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Fishing the Backcountry
Snook
Bait and switch your way through the
bays, creeks and rivers that teem with snook in The Beaches of Fort
Myers & Sanibel’s estuary environs. Navigating the shallows is
simple in this itinerary, where a flats boat or kayak, rod and lures
are all you need to snag gamefish and see shell mounds and snowy
egrets on the way.
By Terry Tomalin, member of the Outdoor
Writers Association of America
Snook
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A strong incoming tide flushed the baitfish off the grass flats and
carried the tiny minnows into the waters of sheltered Hell Peckney Bay.
I let my kayak glide with the current and watched as a great blue heron
waded through the shallows ahead, looking for an easy meal. As the big
bird inched closer to the shoreline, a pair of snowy egret perched in a
nearby mangrove took to flight and spooked a fish that had been
resting under the overhang.
Judging by the size of the wake, the fish had to be a snook. The
game fish love the mangroves because the elaborate root systems give
them plenty of places to hide and ambush prey.
Guessing where the fish had gone, I let a top-water lure fly and stopped
it 10 feet from the bank. Then, as the tide carried it along, I gently
twitched it... once... twice... and then the water boiled as the snook
found its mark.
Line screamed off the reel as I lifted the rod tip, hoping to steer the
fish away from the shoreline and certain escape. For a moment, I thought
I had turned the snook's head and won the battle. But then the line went
slack. The fish had wrapped the line around a root, where the oyster
shells sliced it like a knife.
But no worries. I had a tackle box full of plugs. And the snook? There
were plenty more where that came from.
Where the Snook Are
The waters of Matlacha Aquatic Preserve, San Carlos Bay and
Pine Island Sound are blessed when it comes to snook.
"Everything is just right," explains Ron Taylor, the state's top expert
on the highly-prized gamefish. "You have three rivers feeding plenty of
freshwater and miles of undeveloped mangrove shoreline that provide a
nursery area for the young of the species."
Mangroves on Black Island
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The Peace, Myakka and Caloosahatchee rivers supply the expansive estuary
with a seemingly endless supply of baitfish and crustaceans. This is why
the area is widely considered one of the best snook fisheries in the
world, rivaling even that of Costa Rica and Belize.
"There are times when you can go out and catch 100 snook in a single
day," says Frank Bachnik, one of the area's top inshore charter boat
captains.
Bachnik has been guiding clients in the Pine Island Sound area for 15
years. He has fished all over the world, but admits he prefers staying
close to home.
"I turn down three or four hundred charters a year," he says. "I don't
have a Web site. I don't advertise. It is all word of mouth and I still
can't keep up."
Humble almost to a fault, Bachnik explains it isn't his angling prowess
that keeps the clients coming. It is the region's superb habitat.
"There are just so many little islands, creeks, bays and shell bars,"
Bachnik says. "There are lots of healthy sea grass beds, which provide
good areas for the snook to forage."
How and Where to Hook
Snook can grow to four feet long and weigh up to 50 pounds. The fish
prefer shallow water because it offers some protection from sharks and
dolphin, so anglers willing to paddle have a distinct advantage over
their motor-boating counterparts.
Shallow draft vessels, commonly called "flats boats," can also get into
the "skinny" water if they are capable of running in one foot of water
or less. An electric trolling motor or poling platform is also helpful.
If you're looking to do a little fishing on your own, all you need is a
cheap spinning rod, a couple of lures and a rental kayak. Fort Myers
Beach is an excellent starting point.
From there it is a short paddle to the small, well-protected Hurricane
and Hell Peckney bays. Nearby Mullock and Hendry creeks are also worth
exploring, but for a real treat, head up the Estero River. There you'll
find dozens of shell mounds, all that remain of the mighty Calusa,
the Indians that once ruled all of Southwest Florida.
The waters on both sides of Pine Island are also favorite local
fishing areas. Live bait, usually pinfish or scaled sardines, are
the choice of most professional fishing guides, but anglers looking for
more of a challenge will find a variety of artificial baits, from
hard-bodied plugs to soft-bodied jigs |
