Getting into the first true month of spring and also a warm February we on the Big Bend can expect a good start to our spring angling fun. Snook have always been one fish that as much as I’ve fished my whole life I’ve yet to figure them out. When I was young the best anglers caught them at the headwaters of our spring fed rivers. using wild shiners bought at MacRae’s Bait House. The first snook I ever caught was in Mason Creek using a live shrimp when I was in my early teens off of a family friends dock. When I think back this was in the 80’s and bass was the king of the rivers. Over time the snook have made a homestead in our region and north to Steinhatchee.
The legal limit is one per angler a day that measures between 28 and 33 inches. Our snook have one thing that protects them from cold weather and that is our spring fed rivers that give the sanctuary from occasional below freezing temperatures. Even during some blustery days in January I saw some snook on the outside edge of the Gulf during low 60’s water temperature. It’s cool that we have a good population of line siders and again I’m not the expert at catching them but learning each day the way to possible hook one.
March snook will be on the outside edges of the keys. Deep pockets of water that run up to the south side of a key were the sun warms the water are good spots to target. My go to bait is a D.O.A. 5.5 glow jerk bait with a nose hooked 3/0 Owner bait hook. A 30lb. leader will prevent cut offs sometimes and a slow twitching retrieve with get the strike. High incoming tide will be mid day this coming weekend.
- Nature Coast - March 23, 2024
- William Toney - February 29, 2024
- Nature Coast - February 14, 2024
