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Excerpt ~ Chapter 3
HABITAT, that's the subject. Where do Snook hang out? You will recall that we have compared Snook behavior to that of their distant, freshwater relatives-largemouth and smallmouth bass. Except when they're on the move, Snook do not so much "hang out" as HIDE out. They love structure, they use shadows to disguise themselves, they lurk under docks, bridges and piers and even under waterfront restaurants. For cover, Snook also use rocks and boulders and the crevices and caves formed by submerged debris. Just as bass often lie in wait under lily pads or water lettuce or in thick hydrilla clusters, Snook use those mildly brackish waters that support floating aquatic plants in mats or masses. They'll hide under anything green. But also under things that are brown, gray, shucks they don't much go by color. From their cover (whatever it might be) these skilled predators can nail not only small fish and critters that innocently venture into the shadowed area, they also can hit fish casually swimming by, just outside the shade from which the Robalo emerges at great speed and with amazing precision. Snook seldom miss! And that's why, when you're cranking a lure through the deadly "edge" zone, if you entice a strike the fish probably will become connected! Many Snook hook themselves quite securely during the savage ambush attack. Not surprisingly, many hook themselves too deeply. If you use regular treble hooks on your lures, it is a good idea to have a fisherman's tool on you, one that has wire cutters to clip the hooks so they can be backed out of the fish's cartilage with minimal damage to the Snook. An even better idea is to use barbless or head-crimped hooks. Truly devoted Linesider anglers will spend at least as much time night fishing as they do out in the daylight. There are two reasons for this. The first is that Snook are naturally more nocturnal than many other fish and so, they tend to feed at night. Second, bigger Snook are caught at night. The smaller ones probably are somewhat more timid since nighttime is a dangerous time in marine waters. The predators are out in force-including the sharks. Sharks use young Snook as toothpicks. So, what one is most likely to encounter in the dark waters of evening is a common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) of uncommon size! Night fishing on piers and from bridges is especially effective since the structure supplies two things big Snook adore: cover for security and ambush advantage PLUS, in many cases, light. That's right-LIGHT. Yeah, it's dark as pitch but if there are lights shining into the water these lights can attract certain brainless bait fish, squid, shrimp and other tasty critters, creating a swimming smorgasbord for Mr. and Mrs. Snook and their friends who have joined them for the fine food at an affordable price. The "price" is when an enterprising human with a fishing pole and the right thing on the end of the line puts that thing in a Snook's line of sight. Typically, pier lights cast a definite shape with a fairly sharp line between the illuminated waters and the darker expanse. At or near this line, usually on the darkest side, Snook will wait for whatever shows up in the light. Much of the action is at the edge. (See Chapter 2 for "figure eight" technique.) What swims by--be it mullet or squid or MirrOLure--is in danger of being inhaled within a cavernous mouth. Some piers have underwater lights. These are very attractive to bait fish and crabs, but not so good at providing a sharp line between lit up and then dark. Snook will be in the darker regions, monitoring the illuminated waters before them. Of course, piers and bridges
have numerous poles, supports, columns and cement work which form the
understructure, It is appropriate to compare Snook to bass, as we have said, not only because their behavior is more than slightly similar but also because they often share the same water! Tidal rivers and creeks of central and south Florida often have a fresh-salt mixing zone where Snook and bass share habitat and compete for both lurking places and food. More than occasionally, Linesiders gobble up yearling bass. Up the Loxahatchee River, Snook may be found slinking around among the cypress knees, from which vantage point they can nail bream of several species in the two- to four-inch class, rather like pinfish under saltier conditions. In fact, some Snook live year-round in fresh water but apparently they don't reproduce in a fresh environment. Lake Okeechobee has Snook. Freshwater lakes in Charlotte County have Snook. Lake Maggiore in St. Pete has recorded Snook populations. Snook are in the Everglades. Snook are energized by salt, tantalized by brackish and surprisingly friendly toward fresh.
Wherever there are tree limbs extending over the waters, wherever mangroves are growing, wherever there are stumps or palm logs or pilings, there may be one or more Snook present to provide amusement for a fisher on a mission. Location Location Location -- Places To Find Snook:
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