Snook on Fly and Light Tackle

By: Geoff W. Colmes

Guiding anglers to snook on fly or light tackle in my opinion is the ultimate challenge and perhaps the most rewarding. My skills as a fishing guide and "explorer," are put to the test more so than with any other gamefish. The fight of the Snook is the reason for the pursuit. These fish are almost always found near some kind of structure and will use it every chance they get.

Snook in the South Florida region average five to twenty-five pounds, even larger snook can be found fishing in many locations around Florida. However the sight fishing and fly fishing opportunities available in the Everglades National Park are second to none. The areas that I choose to sight fish for snook are generally best in the early fall to late spring. The labyrinth of shallow sawgrass and mangrove lined ponds, winding creeks and small bays of the uncharted Everglades are the first areas to warm up after the cold fronts in the fall and early spring. This is partially due to the clear yet slightly darker tannin stained water which warms up quickly... a good thing for snook fishing. There is also an abundance of aquatic growth providing habitat that perhaps insulates and protects baitfish and snook from the colder Winter water temperatures, retaining warmth longer on sunny days. I've seen lots of snook and redfish lying dead still with their tails poking out of this "insulation" on cold days.

Over the years in South Florida's and the Keys there have been documented fish kills due to water temperatures dropping into the low fifty's. During these periods, expecting the worse I have traveled deep into the Everglades only to find no dead fish in this unique environment. The numerous cold fronts also serve as a feeding mechanism. The combination of the driving northerly winds preceding the strong northeasterly winds as the high pressure builds, is the key. The water is driven out to the west of the Everglades by the high winds and the water levels are additionally lowered by the high barometric pressure, flushing out hoards of baitfish to meet Mr. & Mrs. Snook.

The minimal tidal range in this environment play a minor role as they relate less to vertical water movement and more to the accompanying moon phase and the snooks nocturnal feeding habits. This is contrary to what most snook fishermen believe - that the full moon is best, which is true if you are fishing at night, or if you are fishing in cuts or passes influenced more by current. I prefer the 'new' and 'first quarter' moon phases, especially during a warm-up after a cold front. During these periods the current is almost always outward regardless of the tide phase as a result of fresh water runoff and the northeast winds "pushing" the water off the shallow everglades.

In the summer, high water temperatures leach the oxygen levels and lead to the lack of aquatic growth. These same productive areas are sometimes barren in the summer, entire bays turning desert-like in a matter of weeks. It is at this time the snook move towards the relatively cooler water of the larger bays, mouths of tidal rivers and off the gulf beaches, offering additional snook fishing opportunities - leaving only isolated resident populations behind with the summers mosquito's, gators, gar, bull sharks, cooters and Eastern Diamondbacks.