Are they all that allusive and difficult to catch as some people make them out to be? No way at all;
it's just a matter of understanding the critters' habits. They are tough, hard fighters, and
beautiful silvery fish in color. A deep black line, running from its gill cover to the beginning
of its tail, adds character to this brute. This will be evident to you when latching on to a 30-40 pounder
on lite tackle. You will be encouraged to catch another, and another, and another, because it doesn't take
long to get the snook fever.
Where are those Black lined bruisers found? I've spotted them in clear water, under piers, and in the shadows at the edge of lights shining on the water. They will just lie there, patiently waiting for the appearance of bait fish and shrimp  attracted by the brightly lit areas.
Also, they love to stay in dark water on the very edge of bright lights around breakwaters and boats at anchor.
They are shrewd enough to understand that bait fish and shrimp are blinded by shining lights and will swim
very close to
"Snook lair"- The Shadows
It's frustrating to spot several large snook in clear water,and they
won't move an inch to take your bait, no matter what is thrown at them. They will not touch any
food unless it's exactly what they want; or maybe they are thumbing their noses at you. Snook will
cruise the surf and passes after dark. But if winds are present, and the water is murky, fishing may
not be productive. Wait for another date with the elusive snook.
What did they use for bait? What were they using? What kind of a rig did they have. There are no secrets! A weedless Johnson silver minnow, live shrimp, bang-a-lures, white bait fish, jigs, and small pin fish, are all good for catching snook. The list is endless and needs only your own ingenuity to figure out how to rig and present the bait. **When near oyster bars and your snook is running the line over a bar, free line your reel and let him run the line off of the bar before applying any tension or working the fish. You may lose your catch but still have a chance of not cutting the line on a sharp oyster shell. **Depending on where you fish, depth of water, and size of fish sought, you may have to rig a steel leader and a forged steel hook of sufficient size. **When in a area that produces only snook that seem to be too short between the head and tail, then lighten up on the hook size and weight of line and just have a ball catching and releasing the snook that shrunk. |
