New Snook Rules Approved

The Florida Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has decided to take a proactive approach to managing snook stocks. Rather than let the snook population collapse and then trying to fix it post collapse, they are moving ahead with new rules. It's hard to imagine how much pressure the snook in Florida gget from the tourist trade and locals alike. Here is a summary of the new rules.

The new rules, which will take effect when snook season reopens in September, would:

• Reduce the daily recreational bag limit from two fish to one on the Atlantic coast.

• Tighten the slot in the Atlantic to 28-32 inches.

• Tighten the Gulf slot -- including the Keys and Everglades National Park -- to 28-33 inches.

• Add the first half of December and the month of February to the closed season in the Gulf.

• Allow anglers to carry more than one cast net aboard a boat while fishing for snook.

The working group and the FWC believe that, if enforced, the new rules could bring snook up to 40 percent SPR in 10 years.

As is often the case, there are dissenting views, one of the most prevalent is that the much narrower slot limit will result in many more fish being caught and released, the trauma associated with a higher catch and release rate, will result in a higher death rate for the snook overall. That's probably true, if the angler does not understand how to handle the snook for release, then I would say it will be a problem. Especially for one of the favorite ways to catch snook, bridge fishing.

When bridge fishing, the release almost always involves dropping the snook from a height into the water. I have seen many a fish stunned by the drop and what happens to them after is not known. Boat fisherman may fair better, since they avoid the drop, but the catch and release cycle can still be traumatic for the snook if not done right. Often times the snook spends way too much time before the camera when more water time would be better for the fish.

I don't keep snook, except on rare occasions, so all my catches are released. I fish only artificial lures so I avoid the "deep hooked" syndrome as well. Most people fish with bait, especially tourists, so the hook injury is frequent. Guides do mitigate a lot of the hook injury problem, because experienced guides know how to do minimum damage when releasing a fish. We are going to have to see how it works out.

The days where we used to catch tens of snook an outing are long gone. Back then, snook were thought to be "soap fish", because people tried to eat them without first removing the skin. And yes they do sort of taste like a Dove soap bar when cooked that way.

The season reopens on September 1, 2007.