Slot Snook Size
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Best Fishing Line Leader for Speckled Trout, Redfish, Snook, Flounder, Tarpon......and just about any other inshore fish.
It is very important for an inshore fisherman to choose the correct fishing line, fishing leader and the correct fishing line and leader strength for every different target fish species.
The bottom line is that all inshore fish are not created equal. A tarpon will put up 10 times the fight that a speckled trout will so you will need to choose the proper pound test, line type and leader size and strength for the different fishing scenarios that you are in.
I am a kayak fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, we will talk about all of the bests lines, leaders, knots and various pound test that you will need to catch a ton more fish inshore.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn how to tie the best leader knot from braid to mono and fluorocarbon fishing lines.
It is very important for an inshore fisherman to choose the correct fishing line, fishing leader and the correct fishing line and leader strength for every different target fish species.
The bottom line is that all inshore fish are not created equal. A tarpon will put up 10 times the fight that a speckled trout will so you will need to choose the proper pound test, line type and leader size and strength for the different fishing scenarios that you are in.
I am a kayak fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, we will talk about all of the bests lines, leaders, knots and various pound test that you will need to catch a ton more fish inshore.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn how to tie the best leader knot from braid to mono and fluorocarbon fishing lines.
There are four species of snook caught here on the Treasure Coast (common snook, fat snook, tarpon snook and swordspine snook), and only the common snook regularly reaches the legal slot size for harvest. On the east coast of Florida, snook have a slot size of 28 to 32 inches and a 1 fish per angler bag limit. Season: Year-Round. Temporarily closed to harvest through May 31, 2021. Bag Limit: One fish per person, per day on Florida’s gulf coast when open for harvest. Slot Size: 28 – 33 inches. On the Atlantic Coast, excluding Monroe County (Florida Keys), the keeper must measure within the slot size limit of 28 to 32 inches in total length.” The trend is bound to continue and hopefully we will see many snook selfies on: SouthFLoridaH2O Facebook page! Snook Season Dates: September 1 – December 15.
Florida snook are protandric hermaphrodites. The fish are all born males, and a small minority of the males reverse sex to become females once they reach a certain age and/or size-somewhere around 22 inches. Obviously, we have to protect the most successful breeders. Drum Black drum Daily Bag: 5 Min Length: 14 inches Max Length: 30 inches. No more than one black drum over 52 inches may be retained per person per day.
What is the best all around line strength and leader strength for inshore saltwater fishing?Snook Fishing Season Dates
This is the question that most new inshore fishermen ask because they don't want to spend a ton of money on different rod and reel combos with different pound test spooled on them.
I don't blame you either. It is very expensive to rig multiple spools with braided line these days. The cheaper brands of braided line usually have a ton of memory and get lots of wind knots. This means that you will end up paying $25 for 300 yards of a decent braided line.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a kayak fishing guide and I have to be ready for many different fishing scenarios when I have clients out on a charter with me. There are a lot of questions that I need to be able to answer to get my clients on fish and to get those fish landed.
- Will we be fishing for tarpon?
- Will we be fishing around structure?
- Will we be fishing out on the open water grass flats?
- What size fish will we be targeting?
- Will we be fishing with top water fishing lures?
- Will we be targeting toothy fish like Spanish mackerel and bluefish?...........
These different fishing scenarios will require different lines, leaders and various line and leader strengths. BUT I am going to make it real easy for you and save you some money.
If you are fishing for tarpon that are less than 5 feet long and/or fishing for big snook or redfish around docks, mangroves or other structure, then you can use a 4500 series reel filled with 20 or 30 pound braided line and a 40 or 50 pound leader.
That is one rod and reel set up that you will need in your boat or kayak for those heavy types of fishing encounters. You will want something lighter for open water and topwater lure fishing scenarios.
I would suggest that you have a 2500 or 3000 series reel filled up with a 10 pound braided line and a 15 or 20 pound leader when you are fishing in open waters where the fish can't cut you off on some sort of structure.
You would be amazed at the size of a fish you can catch out on open water with a smaller reel. You can land a 20 pound redfish or snook with no problem on a 2500 series reel and a 10 pound braided line. You might have to chase them to stop yourself from getting spooled but that is the price that you pay for sport fishing light tackle glory.
That is really all that you need to catch a ton of fish inshore BUT I am going to get into more detail as I answer more of the most commonly asked questions about the best fishing lines, best fishing leaders and the proper pound test for different inshore saltwater fishing scenarios.
I created an online fishing course for catching more redfish on this same website. You can get the course for FREE by clicking on this link.
BUT before we go any further I want to teach you another critical fishing knot that you will need to learn to maximize your fishing catches. This knot is called a loop knot.
A loop knot is tied with your leader to your hooks or lures and will allow your live bait or fishing lures to move much more freely and naturally. This in turn will lead to more strikes and more catches.
Watch the video below to learn how to tie the loop knot.
What is the best leader line for inshore saltwater fishing?
The question on whether mono fishing leader line or fluorocarbon leader line is better will never end. I am sure of that. Some people swear that fluorocarbon line is better and others like me think that mono will work just fine.
So, what's the difference you might ask? The different is that fluorocarbon line refracts light more effectively rendering it more difficult to see and it is more abrasion resistant than mono filament line. That sounds great right?
Well there are some negatives to take into account as well. Here are some of the disadvantages:
- Fluorocarbon leader fishing line is about 50% more expensive than the equivalent mono filament fishing lines.
- Fluorocarbon fishing line sinks much faster than mono filament lines. This is bad for top water lure fishing and situations where you want to present your live baits in the upper parts of the water column.
- Fluorocarbon leader has less stretch than mono filament fishing lines. This is good for most fishing scenarios but when you are fishing for speckled sea trout you will want a line with more stretch so that you don't tear the fishes' delicate mouths and let them throw your hook.
- Fluorocarbon line is stiff and is not good to spool your reel with. Mono filament is better for spooling your reel if you don't want to use braided fishing line.
I use mono filament most of the time unless the water is super clear and the fish are being ultra picky and aren't biting. When the fish have lock jaw and the water is clear it is probably time to bust out the fluorocarbon leaders.
How long should a leader be on braided line?
I like to use leaders that are about 36 inches for most instances. When I am attaching my mono filament leader to braided line that is a good distance away from the braided line. This allows me to cut off small portions as the snook, trout, redfish, flounder and tarpon start to rub through the leader. Those are the 5 fish that I target most often.
You will want to cut out the parts of the leader that have abrasions on them after each fish that you catch. It is usually only 8 inches or less that you will have to cut each time. Once the leader gets to about 18 inches or so I will retie it with another 36 inch piece of leader line.
When I am fishing for bigger tarpon (4 feet plus in length) with live or dead bait, then I will have 4 or 5 feet of leader line tied to the braided main line or mono filament main line. Tarpon have great eyesight and the longer leaders definitely lead to catching more tarpon. It is harder to cast your baits but it is worth it.
I created a FREE online fishing course for catching more tarpon that you can get on this same website. You can access it by clicking on this link.
What is the best fishing line and leader for speckled trout fishing?
Speckled trout, a.k.a. spotted sea trout are one of the most popular fish targeted by inshore fishermen from Texas to Florida up to the Carolinas. They are fun to catch and good to eat so that is why they are so popular but this is one fish that you might want a special rod and reel combo for if you are going to target them often.
They are poor fighters until they get to about 20 inches or so and they have very tender mouths that tear easily. The best reel for speckled trout is a 2500 series and the best rod is a medium action rod. This will make your speckled trout fishing day a lot more eventful.
You will want to spool your reel with either an 8 pound mono filament main line or a 6 pound braided line. The 8 pound mono filament set up does not require a leader and will cause many less tears in the mouths of the trout.
Slot Redfish Size Alabama
If you are using the braided line then you will want a 10 pound mono filament leader. This will give you better hook sets but you will tear more mouths. You have to decide what works best for you. Either one of these is a perfect set up for catching speckled trout.Watch the video below and catch more speckled trout with 3 inch paddle tails with a jig head.
Snook Slot Size 2019
What is the best fishing line and leader for snook fishing?
The answer to this question depends upon the size of the snook that you are targeting and the places where you are targeting them. I will go through a few of different scenarios.
Scenario #1
Let's say that you are fishing for huge (over slot) snook around bridge pilings with flair hawk jigs or live bait. This is a scenario where there is structure; there are deep water depths; there are strong currents and really big female snook that don't like to get caught.
In this scenario a 5500 series reel loaded with 50 pound braided line and a 50 or 60 pound leader is the way to go. You will need the braided line to get a good hook set in the deep water with current. You will also need the strong line to get the snook away from the bridge pilings. A stout medium/heavy rod is also a must have in this scenario.
Scenario #2
Let's say that you are fishing for slot sized snook or smaller around docks or mangroves. These fish can be handled effectively with a 4000 or 4500 series reel filled with 20 or 30 pound braided line with a 40 pound leader.
The snook have the uncanny ability to run straight for the nearest dock piling or mangrove branch to cut you off once they figure out that they are hooked. You will need to turn them before they get to the structure to cut you off.
Scenario #3
Let's say that you are fishing in an open water scenario like a grass flat or a channel with no structure anywhere around you for slot sized snook or smaller.
In this scenario you can use your 3000 series reel that is filled to the brim with 10 pound braided line and a 20 or 30 pound leader. You might have to chase down the snook to not get spooled if it is in the upper slot size (30 plus inches). You will be amazed on how much braided line will fit on a 3000 series spool because is has such a small diameter.
I created a FREE online fishing course for catching snook on this same website. You can see the video material by clicking on this link now.
Watch the video below to see an over slot sized snook get caught with 10 pound braided line and a 30 pound leader.
What is the best fishing line and leader for flounder fishing?
Flounder are one of those fish that people all over the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States love to catch. They are very good to eat and can be challenging to find and catch which is probably why they are so popular.
Scenario #1
I like to fish for them with jigs around docks and on mud flats. During the spring through the fall in my area of Florida. They have a strike zone of about 18 inches from the bottom and can be found in deep water (30 feet plus) or 6 inches of water. They are all over the place, in other words, so you need different set ups to catch them in different scenarios.
When I am targeting them around docks and other structure, I will use a 2500 to 3500 series reel filled with 10 or 15 pound braided line and a 20 pound leader.
This will get even the biggest flounder out of the dock pilings or whatever structure you are fishing around if the water is shallow. Let's say the water is less than 10 feet deep. They are not very strong fighters!
Scenario #2
Often they are found in the inlets in deeper water with a strong current. In this scenario, you will want to have your 4500 series reel filled with the 15 or 20 pound braided line with a 20 or 30 pound leader. That will get those big flounder that are down deep up to the boat or land that you are fishing from.
Scenario #3
Flounder can often be found offshore around wrecks and reefs that may be 50 feet deep or more. These scenarios are still good for the same line and leaders that you would use in the inlets. You can get away with a 15 or 20 pound braided line and a 20 or 30 pound leader.
I created an online flounder fishing course that you can also find on this website. Click here to start learning how to catch more flounder the next time to go and fish for them.
Watch the video below to catch more flounder with jigs around docks.
Conclusion:
Choosing the right line and leaders for different fishing scenarios can be challenging. It is good to have a few different rod and reel combos with different line and leader strengths. You just never know when you will need more power or less power based on the fishing scenarios that you are faced with.
You can get away with just a few different rod and reel combos for most fishing encounters that you will have inshore saltwater fishing for snook, redfish, sea trout, flounder, tarpon and whatever else you are looking for.
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