If you have every tried to catch snook then you know that they are not an easy fish to land. Well they are not really all that difficult to land though either, the toughest part is knowing where to find them. This will all depend on your location though really, as in which state you are as snook are most commonly found in the United States in the warmer waters. They range from the middle of FLorida down, all the way over to Texas.

They stay close to shore and you will rarely find them offshore, and if you have to ask I have never seen any snook off shore. The think I love about fishing for snook is that they are one of the tastiest fish in my opinion, right next to Mahi Mahi, and in many cases I think that they taste much better than Dolphin fish do. The only thing is that the restrictions are pretty tough if you want to be able to keep them and eat them. But that should not be the only reason that you are fishing for them in the first place. The reason that you should be fishing for them is that they are fun as hell to fight, and if you really want a challenge then you should try catching one on a fly rod. You have no idea how much fun it is to real one of those bad boys in on a fly rod.

About the restrictions of catching snook they are always changing and it really differs from state to state. I know that they are less harsh when you get south of FLorida and the snook their also get much bigger than they do then in the State of Florida. I know that the regulations of keeping snook in the State of Florida give you about a 6 inch leeway, not really that much. They do not want you to keep the big ones because they are so important when it comes to the reproduction cycle, and they do not want you to keep the small ones either, you are only allowed to keep the ones that are right in the middle. And to make getting a snook dinner even more hard you cannot buy them anywhere in Florida as it is illegal to sell them, and there are also seasons when they are closed, so that also makes them a little more difficult to put one on your plate.

In most states you will also need a license if you plan on keeping snook to eat, it is usually just a couple dollars more added onto your saltwater fishing license in the first place.

The thing about redfish is that they are not very picky about the water temperature, unlike other types of Florida fish like snook. They can be found all around Florida, from water temperatures ranging from 68 degrees to about 90 degrees. As most of you know they love to hang around mangroves, and it is not rare for them to travel in schools, although the larger ones will tend to travel alone alot like other types of saltwater fish that are found in Florida.

My number one choice for catching redfish in Florida would be to start at the mangroves, to do this you will either need access to a boat, or you will have to wade, which is standing in the water and hoping that you pick a spot where there are some redfish that are present. If you have a boat with a GPS fish finder, then you will have a great advantage over many anglers that are also fishing for redfish, you will want to look for sudden drops of depth in the water that are close to the mangroves. These are known as fish holes and because of the water temperature change there is a good chance that there will be some redfish around close by.

From my experience the best places in Florida to fish for redfish are the everglades, or the thousand islands, also along around the Tampa Bay mouth is another good spot to fish for redfish all year round. Okay so this is MY method of catching Redfish in Florida, I do not care who you are you can ask 10 saltwater fishing experts how to catch redfish, and they will all give you a different answer and different technique, so if you want to catch redfish take in my advice and apply it with your own or whoever else you have learned from, just keep applying until you start landing some dang reddrum.

As I said I prefer to be in a flats boat with a trolling motor, or a stick to push the boat silently, if you roll up on a good spot along the mangroves that looks like it might be a spot for some redfish, the sound and vibration of the motor could spook them and you will be left with nothing there to catch.

What I use as a set up is a medium sized spinning rod and reel set up, I am not primarily concerned with what type of fishing line to use, because they do not peel line off of the fishing reel fast like other fish. But if you must ask for my opinion on what type of fishing line to use I would say 15 pound test braided line with a clear monofilament leader line at about 30 pound test, you can go lighter if you want, this is just the set up I am used to and it has always worked for me.

I use a size 2 hook, and I keep the leader line at about a foot and a half long. I also use a popping cork or bobber, and I have a small weight about 6 inches above the hook to keep the bait at the bottom. When fishing next to mangroves you will want to pop the cork about once a minute, if you are fishing in the open water you will want to pop the cork a little bit more often.

The reason you do not want to pop the cork when next to mangroves that often, is because sometimes it can be difficult to cast into the spot you want, closest to the mangroves where redfish swim along all day long, along with snook. So when you pop the cork you are pushing away the position, just once will be enough to get a redfishes attention if you are right next to some mangroves.

Once you see the cork go under water, wait about 2 seconds and then set the hook, reel the line in normally. It will help landing the fish if you have a net to scoop it out of the water, although if you have a buddy that is on board the boat with you they can be retrieved by hand. If you are fishing in Florida for redfish along mangroves, especially in the southern parts of Florida you can also expect to catch some snook as the two types of fish like to hang around the same area.

If you live in Florida and are fishing for redfish in the Florida state area there is currently a 1 bag limit per person. Meaning you can only catch one per person if you plan on keeping the fish, and they have to be a minimum of 18 inches overall and a maximum of 27 inches. Please keep in mind that regualations are constantly changing so when you read this they might not be completely accurate.