snook
Species Facts

Science Name: Centropomus undecimalis
Other Names: linesiders, robalo, sargeant fish, common snook
Ideal Temp: Above 62
World Record: 53 lbs. 10 oz, Costa Rica
Environment: inshore, coastal
Techniques: light tackle, casting, fly
Description

Snooks have long, sleek bodies and an exaggerated underbite combining for a menacing profile that suits their aggressive nature. Their distinguishing feature is a black line that runs laterally along both flanks. Most snook caught fall between 18 and 30 inches, but large specimens have pushed well beyond the 52-inch mark and weighed in at over 50 pounds. They're generally olive in color with silver sides and belly, though ocean-going snook tend to be more silver, and backwater snook more dark.

Snook are protandric hermaphrodites, meaning that many change sex from male to female at some point in their lives. This transition usually occurs between two and seven years of age or when they reach a fork length of 17-30 inches. For this reason, most very large fish are females.

Habitat
Snook prefer waters of no more than about 60 feet, and they tend to gravitate toward shallow lagoons and estuaries where warm saltwater mixes with fresh water, brackish creeks (especially in winter) and beaches. They are highly sensitive to water temperatures, preferring very warm waters; they can't survive for long in water temperatures below 60 degrees.

Feeding Habits
Snook are agressive predators that seek their prey throughout the water column. Foods include both freshwater and saltwater species of crustaceans and fishes. Some of the items identified in the stomachs are crayfish, shrimps, crabs, pinfish, pigfish, mullet, anchovies, and mosquitofish.

Tips for Fishing

Snooks will hit all types of natural and artificial lures.