reach maturity.
Once mature, they will return to salty inshore waters, and that’s where anglers will encounter the larger fish they’re after. Look for snook along mangrove shorelines, above seagrass beds, and clustering around cover and structure that breaks a monotonous bottom.
Snook are infamous for their habit of cruising parallel to the beach in just a few feet of water, typically along a small, shallow channel if there is one. Wading in too deep or casting out too far from the beach are common mistakes.
Warm weather and water
One thing to note about snook is their extreme temperature sensitivity.
Snook can’t tolerate cold water, and at 57.6° F, they’ll stop feeding altogether, dying when the water temp drops to just 54.5 °F.
Even northern Florida’s winters on the Atlantic coast can be too much for them to endure.
Hot weather and warm water are the snook’s preference, and a cold front can turn them off completely.
Snook feeding preferences
Given their cold intolerance, it’s no surprise that snook feed more aggressively in warmer water, with spring bringing the snook out of winter torpor to fatten up.
Largely piscivorous throughout their life cycle, they feed primarily on fish smaller than their current length, with the occasional shrimp or crab thrown in for variety.
Snook hunt by orienting themselves into moving water and waiting for prey items to be pushed into them. Fast, explosive predators, they’re often caught on live bait such as pinfish, small mullet, shrimp, and sardines.
Snook Tips: Gear and Bait
Rod and Reel
Snook get big and fight hard.
While you can go for heavy rods, especially for live bait, I prefer a high-quality medium-heavy to medium rod in the 7-foot range, like the awesome St. Croix Premier.
That lets me take advantage of top water lures and jigs as well as fish live bait effectively, and I prefer the feel of the fight.
Check out more of our recommend rods: Best Saltwater Fishing Rods: Top Choices in 2022
A good 4000-size spinning reel is essential, and you simply can’t go wrong with the Shimano Sustain FJ. It’ll tilt the odds in your favor in a fight with a 30-inch snook, and it casts like a dream, even on windy days (and isn’t every day windy on the coast…).
Check out more of our recommend reels: Best Saltwater Fishing Reels: Top Choices in 2022
Hook selection
While plenty of snook have been caught on J-hooks, for live bait, nothing beats a circle hook.
Snook anglers typically run hooks ranging from 1/0 through to 4/0, matching their hook size to their bait of choice.
My pick for a snook hook is a Mustad Classic Standard Wire Demon Perfect In Line Wide Gap Circle Hook. Sharp and strong, their gap is sized right for live bait, and they really do improve your hook ups, especially since snook can be missed with hard hooksets.
In the case of an octopus or circle hook, simply let the fish take your bait and begin reeling against it. The hook will slide into the corner of the snook’s mouth, locking up tight.
If you do choose a J-hook, I recommend the Mustad Classic O’Shaughnessy Live Bait Hook.
If this is your pick, be careful with your hookset.
Don’t rip your rod overhead – just lift your rod tip to 12 o’clock and start the fight.
Don’t pump your rod during the fight; instead, gentle pressure is the best, and you should let the snook run except when it’s headed for mangroves.
Line and leader
When I’m hunting snook, you’ll find me spooling-on braid that’s appropriate to the conditions I’m fishing.
As we mentioned above, snook love feeding in the current, where bait fish can be brought to them as they wait to strike. The heavier the current, the heavier my line choice will be.
Power Pro is often my line of choice for snook, and its reliable sensitivity and awesome strength are always welcome.
Where the current is really moving a lot of water, and I know I’ll need to fight a snook against it, I might choose Power Pro as heavy as 40-pound test with a 50-pound leader.
I also reach for heavier line when I’m fishing around mangroves as I want to be able to turn a big female and keep her out of the rough stuff. In situations like these, think 15- to 20-pound braid with a 30-pound leader.
But over grass or oyster shells where the current is light, you can safely run lighter braid. I’ll often fish 10- to 12-pound Power Pro in these situations but stick to a 30-pound leader.
I strongly recommend the use of a reasonable leader for snook, and I prefer fluorocarbon, like Seaguar Blue Label.
Bait and rigs
Snook primarily feed on bait fish, and they always make an excellent choice.
Live croaker, pilchards (sardines), pinfish, and mullet are popular choices, and for younger anglers, they’re lots of fun to catch while you use them in turn on snook. Cut fish, especially mullet, can work well, too, but for my money, bait that’s still kicking is almost always the best bet.
Bait species like pilchard, pinfish, croaker, and mullet are your best bet.
We’ve had a lot to say about hooking your live bait, and if you want the full run down, check out this comprehensive article:
How To Hook Live Bait: Head to Tail
But since snook love nothing more than hunting a current, I typically “nostril hook” my bait.
“Nose hooking” is the best approach in the current.
As strange as this may sound, it keeps your bait alive and kicking for a long time, provides a secure connection, and orients them head-on into the current. And to top it all off, the point and barb are exposed for easy hooking.
You’ll want to run the point of the hook horizontally through the “nostrils,” well forward of the eyes and brain.
You want a similar orientation for shrimp, keeping them head-on in the current.
Joseph Simonds over at SaltStrong demonstrates a great technique to keep your live shrimp looking natural and ensure they stay head into the current: