Since Thanksgiving there’s been a cold front a week here in South West Florida; bad news for beach goers, good news for big Snook hunters. For the last 4 weeks, my friend, John Stark and I have been a team with a goal; to sight-fish and land big Snook on the fly. Cold fronts have helped, because the bigger Snook that usually stay off shore move in to the shorelines to get warm and feed and when the sea water teperature plummets, the wind is off the land, and the sun is bright, that’s when we go. It was 48-degrees at the landing in Chocoloskee when John and I left the ramp in his small Hells Bay skiff and headed south.The full moon tide was super low as John navigated through the shallow channels then we were zooming across the huge bays, huddled low and shivering. The first shoreline we poled showed us Snook alright, but they were asleep in the mud and we didn’t see them until we were on top of them and they shot away in a cloud.So we took our time, we waited for the tide to start running and the sun to warm both us and the Snook. John decided on a location choice. All I can do is marvel at the number of shorelines and coves he knows and at which stage of the tide there’ll likely be fish prowling. He’s equally fascinated by the flies I design for each condition and water color we encounter. We constantly talk all the strategies out to the enth degree.This day our teamwork paid off. As we were poling a shoreline up tide, we had hooked several Snook in the mid-twenty range, when a big Snook snuck by us. I threw a wild shot at her when John spotted her but she just plain got by us. I was pissed I’d missed the shot. John wasn’t going to let her get by that easy either and said, “I’m going to cut her off at that point. We’ll get there ahead and be waiting.” So he poled the skiff a hundred yards leaving a wake while I tried to keep my balance. He turned the skiff to give me an angle and in less than 15 seconds we saw the fish. I dropped a cast short and to the left, recast and put the fly across her snout, began dragging it and she ran it down with a vengence and exploded into the air.She made three more jumps, one all the way out of the water. 36 inches and 16 pounds.As we talked over and over about the chase, the take, the positioning, the presentation, the fly pattern, we became even more concious of the roles we each play in the hunt and how the chemistry between us as hunters that has a lot to do with our success ratio…how you communicate, the pace at which you hunt, patience with the cast. It all matters.
Marshall – Great fish and equally great read. I think this is one of your best articles (fish tales) to date. Congrats on the 36″ 16 pound snook. I have yet to catch one of that size. I have seen then, even had one explode on my fly .. but that was it. Mostly small fish for me. Fun, but I do know that “the game” down there is finding the bigger snook and a dave tepper chased his 20 pounder for like 7 years or something like that. Those bigger snook are much more wise and not as easily fooled as their smaller/younger counterparts .. Anyway, I really liked this article because it speaks to what one of the elements I like about fly fishing and that is teamwork and targeting 1 quality fish .. You know a silver creek trout, a permit, a big picky bonefish, a bluefin tuna, a big striper on a flat etc.. Any fish where the game involves teamwork of some sort and whether I catch the fish or my buddy catches the fish is irrelevant because its OUR fish .. Anyway, looking forward to coming down to florida soon .. hope to get to make a few casts with you this time .. I still love the on-foot tarpon game .. its tough and rewarding in its own way .. different than taking the hells bay deep into the backcountry .. but, in its own way, no less fun … Ok marsh .. see ya soon. Great fish. Is this your biggest to date?
I haven’t fooled a bigger Snook. I had one Snook with Kevin Mihailoff that went 33″ but you’re right, big Snook are just plain hard to fool. They’re notorious for turning away or flat out ignoring your fly. We’ve cast to lots of huge Snook but they are an awesome foe. The deeper you go in the glades, chances are said to be better that you’ll be over fish who see few or no flies and will attack anything that plops near them. Eat or spook!
I sure hope we can fish when you come down here so please keep me in the loop. Thanks for the compliments.
Marsh
Ya .. I hear ya about “deep in the eveglades” . I have been out with kevin and its crazy how deep he goes …. twisting, winding through miles of mangrove cuts and paths and it all starts to look the same .. barely making it through some of the cuts (and dave tells me he has been known to saw down mangrove branches to get through) .. then we wind up in the middle of nowhere in some liitle cove and i would have no clue how to get back .. gators, tarpon, snook, manatees, huge sharks and crazy birds all around and not another boat in sight .. its pretty amazing stuff in the way back country .. i love it. will definately keep you in the loop.
That’s a serious snook. Sight fishing for linesiders in the the 10,000 Islands—not much better than that. And thanks for showing that fly fishing can be a great team sport.
Marshall good story, what a snook!!! I am always amazed when I am able to get a ride through the backcountry with a guide. It is cazy all the little nooks and coves that are back there. Imagine all the fish you pass when you are going forty through those canals. Way to get your snook on board.
Marshalld, congrads on an incredible fish and really well written post. Snook seem to be very similar to dorado in the way the hunt for their prey. It must have been something to see that fish crushing the fly. Alex
good deal marsh!