Snook season is here!

Hello there again fishing buddies!

Sorry it's been a while since I last cast you a line, but my waters have been real choppy recently. Thankfully all is calm again now.

So, let's start again at a great time of year for Florida fishermen: snook season. It's just got under way here in Anna Maria and already fishermen are reporting good lineside catches.
The snook is a hard-fighting fish, but can be tricky to snag, so here are some very basic tips on methods and times.

Method:
Live shrimp – Once the snook has been located, fish live shrimp using a 10 to 20 pound outfit with 30" of 40lb shock leader tied to a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Weight the line with only enough split shot or sinker to get it to the bottom.
Live bait fish – Mullet, menhaden, pinfish,etc. Again using the same outfit but using a larger hook to match the bait.
Lures – A wide variety of lures and jigs are used to catch snook. Some of the favorites include the Red Tailed Hawk jig and many of the Mirrolures.

Tides:
The best time to fish for Snook is from one hour before high tide through the first three hours of the falling tide.

Paul Roat, writing in the Anna Maria Islander, says, 'linesiders are being hooked off the beaches of Anna Maria Island, but most of the action is coming from the passes and in the bays'.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and cast a line for these powerful pisces, you're in for a good work-out if you snag one.

Tight lines!