Snook Become Targets Under June's Full Moon

Surely the Miami Heat thought the balls of fire on its jerseys this season were bull's eyes, just as Gov. Rick Scott feels his shaved skull is a bulletin board for citizen potshots.

But none of the Sunshine State's targets are as punctured and peppered as the centropomus undecimalis.

Already, tourism junkies and fishing fanatics have crowned snook as the No. 1 gamefish in a state dubbed the fishing capital of the world.

Many Suncoast anglers know the full moon in June enhances the snook spawning activity off the beaches and in major passes (about 100 meters on either side).

Think anyone's stacking their spool with 20-pound braided lines and 40-pound flurocarbon leaders for some beach-snooking?

Maybe LeBron James had a point: Those who were against the "Big Three" this season and celebrated the Heat's numerous fourth-quarter collapses to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals will have to return to the same problems they had before the Heat's championship hopes skidded off I-95.

For Floridians, the list begins at the sting ray magnet and barely clips the end of the freezer.

"Problem" No. 1: Which pristine beach or pass to fish? Some traditional snook-spawning spots with good water movement include: Christmas Pass by Wheedon Island; the MacDill shoreline flats along the MacDill landing strip; the shoreline of Port Manatee (for those who have access); Longboat Pass; and Whale Key and Long Bar in Sarasota Bay.

"Problem" No. 2: What time and under which conditions to enjoy this luxury? Ron Taylor, a snook biologist at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, recommends fishing an afternoon, outgoing tide because the snook typically spawn from 3 or 4 in the afternoon until about 10 p.m.

That said, snook are nocturnal feeders, so feel free to fish through twilight. These foul-weather friends tend to bite better in, say, 35 mph winds with a incoming front and a dropping barometer. If it's safe, don't flee when the weather gets moody.

"Problem" No. 3: What for bait? For live bait fishermen, make sure the bait is fresh and frisky. Snook love finger mullet, pinfish and shrimp, but are usually game for any wiggling fish. For dead bait, a mullet head fished on a matching-sized circle hook on the bottom is a proven tactic.

“The Mad Snooker” Capt. Dave Pomerleau has said that paying attention to subtleties catches more snook than anything. Make sure leaders do not have dinks or frays, spools are full of line, the drag mechanism is operating smoothly and snook are feeding on the bait you are presenting.

Each year, usually from May to August, snook cruise along the shorelines to spawn. But linesiders also have been known to congregate in creeks such as those along the eastern shoreline of Tampa Bay.

Because snook continue to recover from the 2009 cold snap, ensure a quick release — keep the snook in the water if possible. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation studies have recently shown adult snook populations, especially on the west coast, dipped significantly.

Which means anglers can't catch what is not there.

Tack it to the list.