Sanibel's "Silver Lining" Snook
Post-cold Status of Southwest Florida Snook Fishing

By Jan S. Maizler
Article & Travel Editor
Photos By Jan S. Maizler

Any journalistic article on the status of the Florida snook is a welcome edition to the Spring 2010 lexicon after the freezing temperatures and fish kills of the recent Winter 2009 through 2010. There is still an unsettled swirl of angler opinion, controversy, and even a bit of hysteria over the percentage of snook that survived the cold and what measures need to be taken to protect (or not) the post-fish-kill snook. The State of Florida has closed any harvesting of snook through September 1 of this year. This writer feels even that deadline may be extended.

The truth is that we must wait for empirical catch and release numbers from guides and recreational anglers to get the best idea of actual surviving snook numbers. And, as the State's waters have warmed recently, some areas in Southwest Florida are reporting snook sightings as well as releases in numbers that might be reassuring to those individuals and organizations that feared the snook biomass was decimated.

I can speak to these results myself after making a trip to the Sanibel area to fish with Captain Mike Smith on April 12. I arrived the day before and checked into the Island Inn on Sanibel. After getting myself unpacked, I brought a rod out to the beach with me. Since it had blown to 30 knots the day before, I basically fished a muddy storm–tossed surf. All I caught was one seatrout after having another spit the hook. Yet I knew from some phone calls that despite the recent winds, San Carlos Bay and Pine Island Sound had the kind of rising water temperatures and clarity that were snook-friendly.

Next Day with Captain Mike

I was stoked and ready to go fishing all day long. My energy was based on my excitement as well as having recharged my batteries after yesterday's beach fishing with some restful shelling, a macadamia-encrusted grouper dinner at the Inn's Traditions restaurant, and a good night's sleep in one of the Inn's delightful Gulf view rooms.

I met Captain Mike Smith at 8:00 a.m. at the Punta Rassa boat ramp. As usual, his Lake and Bay skiff was spotless and loaded with live whitebaits. After I climbed aboard and we shook hands, Mike fired up his 225 H.P. Yamaha engine and idled away from the ramp. As we eased away, Mike explained we'd be trying some cold weather spots we had fished on trips before upriver and then move into the more "outside" spring transitional spots in San Carlos Bay.

The River

Regarding our initially fishing the Caloosahatchee River, Mike said we'd be fishing all kinds of structure besides mangrove islets. In essence, we'd be "combat fishing" dock, piling, and bridge structure for snook that ran from 8 to 25 pounds. Towards that end, we'd be using tarpon-sized spinning rods that utilized 30-pound PowerPro braided line, 2 feet of 40-pound fluorocarbon leader, and a 1/0 Owner J-hook.

When we arrived at the first spot (and one of the most challenging), which was a maze of pilings along a seawall, Mike told me to use absolute "zero-tolerance" pressure on any hooked fish until it was out of the structure and then immediately go to a more moderate battle tactic as it got closer to the boat and out of harm's way. This was essential since the light leader and smaller hook, which were so necessary to draw a lot of strikes, could only take a limited amount of extreme strain.

Mike used his usual method of live-chumming to arouse any snook that were laid- up in ambush mode. We did get a few "pops" and our subsequent casts did result in a couple nice snook. However, the action was brief and Mike quickly moved to some other spots- all of which yielded the same modest results. After two hours, Mike made the decision to move back "outside" towards some of the mangrove islands to see if there were any "transition" snook. Mike was concerned that if we did not find many snook in this next habitat that it would indeed point in the direction of a fish-kill-reduced snook biomass.

The Bay and Sound

With all of the speed-zones forcing us to travel at an "idling" pace, it took about an hour to reach our first destination, which was a series of mangrove islets interlaced with creeks. As we entered this green maze, Mike switched over to his electric motor in an effort not to spook any adjacent snook. After navigating for about ten minutes, he staked out his skiff at the mouth of a little creek where the tide was running out. He got his positioning perfect by using his Power Pole on his stern and his Wang anchor on the bow.

Mike then netted a few frisky pilchards from his livewell, and hand-tossed them into the mangrove shadows and edges lining the creek mouth. Moments later, "pilchards from the sky" rained down on any snook hiding a few feet into the mangroves. Luckily at our very first spot, all hell broke loose! Mike smiled at all the pops, and said, " I guess they're hungry." As a few pilchard survivors tore out of the mangroves and hid in the shadow of his skiff, Mike told me to pull one of the spinning outfits out of the rod holders.

The rigs were lighter than the river outfits and well thought through: seven-foot long stiff graphite rods with fast retrieve spinning reels.Each reel was filled to the brim with 8-pound braided line to maximize two tackle qualities: sensitivity and low stretch, fish-pulling power. He baited me up on a 1/0 hook tied to a two-foot length of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. He told me to toss the bait into the shadowy mangrove pocket that had the most recent "pop." I made a good cast, and the strike was instantaneous! The snook and I did a seesaw battle, but good technique and tackle had him to the boat side in about a minute.

We admired the six-pound fish for a moment and then released it. The pops continued as Mike live-chummed the shadows. Some of the snook I released were 14 inch- long juvenile fish, which was a good sign that young Linesiders had survived the cold winter. The fishing continued at a frenetic pace until I was ready to quit this impossibly good action. Mike had been counting and told me we'd released over 50 snook up to seven pounds. I was delighted to be able to leave snook that were still striking- it was a sign that, at least in some quarters like Sanibel, the snook had survived and appeared in good numbers.

Epilogue

It may turn out that other areas of Florida have snook populations that were severely impacted by this last winter. Those are the cases where anglers should alleviate any angling pressure on those Linesiders and give them a chance to re-stabilize.

Year-round Snooking

Summer Snook Headquarters

There should be plenty of snook that will fan out from inside waters to spawn in the Sanibel/Captiva passes by June. Part of those movements should make them available along the Gulf side beaches of Sanibel. I think the most perfect and strategic lodgings for this time of year is to be stationed on the beach and one of my favorite places is the Island Inn.

I can fish for snook 24/7 from the beach right behind the Inn with great success as long as the surf is fairly calm. If I fish the inside waters of the Bay or Sound by boat during the day, then I fish dawn or dusk periods behind the Inn- there's just no way to lose with this arrangement.

The Island Inn has excellent rooms, cottages, as well as a great restaurant that is open during the Season from December through April. For non-fishing friends and family, swimming in the Gulf as well as shelling Sanibel's famous beaches is again available right behind the Inn. If you desire shopping in some first-class stores and venues, just take a quick ten-minute car ride to Periwinkle Way and your satisfaction is assured.

Winter Linesider Diggs

It's well known that upriver areas- particularly with warm water features- are prime snook "over-wintering" areas. The Caloosahatchee River serves as a huge cold weather refuge for Sanibel snook. I was in touch with a number of Sanibel guides during the freeze and the consensus was that fish skills were minimal near the power plant/river habitat compared to the shallow stretches of Pine Island Sound as well as the Ding Darling Wildlife refuge.

I fished a certain upriver area with Captain Mike during the prior year on a very cold day and we did quite well with some slot-sized as well as slab-sided snook.

My go-to destination when I fish the deep stretches of the River is the ultra-'luxe Hotel Indigo in the historic Fort Myers River District. It is one of the most sophisticated and well-branded hotels in Florida. There is every imaginable amenity with a hip distinctly Zen/Modern flair. The Indigo houses the fabulous Vino di Notte restaurant- we ate every one of our meals there…. and with good reason: the cuisine is superb!

Non-angling friends and family can visit the nearby Southwest Florida Museum of history as well as the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

Contact Data

Captain Mike Smith
Phone: 239-573-FISH
Web Site: www.mangroveislandcharters.com
Email: info@mangroveislandcharters.com

Island Inn (Sanibel Island)
3111 W. Gulf Drive, Sanibel, Florida
Phone: 239-472-1561 & 800-851-5088
Web Site: www.islandinnsanibel.com

Hotel Indigo
Fort Myers River District (Mainland)
1520 Broadway, Fort Myers, Florida
Phone: 877-846-3446
Web Site: www.hotelindigo.com

The Beaches of Fort Myers/Sanibel
Web Site: www.fortmyers-sanibel.com

See all the photos from the outing in Jan Maizler's Photo Gallery.