When can you keep snook in the Keys?

Monroe County follows FWC's Southwest region season, with spring and autumn open windows and closures the rest of the year; the rule card has the current dates and source.

Do I need a snook permit?

Yes, in addition to a saltwater licence, to keep a snook; licence-exempt anglers are also permit-exempt. Charter customers are covered by the boat, but captain and crew may not keep snook.

Snook fishing in Islamorada: season, spots, bait & rules

Snook fishing in Islamorada

Also called common snook, linesider.

Snook are the bridge and mangrove fish of the Keys: an ambush predator with a black lateral line and a hinged jaw that hits a bait hard and then heads for the nearest piling. Islamorada's bridges, creek mouths and backcountry shorelines hold them all year, and the season is closed for much of it.

Harvest allowedSkill: IntermediateCharter a boatBring your own boatShore, bridge, kayak & wade

Where to find snook

The bridges and channels (Channel Two, Channel Five, Long Key, Tavernier Creek) on the shadow line at night; mangrove points, creek mouths and the oyster bars of Florida Bay; the ocean beaches and the Fills during the autumn mullet run.

Whale Harbor Channel · Bridges
Snake Creek · Bridges
Tavernier Creek · Bridges
Channel Two · Bridges
Channel Five · Bridges
Florida Bay backcountry · Backcountry
Channel Two fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Channel Five fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Long Key Viaduct fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Indian Key Fill shoreline & kayak flats · Shore & parks

When to go

May to September is the peak of the fishing, with the spring and autumn harvest windows set by FWC (see the rule card). First and last light on an outgoing tide for the bayside; the night outgoing at the bridges. They go deep and quiet in a cold snap.

Best window on the day: The outgoing tide on the bayside at first or last light. Today's window and score are on the conditions page.

May: Peak around the bridges and passes; harvest closed for the summer.
September: The autumn mullet run brings snook to the shorelines.
December: Winter closure begins; fish the warm creeks and release them.

How to catch them

At the bridges, drift a live pilchard, pinfish or mullet along the shadow line on medium-heavy spinning tackle with a 40–60 lb leader, and turn the fish away from the pilings at once. In the backcountry, cast live baits, soft-plastic jerkbaits or a topwater tight to the mangroves on the falling tide. Hook and line only; a snook permit to keep one.

Bridges & channels

Bait: Live pilchards, pinfish, mullet or shrimp drifted with the current along the shadow line
Lures: Bucktail and soft-plastic jigs bounced along the bottom; swimbaits
Tackle: 7 ft medium-heavy spinning rod, 4000–5000 reel, 30–40 lb braid
Rig: 2–3 ft of 40–60 lb fluorocarbon (bridges are rough on line); 2/0–5/0 circle hook

pilchard pinfish mullet shrimp bucktail jig soft swimbait Tackle setup →

Backcountry & mangroves

Bait: Live pilchards, pinfish or shrimp cast tight to the mangroves
Lures: Soft-plastic jerkbaits and paddle tails, topwater walking plugs and twitch baits; baitfish flies on an 8–9 wt
Tackle: 7 ft medium spinning rod, 3000–4000 reel, 15–20 lb braid
Rig: 2–3 ft of 30–40 lb fluorocarbon; 1/0–3/0 circle hook

pilchard pinfish shrimp soft swimbait topwater plug baitfish fly Tackle setup →

Tips for your level

Cast as tight to the mangroves or the pilings as you dare; a snook will not move far for a bait.
Snook have a raspy mouth and a sharp gill plate: use a long leader and lip them with a gripper, not your thumb.
The season, the slot and the permit are all on the rule card; most snook here are released.

Keeping one

Excellent, but with a narrow slot, a short season and a permit required. Many anglers release every snook.

Keep only what you will eat, within the limit, and release the rest in the water where you can.

Questions anglers ask

When can you keep snook in the Keys?: Monroe County follows FWC's Southwest region season, with spring and autumn open windows and closures the rest of the year; the rule card has the current dates and source.
Do I need a snook permit?: Yes, in addition to a saltwater licence, to keep a snook; licence-exempt anglers are also permit-exempt. Charter customers are covered by the boat, but captain and crew may not keep snook.