🌊 Best on the ebb💨 Likes calm wind📅 Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
- Water temp
- 64–90°F
- Depth
- 1–26 ft
- Max weight
- 39.7lb
- Day vs night
- ☀️ 🌙
Snook are Florida's signature shore gamefish, with a black lateral line and a big bucket mouth, found around the southern two-thirds of the state — the Gulf beaches, passes, bridges, docks and mangrove shorelines from Tampa Bay south, and the Atlantic inlets, jetties and beaches from around Cape Canaveral to the Keys. In summer they stack in the passes, inlets and along the beach trough to spawn; in fall they push back into the backcountry, and in cold snaps they retreat to deep canals, rivers and warm-water outflows. They feed hardest on moving water, especially the outgoing tide at night around bridge shadow lines and dock lights, and around the strong tides of the new and full moons. Freeline a live pilchard, pinfish or finger mullet on 30–40 lb fluorocarbon and a 2/0–4/0 circle hook, or work a paddle tail or twitchbait along the light line. The gill covers have a razor edge that cuts line and hands, so lip them and support the belly. Check current FWC rules before keeping one.
Best bait for snook
- 1 Pilchards (Scaled Sardines)
- 2 Live Shrimp
- 3 Finger Mullet
- 4 Live Pinfish
- 5 Paddle Tail Swimbait
- 6 Suspending Twitchbait
Rigs that work
- 1 Freeline Live Bait
- 2 Jighead
- 3 Knocker Rig
- 4 Carolina Rig
