No Snook This September, But Anglers Have Other Options

Normally, anglers in the Tampa Bay area would be priming their gear for the September opening of snook season.

But the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has closed the recreational harvest of snook on the Gulf Coast until Sept. 1, 2012, citing damage done to west coast snook populations by the 2009-10 winter freeze that killed an estimated half-million linesiders.

So what’s an angler to toss a line for? You can always drive to Florida's  east coast to keep a 28- to 32-inch snook, where the FWC kept the regularly-scheduled snook season open. That's because research from FWC scientists showed the Atlantic side was not hit as hard as the Gulf Coast by the 2009-10 winter freeze.

Catch-and-release snook fishing is an option, of course, but anyone who’s had to throw back a slot-sized snook knows that can be as tough as swallowing cod liver oil.

Since some anglers can’t keep a snook, they can target the big boys. Some anglers like to fish large live baits at the bottom of passes. The John’s Pass Bridge is 54 feet at its deepest spot, and Sarasota’s New Pass is relatively deep as well.

The Port Manatee channel should be holding lots of snook, as well as the Hillsborough River, Cockroach Bay and Bishop’s Harbor.

Other options include fishing brides on a fast nighttime tide with 30-pound braided line, a 50-pound fluorocarbon leader and a circle hook to match a select live shrimp. Cast up the tide and let the shrimp drift into the snook. Remember that it is illegal to fish off some bridges.

Otherwise, anglers can look forward to the big breeding redfish to invade inshore waters. A couple captain’s reports have indicated sightings of these breeder reds just off the area beaches.

Other anglers, such as Palmetto's Capt. T.J. Stewart, who recently captained the winning team in the redfish division of the Home Builder’s Association fishing tournament out of Sarasota, said the reds are not here — yet.

Stewart said the smaller, hatch bait has been around for about a month and is at the right size to attract the fat redfish that generally invade the area from August to October.

“September should be some phenomenal fishing,” Stewart said. “I think some of the fish are moving up into the bays. I don’t know why, but at night I’ve seen a lot of reds run up by the boat.”

With water temperatures pushing 94 degrees around midday, anglers will want to hit the water early, when the water temperature may be around 87. Look for diving birds — especially frigatebirds — and fish that area. Artificials anglers can try a quarter-ounce DOA CAL jig with a 4-inch shad in pearl white.

Anglers can keep one redfish per day between 18 and 27 inches.