Snook Fly Fishing In The Everglades

Snook can be caught with ease all sorts of different ways in the Everglades, but sight fishing a big Everglades snook with a fly is one of the most challenging feats in the saltwater fly fishing game. Sight fishing a big Everglades snook on fly is more of a hunt than it is fishing. The pursuit takes anglers into the third largest wilderness in the Lower 48, and one and a half hour boat rides in the dark are commonplace for the dedicated.

The water color in most of the Everglades leans towards the brown side more often than not, which is the first challenge to sight fishing snook. Learning how to read the surface and peer through the water to reveal what lies below is difficult, identifying a fish with perfect camouflage lying motionless is even tougher to the untrained eye. Snook can hide in plain sight. More often than not, it is exponentially more difficult to spot a snook in the Everglades than it is so see a permit on the flats of Key West, and it is this challenge that dictates a lot of this game.

While looking for snook, the guide will generally pole the boat very slowly and very quietly. Sometimes the boat will even remain still as it takes some time to visually pick apart a likely area. When fish are spotted it is not always from a great distance and both angler and guide have little time to react. While being silent and limiting motion the angler must deliver a pinpoint presentation that more often than not must land very quietly. Fly fishing for snook is a game for those who like pinpoint hand-eye challenges. No two shots at snook ever seem to be the same. The ability to tuck a cast under a bush or around a little corner or to pick up the fly and deliver it four inches closer only increases an angler’s chances of success.

A quick strip while tickling the lips of a snook with a fly will usually get a favorable reaction, as snook bites are as violent as they come. Snook will smash and explode on bait (or a fly) but are just as likely to subtly slurp up a convenient meal. Once hooked, a big snook will absolutely brawl. They will run hard and try to take the line through every bush and around every rock. If they find themselves hooked in open water, they still have a rough mouth that will wear through heavy shock tippet quickly.

Hunting a big Everglades snook is one of the greatest fly fishing journeys imaginable, and the rewards are few and far between. When it happens it is one of the best feelings in the outdoor world. A great byproduct of a big snook hunt is that the Everglades is home to a lot of smaller snook, redfish, and tarpon that will be happy to play the game along the way.