* Snook Fishing

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By Capt. Robert McCue

There’s no question that fishing for snook when the bite is on, has more to offer than any other type of fishing in Florida. Then again, when snook fishing conditions are off, you are better off fishing for other Florida gamefish. Let's take a look at Florida snook and our snook fishing charters...perhaps you too have what it takes to be a relentless Florida snooker.



Snook. Just the name strains even the imagination. Living in a jungle of snags or on open water Florida sugar-sand beaches, striking like marauding tuna or with the elegance of dining royalty, walking on water or slugging it out deep, there is nothing common about the Common Snook- except the animal's natural beauty and the memories the fish leaves with you after the fight.



Snook are sub-tropical fish and are most common to Central America. Historic changes in the earth's weather is what brought the snook to Florida. It is believed that during a great warming trend after the Ice Age, snook moved northward along the Mexico shoreline. They followed the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico, down the West Coast of Florida and up the East Coast. Since then, continued changes in the weather patterns have just about eliminated the population north of Homosassa on the West Coast and Port Canaveral on the East Coast of Florida.



Snook are complicated animals. Among other things they are highly temperature sensitive. Like other fish they are cold-blooded animals, meaning they rely on the temperature of the water to heat their bodies. The snook's comfort range is between 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything outside that range and the fish become sluggish and inactive. Much below the lower range is a real matter of concern to the snook. Snook cannot tolerate sudden changes much below 60 degrees. Below 58 degrees snook are in danger of dying. A sudden blast from Jack Frost is a sure death sentence. We have learned just recently that if the water slowly falls below 58 degrees, snook can acclimate and survive. For how long and how much they can handle is uncertain. Thanks to warmer weather patterns over the last decade, Florida is enjoying some great snook fishing. Understanding weather, temperature, and periods of daylight are essential to catching this sleek gamefish. I believe more so than other fish we hunt on our Florida fishing charters, snook are the most temperamental to the elements.



Though snook don't actually migrate or "run'' on the West Coast of Florida, they do make great movements throughout their range. These movements are more of an east and west direction than north and south on the Florida Gulf Coast.



During the winter, snook move to areas of warmer water. Rivers and deep creeks feature freshwater run-offs and springs that seep water from the earth at a comfortable 72 degrees. Deep water canals and ship ports offer an insulation blanket. Slower to cool, snook can use these man-made holes to stay away from the rapid cooling of the bays and the Gulf. Florida power plants and their warm- water discharges offer a great refuge to winter snook lucky enough to find them.

Adopted From : http://www.activeangler.com/flyfishing-articles/mccue-snook.shtml

* Bass Fishing Lures

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Get to know more about Bass Fishing Lures Bass fishing has evolved to a near cult popularity with so many anglers through the years that there have been so many products made, clubs formed, and articles written about it. Here you will read about the types of Bass fishing lures you can use to catch them. Also, there is also a list on the necessary equipments to have when going bass fishing. The type of bass that will bite almost anything is the largemouth bass. Minnows, worms, or other live bait, plus poppers or streamers presented with a fly rod, or plugs thrown from a casting or spinning rod are ways where they can be caught. Since bass is usually associated with weeds, a weedless bait will often be necessary.

Morning and evening are the best fishing times when warm months come. They usually like to stay in warm water and warm weather. There is only little bite during winters. Smallmouth bass pound for pound are the scrappiest fish of all fresh water bass. They are usually associated with a rocky stream or lake environment where its favorite food, the crayfish, is plentiful. The best lake fishing takes place in the month in June and just after, the spawning season, and in early fall. Natural lure like hellgrammites, dragonfly larvae and crayfish are especially useful during early morning or late evening. Most likely, the best artificial lures are those who are used on the surface. Light tackle is ideal. Fish quietly, casting toward rocks or logs, keeping the rod tip up and the line tight. Many fishermen debate on the colors used for their lures. This may vary on the bass fish that is to be caught. Fishing requires more than just a simple fishing rod and some lure for serious fisherman.

People who fish for leisure are those who fish because it’s their hobby, they can have some tools and accessories that will help them make it easier and be able to catch more fish. Here are some suggested tools for starters that will help them improve in catching fish :

• Fishing Rod. The most important piece of equipment and should be chosen with care. A basic rod-and-reel set is enough for beginners. It is necessarily important to have more featured materials. The most important is that you should learn how to use the rod and be comfortable to it before moving into another difficult type of equipment. Professional fisherman can experiment different types of rod for them to know what works best for them. When buying a fishing rod, know before you enter the store what kind of fishing you'll be doing, and under what conditions. Rods come from different varieties of materials, from wood laminates to fiberglass to carbon fiber. Rod handles should fit securely in your palm, and practice casting with the rod, to test how flexible and easy to use it is. In addition have the proper length of the rod. For using lighter lure, or catching tiny fish, a 4 inch to 6 inch rod is advisable to use. For using larger lure, which gets larger fishes or casting longer distances, a rod of at least 6 inches may be required.

• Waders. It is a water- resistant covering you wear over your pants to keep them dry so you can wade out into the water. A lot of are made like overalls, covering the chest and the legs, and with boots attached, for ultimate defense. Make sure the boots are warm and secure, to supply better balance while walking on wet rocks.

• Fishing Vest. Contains several pockets for storing fish equipments and your hands are free to manage the fishing rod. Also, should you have to wade out into the water, wearing a vest will let you to have all of your gear with you at all times. Make a decision beforehand which gear is necessary; if you store too much in the vest, it may make it too heavy to wear, which could bring you down.

• Tackle Box or Fly Box. In fishing it requires a lot of supplies and you need a something big to store all your gears. Spend in a durable tackle box, in which you can store your entire lure, keeping it easily to get to. Styles are classified into simple and inexpensive, and large and costly. Fishermen may only need something small, but the more advanced fishermen may want something handier. Furthermore, you should consider a fly box. Small enough to fit a vest pocket and allows you to keep them with you as needed.

Effective lures for bass fishing Many say and believe that a bass fisherman is only as good as his Bass Fishing lures. Well, this is fifty per cent true to some circumstances; because in reality, a great bass fishing lure is useless unless you know how to use it. There are accurately thousands of different bass fishing lures available all around the world and chances at the local bait and tackle shop doesn't make all of the variety of lures available to you. Lets accept the fact that the world of bass fishing changes nearly every day, trends come and go, and if the attack that you usually knew will always be the attack you’ll going to use is from twenty years ago, well it’s time to let your self escape in traditional way of hunting bass.

There are many kinds of bait that looks like a fish, exactly look like one, topwater, lightest lure that can able to float in the water, the worms that attract bass for them to think that they are just a worm, the jerk baits that is usually in light color, the craw cranks who look like a small crab, the crank baits that look like a fish with a long mouth and lastly, the buzz bait that releases a noise that calls the bass for it will be in attraction. High Roller Fishing Lures (salt water) trigger explosive strikes in the open saltwater flats, possesses the ability to finesse trophies from oyster lined creek channels as well as shallow mangrove lagoons. In saltwater, High Roller Fishing Lures deliver thrilling action, strength, cast ability and the durability needed to catch Bull Redfish, Gator Spotted Sea Trout, Massive Snook, Monster Kingfish, Tarpon, Bluefish, Spanish mackerel, Stripers, Amberjack and Jack Crevalle. The Original High Roller, a custom-walking lure, spooks the competition. Designed for exceptionally long casting, the Original High Roller is possibly the most versatile fishing lure we make. The Pop Roller is a delicate Trout, Snook and Redfish bait, ideal for calm conditions and creek channel fishing. The Chug Roller, with its echoing, deep chug, calls fish from great depths triggering acrobatic strikes. The Rip Roller series is the most often lure of fishermen, because it sales almost double than other lure. Due to the noise that the prop makes when ripped thru the water, it totally rips the competition, the Crank Roller and the Wiggle Roller round out the series with un-paralleled buoyancy, flash and structure bumping reactions.

The High Roller (freshwater) is designed for professional fisherman, High Roller fishing lures are proven tough and performance tested. Originally made for Largemouth and Smallmouth bass, High Roller offers poppers, aggressive walking baits, noisy crank baits and world-class prop baits that outperform, out-cast and out-catch the competition. There are also the so called Classic Bass Fishing Lures, like the Pro Series Jig, it is weedless designed with dual rattles, the Pro Series Spinner Baits a premium plated blades, the Tournament Series Spinner Bait it is commonly used while in a tournament, and lastly the Clacking Buzz Bait it is the noisiest buzz bait that is existing around the world. Lures are important in bass fishing for it is the life and the link of the fishermen to the bass. It creates a big connection to them that in line in fishing. This lure may be the cause of the last breath of the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffish who dares to eat them and it is also the start of one person to consider him/her self as a fishermen.

Adopted From http://www.luremaking.info/articles.htm