Snook are tropical fish, and Tampa Bay is close to the northern edge of their range. Nearly everything they do here comes down to water temperature. FWC's researchers describe Gulf coast snook as homebodies: adults don't roam far, they shuttle between the same winter refuges and the same spawning grounds year after year. Learn that loop and you'll know where to look in any month.
Winter: up the rivers and into the canals
Snook get sluggish in water below about 65°F, and FWC says they can't tolerate water below about 60°F. So when the first real cold fronts come through, they leave the open bay for the upper estuary: the deeper, warmer, less salty water of rivers, tidal creeks and residential canals. Around Tampa Bay that means the Hillsborough, Alafia, Little Manatee and Manatee rivers, plus the creeks and canals that feed the bay. That water also keeps them away from sharks and barracuda.
Cold can kill them. In the winter of 2010, a long cold spell killed tens of thousands of snook on both Florida coasts, and FWC extended the harvest closure by emergency order to protect the survivors. If you find snook stacked up and barely moving in a canal during a hard freeze, leave them alone. They're trying to survive.
FWC's snook researchers suggest artificial lures in winter, and FWC's advice for cold water is to slow your retrieve. On the coldest, windy days they point to a bar or sandy bank on the northeast shore of a canal or bayou in the upper bay. If you spook the fish, move off and come back about 30 minutes later, because winter snook don't move far.
Spring: moving out
As the water warms in late spring and early summer, snook leave their winter spots and head for the spawning grounds. FWC's Tampa Bay boating guide notes they're often near tidal passes and mangrove edges at high tide.
Summer: the spawn
Snook spawn in Florida from about April or May through September or October, at river mouths and major inlets. On this stretch of coast FWC names John's Pass and Clearwater Pass, and inside Tampa Bay itself, the areas near the mouths of Terra Ceia and Miguel bays and around the Port Manatee spoil island. They spawn in the late afternoon and early evening, and a female can spawn every couple of days through the season. The spawning schools come back to the same spots every year, which is part of why the passes fish so well in summer.
These are the big breeding fish, so handle them with care: keep them in the water when you can, support their weight if you lift one, and get them back quickly.
Fall: back up the bay
Sometime in late summer or early fall, the fish head back toward the upper estuary, and the first cold fronts push them into their winter spots.
Read the tide
Snook are ambush feeders. They hold facing into the current behind something, such as a piling, a mangrove point, a dock corner or the edge of a channel, and wait for food to wash past. FWC's researchers say they bite best on moving water, especially an outgoing tide, and that days with four tides fish better than days with two, when the current is weak. They also won't chase bait far, so cast past the spot and let the current bring the bait to them.
Check the tides on our Tampa Bay page and plan to be in place for the strongest flow.
Keeping one
Snook are among Florida's most closely managed fish:
- Region. FWC sets snook rules by region. The Tampa Bay region runs from Fred Howard Park on the Pinellas-Pasco line south to State Road 64 in Manatee County, including the Manatee and Braden rivers but not Palma Sola Bay. South of State Road 64 you're in the Sarasota Bay region.
- Permit. You need a snook permit as well as a saltwater license to keep one.
- Closed months and size rules. Harvest is closed for parts of the year, and FWC sets the closed months and the size rules by region. They change, so check FWC's snook page every time rather than going by memory.
Caught a tagged snook?
FWC tags snook to study their growth and movements. If you catch one with a tag, write down the tag number, the fish's length, and the date and place you caught it. If you release the fish, leave the tag in. FWC's snook tag page explains how to report it.
Before you go
- Check the conditions on our Tampa Bay page, including the water temperature, which tells you where the snook are likely to be.
- Read the National Weather Service forecast for Tampa Bay waters. Our guide to reading the marine forecast explains what it means.
- In winter, keep an eye on cold fronts. A big drop in water temperature changes everything for a few days.