I’m probably showing my ignorance here, but being fairly new to inshore fishing, I was wondering how far south one would have to go to catch snook ? I’ve read that snook inhabit waters as far north as NC, but I’ve never seen or even heard of snook being caught north of Florida. Inquiring minds…
2003 Key West 1720 Sportsman
2016 Ocean Kayak BG2
Seems like every other year someone catches a snook around South of Charleston. It’s not terribly uncommon, but certainly not the norm.
During my years living in west central Florida, snook were my favorite saltwater target. Snook fishing was good and got better from the Tampa Bay area southward —but it starts dwindling off heading further north of the Bay area. The same seems to be more or less true for the east coast from what I’ve heard and read. And apparently there are some that migrate further north, particularly during years with mild winters.
I had a friend who said he caught one once in a tidal creek down around Beaufort. It doesn’t surprise me that some can make it to North Carolina. The gulf stream comes in so close to southeast Florida that I’ve heard of sailfish being caught from a Palm Beach pier, so it’s conceivable that some snook could wander into the gulf stream and get carried to NC waters. That would probably move them there faster than swimming along the beaches.
I check this site daily but never post. However, I have something of interest on this subject. In early November of 2015, a buddy fishing with me caught a 20" Snook floating a live shrimp on the inside of the jetty at Little River. I’m not sure if the fish of us was most shocked.