I just returned from a week in Florida, hoping for another shot at the elusive snook. The weather was as hot, as expected, so fishing at the beach was limited to early mornings. By 10am the sun was brutal every day. I didn't see nearly as many snook this time, so my chances might have been a little slimmer in general. I saw one "gator" snook that was a good three feet long, cruising the beach like a shark. I just couldn't get a fly in front of it without getting tangled up in the seaweed that was collecting in the troughs where they hang out. All excuses aside, I just didn't have any success catching one this time either. However, longer casts connected with lots of jacks and they were fierce, jumping fighters that made me forget all about catching snook for the moment. None of them were bigger than 12 inches, but they were powerful and fast for their size- enough to put a good bend in a 5 weight. They also packed a punch in their dorsal spines- I had one painful encounter that hurt for a good while and taught me to avoid handling them on the hook. I later read that these guys have a mild venom that can cause chest pain and numbness. Guess I got off fairly easy.
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