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Common Snook
COMMON SNOOK Order - Perciformes Family - Centropomidae Genus - Centropomus Species - undecimalis |
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Common Names
The English language common names for this species are common snook, linesiders, pike, sargeant fish, snook and thin snook.
Geographical Distribution
Common snook are the most widely distributed species within the Centropomus genus and have been reported as far north as New York and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Common snook are abundant along the Atlantic coast of Florida from Cape Canaveral south through the Keys and Dry Tortugas, and north to Cedar Key on the gulf coast.
Snook are considered to be protandric hermaphrodites, which means some males reverse sex and become females, thought to occur when certain population dynamics demand a higher percentage of females.
There are four species of snook found in Florida, but Centropomus undecimalis, or common snook, is the most common species of snook sought after by most fishermen.
Distribution and Habitat
Through October, Atlantic and Gulf snook fatten up on southbound baitfish before moving to sheltered backcountry haunts to winter over. The bait (ranging from glass minnows to adult silver mullet) will have moved though “snook country” surf (from roughly Canaveral to Miami on the Atlantic and Tampa south on the Gulf) by Halloween. By late November, many snook will have moved inside, shadowing the baitfish schools entering the Gulf and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterways’ (ICW) bays, creeks, rivers and residential canals of the upper estuary. All predator fish, including snook, follow the food, and good snook anglers follow the snook.
While snook are generally not thought to be highly migratory, they have been caught as far north as Delaware on the Atlantic.
Because this species is associated with landmasses that have freshwater rivers, it is principally a continental species, and occurs only on larger islands that have rivers, such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands.
While snook are occasionally reported on reefs offshore they are usually an inshore fish, and they like fast-moving tides and tend to "roam the shores" of inlets and estuaries. Snook may be found in salt or fresh water, and are tolerant of wide ranges of salinity. They tend to be found near piers, docks, submerged cover, or other features, which allow concealment from prey.
Migration
Gulf coast snook are not highly migratory. The young move inshore to estuaries and more mature fish move to spawning areas in summer, but they do not make significant long-distance journeys. The fall-winter snook migration is not a mass movement of salmon proportions. Some snook remain in the inlets and passes, and nearby beaches and bays year-round. But many snook favor winter digs that provide deep holes, relative protection from blustery winter winds, and dark-bottomed shallows that warm up quickly on sunny winter days.
Some evidence indicates that Atlantic coast snook make longer migrations than Gulf coast snook do. Snook tagged on the East Coast have been caught in the keys and on the west coast and in Lake Okeechobee, having traveled the St Lucie-Caloosahatchee Waterway to cross Florida.
Spawning
Peak daily spawning activity is keyed to tidal cycles and occurs in the areas near mangrove islands around the mouths of rivers or feeder creeks.
Major spawning activity occurs in late May, June and July and begins to slow in August and September. By November, spawning activity is usually completed.
Snook season is closed in the summer because they spawn in the inlets during these months.
There are no physical differences between male and female snook, so anglers cannot tell the difference between the sexes. Evidence indicates that all snook are male during their early years, and become females as they become older. Sometime between one and seven years and after the spawning season this change takes place.
Release Procedure
When hooked, Snook will almost always run toward the pilings of the bridge or pier and toward the jetty or rocks in the inlet. Be prepared for a great fight and Snook are very good to eat when caught in season. Snook often become disoriented, and may die if not revived a bit before release. Simply hold the fish into the current and hold it lightly until it has regained its equilibrium. Carefully release it as soon as possible, as the current can revive the fish fully.
Remember that you may keep no snook smaller than 26 inches or larger than 34 inches. During the closed seasons- December 15 to January 31 and the months of June, July, and August- do not keep any snook that you catch. They must be released immediately.
