Can snook live in freshwater?
Yes, all Florida snook species can live in freshwater. Florida boasts 5 different species of snook and every one can be found in freshwater and brackish water. Some snook species like the swordspine snook actually seem to prefer waters with less salinity.
I have personally seen 40 plus inch common snook in water that is 100% freshwater. These same snook had no way to even get to saltwater if they wanted to because of man made dams blocking their way to the saltwater.
During the winter months many common snook will run up the many rivers in Florida to find warm water. These snook will start to act like a largemouth bass feeding on crawdads, bluegill, frogs, ducks, snakes and even baby alligators if they can fit them down their throats.
Some of the more southern freshwater rivers like the Myakka and the Caloosahatchee Rivers have snook living in them more than 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. There are even snook as far inland as Lake Okeechobee.
If you want to target saltwater snook in the winter months, then you better fish deep in inlets, offshore wrecks and bridge pilings. Most of the snook will move into the brackish and freshwater rivers and canals to survive the coldest months.
A snook cannot handle water temperatures less than 60 degrees for very long without dying. The darker fresh water will absorb the winter sun's energy better than the clear water coming from the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.
The author of this article is a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. He has been snook fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about the amazing life cycle of a snook as it faces the environmental challenges to reach maturity.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more about the freshwater snook species of Florida.
Yes, all Florida snook species can live in freshwater. Florida boasts 5 different species of snook and every one can be found in freshwater and brackish water. Some snook species like the swordspine snook actually seem to prefer waters with less salinity.
I have personally seen 40 plus inch common snook in water that is 100% freshwater. These same snook had no way to even get to saltwater if they wanted to because of man made dams blocking their way to the saltwater.
During the winter months many common snook will run up the many rivers in Florida to find warm water. These snook will start to act like a largemouth bass feeding on crawdads, bluegill, frogs, ducks, snakes and even baby alligators if they can fit them down their throats.
Some of the more southern freshwater rivers like the Myakka and the Caloosahatchee Rivers have snook living in them more than 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. There are even snook as far inland as Lake Okeechobee.
If you want to target saltwater snook in the winter months, then you better fish deep in inlets, offshore wrecks and bridge pilings. Most of the snook will move into the brackish and freshwater rivers and canals to survive the coldest months.
A snook cannot handle water temperatures less than 60 degrees for very long without dying. The darker fresh water will absorb the winter sun's energy better than the clear water coming from the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.
The author of this article is a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. He has been snook fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about the amazing life cycle of a snook as it faces the environmental challenges to reach maturity.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more about the freshwater snook species of Florida.
Does the swordspine snook live in freshwater permanently?
They would if they could is the answer to that question. Swordspine snook prefer waters that are only slightly brackish or freshwater. They will avoid waters that are completely saltwater.
This snook species is the smallest of the snook species in Florida. They have the niche that a largemouth bass would have in fully freshwater environments. Bass do not like brackish and salty water so the swordspine has the perfect niche within the mangrove roots and brackish estuaries that have too much salinity for bass to thrive in.
If you ever catch one you will know right away because their anal fin reaches all the way back to their tail. They are also very small. A large one might get to 15 or 16 inches but most are 10 inches or less in total length.
Another good way to tell a swordspine snook from other snook that you might catch in freshwater is the large scales. Swordspine snook have the largest scales versus the other snook species.
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Conclusion:
All of the snook species in Florida can live in freshwater. Some actually avoid the fully saltwater environments because they prefer brackish and freshwater.
Snook can be found just about anywhere in Florida these days. You used to not see any around the panhandle or around Jacksonville except in the hottest summer months. But today they seem to be getting more and more tolerant to cold water temperatures.
This is a good thing because we used to see a big snook kill off ever 10 or 15 years when bad cold snaps would come to Florida in January and February. We haven't been getting as many of those super cold winters lately and the snook populations in freshwater and saltwater have expanded quite a bit.
Snook are responsible for bringing millions of dollars into the Florida economy. Fishermen from all over the world come to Florida to have a chance to catch these amazing and delicious sport fish.
The common snook is one of the best inshore fighters that exists on the planet. That is why they are one of the most popular inshore species of fish that fishermen love to target.
Snook are one of my favorite fish to target along with tarpon, redfish and speckled trout.
I hope that you enjoyed this article and I hope that you catch a ton of fish the next time that you go fishing.
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