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Captain's Corner: Snook on the move, with more to come

 
Published May 3, 2017

Snook are on the move in North Pinellas. Most of the springtime transition points have been vacated and the snook are staging around passes and along jetties and beach troughs. They are few in numbers so far, but once more of the larger females arrive, the smaller males will accompany them in greater numbers. Spawning takes place through the summer months creating a healthy appetite for the linesiders. It is also the reason for the season closure May 1 through Sept. 1 for the west coast of Florida. If holding a snook, always support it under the belly, horizontally. This puts less pressure on its sensitive jaw and helps to release it as healthy as possible. Several baits can entice a snook during summer — sardines, threadfin herring and pinfish. Grunts are a very attractive source of protein for large snook. Fish the dropoffs along the edges of the beach, especially in eddies and vortexes created by strong moving tides. Tarpon are making a slight showing from Clearwater Pass north to Three Rooker Bar. Mid to late May will see an increase in numbers of tarpon as they migrate from the south. Fishing with cut baits, also known as "dead sticking," in known migration paths along the beach is an effective way to get an early season hookup, especially if the fish aren't showing well. As they become more obvious, leading a group of fish with a bait under a cork is a very productive method to hook one of the strongest fish in Florida waters.

Brian Caudill fishes from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs. He can be reached at (727) 365-7560 and captbrian.com.