Saturday, March 13, 2021

Snook and Sunsets

 

                                       Sunrise, Snook, Sunset, Repeat...

I never targeted or caught a snook before. During my time in the Caribbean, I occasionally spotted a snook laid up off a beach but my eyes were usually looking for the figure of a bonefish. I didn't pay their randomness with the attention of my time. When I found myself working remotely in Florida, I knew that snook would be a target. If it was warm enough to find them near the house that my Uncle John was renting, maybe I could catch one. With cold temperatures in question, I spent a lot of time hunting for redfish on my SUPyak. This occurred after a full day of work during the worst light of the day. I did have some opportunities, but usually spotted them too late or spooked them putting the paddle down and picking up the rod. Snook were a willing substitute, once I realized that they were an available opportunity. 

The experiences ended up being a real treat. Snook are an incredible fly rod target that exhibit the major characteristics of my preferred species. They exist as if a tarpon, brown trout, smallmouth bass, and musky had a hybrid offspring. Threading a cast into the mangroves takes a lot of skill and patience. It reminded me of floating down a river hitting every rock, log, and drop off with a drunk and disorderly. Except this time, the margin of error was considerably higher. The suddenness of the eat reminded me of how a musky appears out of nowhere with your fly already in its mouth. The fight was a mix of the explosiveness of a tarpon and the bulldogging of a smallmouth bass. Lipping one on the side of the yak and admiring its characteristics, makes one realize the uniqueness of this ambush predator. 

It is a perfect fly rod target...














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