Capt. Matt Fueyo
Spring has sprung into action a little early this year and it’s time to be on the lookout for the big female snook! These large females can be found in schools of 2-3 in the back waters. Some can be seen in numbers of 100-300 in your larger areas of moving water like Big Pass, New Pass, Venice Jetties and the Longboat Key Pass. The size of these breeder females can be anywhere from 30”- 50”. Absolute monsters! Now seeing these fish is one thing, but catching a fish at that size is a feat that not everybody can say they’ve accomplished. To join the “Snook Club” you have to amass the tall order of landing a fish over 40 inches! I am a member of this club on 4 separate occasions, each one having its own very unique story, but all of them ending with shaky hands and a little higher pitched voice! Here in Sarasota, we have these monster snook and you might be asking, “How do you do it, Capt.?” Well, there are a few different methods and techniques that we like to use. Everybody has their own method of catching large fish, but we like to stick to what has been successful for us. I like to load up the live well with 3”-5” pinfish and when I mean load the live well, I mean a minimum of 5 dozen! The reason for having this much bait is simply because you only get so many casts out of a pinfish and if your bait gets “hit” they will usually come back looking like a piñata mangled by some little kids that couldn’t get to the candy. Once your bait looks lethargic or beat up, get a new one. It’s not that those big snook will not eat your deflated pin fish…it’s a matter of keeping a predator’s interest in the behavior of the bait. Replace the injured bait (but don’t throw the bait into the water, no free meals for the target fish!) with a spunky fresh bait that will swim into the face of those big snook and then quickly try to escape. A fresh French fry is far better than a soggy one sitting in the bottom of the bag! This is my way of applying a little Psych 101 on creating a feeding opportunity for a large predator. If you give the snook the easy meal, they will investigate and “eyeball” your bait, checking for a nice 3/0 hook hanging out of its mouth, dorsal or rear end. It creates an uncertainty and distrust in your bait presentation and it also puts the attention on that injured bait vs your fresh bait that is ready to work! When trying to catch these big snook, you’re going to have to bump up your tackle. A larger rod with 15-30 pounds class and matching reel in the 4000-6000 size will do the trick. We like to use a Penn Battle 2, 5000 size reel, on a medium heavy rod with a light tip for casting. We also have Shimano Bait Runners in the 6000 size, with 40-pound braided line on G-Loomis Blue Wave rods. These set-ups, put together with a 40-pound leader and a 4/0-5/0 Mustad Circle hook, are very effective. I like to bait my hook near the tail just above the anal fin. When I cast my bait to my target, I will keep my bail open and wait for the THUMP. Once the thump has happened, I let the fish swim for a few seconds before closing the bail and coming tight. They’re called pin fish for a reason- they will stick you like a pin!! So, imagine what the mouth of that snook feels when the pinfish flares out its dorsal and peck fins while being consumed. Sometimes snook will spit the pinfish out after inhaling it. They do this so that they can ingest the fish face first and the bait’s fins will compress as it slides down the fish’s throat. So now, we are hooked up to the big one and she’s headed one place and one place only…structure! We always explain to our guests that fish are similar to humans in the regards to the fight or flight response. If your life was in danger, you would run to the safest place you know, home! These fish have “homes” or canals and docks that they are familiar with. Just when you think she’s worn out, she will make another long run for it! Turning these big girls is always a challenge and not always accomplished. Many fishermen have fished their entire lives and not caught or even seen snook at these huge sizes. Big snook are finicky and will have you scratching your head for days. There are a ton of different ways to catch big fish, but this is my favorite.
As for the other species in our area, it has been awesome. Juvenile permit, sheepshead, snapper, grouper, redfish and black drum have been feeding in the passes on shrimp. We have been dropping baits to the bottom on 3/8 oz and 1/4 oz jig heads and letting our guests bounce those off the sandy/rocky bottom. Some of the best eating fish are being caught right now and we are happy to clean your catch at the end of your charter! If you’re visiting our area this spring, give us a call and let us show you an amazing day on the water.
