Snook season is open for harvest; Space Coast anglers can also find tripletail

Ed Killer, Florida Today
·4 min read

Snook season opened for harvest on Feb. 1. Since it has been unseasonably warm, snook are biting just fine throughout the entire Space Coast.

Snook are one of the most sought after targets for anglers here. And for good reason. Snook are one of those fish that give the angler everything he or she is looking for — exciting strike, fast runs, jumps, challenging moves like wrapping you around a piling or tree branch, plus it fries up nice for snook nuggets to go with tartar sauce, grits and hush puppies.

They will take a variety of offerings from live mullet, dead mullet, live pinfish, jigs, topwater plugs, shrimp and more. They will eat during incoming tides, outgoing tides and even slack tides, or sometimes an angler can see them, and they won't eat at all.

The weather this weekend might not be the best, but the snook won't mind. They are known for eating when it gets kind of nasty. Despite the aforementioned description, don't think they are easy to catch. But few things are more rewarding than catching and taking home a nice snook for dinner. Good luck in your pursuit.

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A customer caught & released this black drum Feb. 1, 2023 while fishing with Capt. Justin Ross of Fineline Fishing Charters in Rockledge.
A customer caught & released this black drum Feb. 1, 2023 while fishing with Capt. Justin Ross of Fineline Fishing Charters in Rockledge.

Closures & regulations changes in effect: Anglers are reminded about these fishery harvest closures currently underway and ones about to begin and end.

  • Snook: Harvest opened Feb. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required..

  • Grouper: Harvest closed from Jan. 1, 2023, through April 30, 2023. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind & rock hind. Harvest reopens May 1, 2023.

  • Spotted seatrout:  Harvest open as of Jan. 1 in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin & Palm Beach counties. Harvest closes November and December 2023.

  • Flounder: Harvest reopened Dec. 1.

  • Hogfish: Harvest closed from Nov. 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Harvest reopens May 1, 2023.

  • Redfish: Harvest of redfish is banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon beginning Sept. 1. FWC will re-evaluate later in the year.

  • Alligator: Hunt season open Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.

  • Lobster: 48-hour sport season (mini-season) open July 26-27, 2023. Regular season opens Aug. 6.

  • Dolphin: New fishing regulations began May 1, 2022 for state waters. Bag limit is now five fish per day per angler; Vessel limit is now 30 fish per day. Captain and crew may not be included in limit.

  • Tilefish: Harvest is open as of Jan. 1.

  • Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch-and-release.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.

Mosquito Lagoon

The weather change will probably move fish from the shallow shorelines to the deeper cuts and channels. Slow down presentations and use jig heads with live shrimp to get to the bottom. Redfish, black drum, snook, trout, flounder and jacks will take baits. Still fishing with split crabs in Haulover Canal should produce a bite or two.

Offshore

According to the Marine Weather Forecast for the next three days, the bluewater scene will be a blowout for most boaters. When seas calm, expect the blackfin tuna, mahi mahi and sailfish to be moving south still along the current edges. Cobia and kingfish will be in on the reefs in 50 to 100 feet.

Surf

Beaches have been devoid of pompano for a week. Is the migration over? Are they running in deeper water? Whatever the answer, we may be nearing the period of time when the migration switches direction. Fishing this weekend may not be that great with the weather either. After the front passes, look for whiting, jacks and occasional bluefish taking natural baits.

Sebastian Inlet

This is ground zero for great snook fishing in perhaps the entirety of the Atlantic Coast of Florida, believe it or not. However, with the north jetty still closed to anglers, many of the snook will be saved from the hook. Still, linesiders can be caught along south jetty rocks, under the A1A bridge, from the T-Dock, along the north side of the inlet near the wading pool and by boats drifting the outgoing tide with croaker.

Indian River Lagoon

Black drum are schooling in pods of 30-40 fish around the northern part of the lagoon near the Max Brewer Causeway and Titusville railroad bridge. It may take some time to find the fish because they are pretty boat shy. Some of these fish are in the 20-25 pound range and bigger. They will fall for split blue crabs. Redfish can be caught around Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach. Snook around the channel cuts and seawalls in Satellite Beach.

Freshwater

Speck fishing (crappie, black crappie, speckled perch) is still going strong with the warm weather. Use live minnows or speck jigs over submerged structure like brush piles, downed trees, cypress knees, rock piles or ledges. To catch bass use topwater frogs or spinnerbaits around the edges where the fish are making beds during spawning season.

Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Email your fishing reports and photos to him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Snook fishing is open for harvest for Space Coast anglers.