by Bill Buckley, Contributing Writer
What’s there to look forward to in February, beside the Daytona 500? Snook are back on the menu! February 1st marks the opening of the Spring snook season on the Atlantic coast of Florida. The best locations for land-based anglers to target snook in our area are at Boca and Boynton inlets. Cast live threadfins, pilchards, or shrimp into flowing water that passes close to pockets of slack water where snook wait to ambush prey. Flair Hawk jigs, topwater plugs, and D.O.A. shrimp are great alternatives if live bait is not available. Boat anglers have the advantage of targeting snook near lighted docks and bridges at night. The lights attract baitfish while snook lurk on the outer edges of the light bloom. Anglers with a snook permit may keep just 1 snook per day that measures between 28 and 32 inches.
Although the seas are typically rougher this time of year, boat anglers have plenty of options within just 2 miles of shore. Sailfish have been biting well for the past month, as have bonito, kingfish, wahoo, “football” blackfin tunas, and snappers. Even mahi mahi have been caught inside of 300ft, usually as bycatch while targeting sails. Some cobia can be found near structures like wrecks and rock piles. Spanish mackerel and bluefish can be found in 10-25ft. Reef anglers be aware: all shallow water groupers are still in a closed season until May 1st.
For anglers who don’t mind fishing 12-14 miles offshore at night, this is a great time of year to target swordfish. Averaging 70-120lbs, swordfish are smaller, but more abundant now than in warmer months. Minimum recommended rod/reel combo is 50-class spooled with 60lb mono. There are some monster fish out there well over 200lbs, so heavier tackle and line is always suggested if you can afford it. Terminal tackle consists of 9/0 to 10/0 sized big game hooks and 6-8ft of 300lb mono leader. The use of battery powered lights or cyalume sticks attached to the line 10-20ft from the bait is highly recommended. Use large squid, tinker mackerel, or live blue runners for bait. Rigged and unrigged frozen swordfish baits are available at tackle shops that specialize in offshore fishing.
Start your drift at dusk on or near the “50 line”, -79.50°W longitude, a few miles south of Hillsboro inlet. You’ll be drifting north at about 3kts for several hours, so take into account where you want to finish the night and adjust your starting point accordingly. Deploy 3-5 baits at different depths from 50 to 300ft down. To reduce tangles, use floats (balloons, milk jugs, etc.) to move the lines away from the boat after reaching desired depth.
Minimum size for swordfish is 47 inches, measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail (LJFL). Bag limit is 1 per angler, up to 4 per boat. Go to www.hmspermits.noaa.gov to obtain a HMS permit for your boat, which is required for keeping swordfish. My space is limited here, so visit your local offshore tackle shop to learn more about how to catch these delicious gladiators of the sea.
Bill Buckley “Uncle Buck”
Graphic artist & offshore angler, Boca Raton, FL