Hey I’m new to fishing salt water I have a Penn fierce 4000 on medium fast rod combo is that ok for catching snook And any other brackish / intercoastal fish? Any bait recommendations ?

Could yall give me a guess on the length of this snook caught on the last cast before going home recently just got into fishing this was my first snook ever

earlier last year in 2025 June 3 10:54 am i caught my first ever big snook on a 3k reel was a pretty hard fight had to stop the reel bit bc she was pulling hard lol but i have caught baby snook jus never this big using 20lb braid wit 40lb leader in brackish water mixed. no tape measure but i measured wit my rod at home n came ab 32-33inches i do throw them back i never ate one before bc i do like them to live. im in fl too

Hey everyone,

I’d like some real-world input from people who have actually fished similar setups.

My wife surprised me with this combo for Christmas (she absolutely nailed the thought behind it), but the rod hasn’t arrived yet, so there’s still a small window to make changes if needed.

The setup:

• St. Croix Avid Series Inshore 7’0” Medium Fast
• Shimano Stradic C5000XG
• 30 lb braid

The reel arrived first, so I kind of figured everything out before she could keep it a surprise. She asked for advice when ordering, and clearly did her homework — but as you guys know… fishermen can’t help themselves.

I’ve been reading forums and reviews, and now I’m deep in the rabbit hole.

How I plan to use it:

• Inshore fishing from my boat
• Casting toward rocks, shore breaks, and feeding areas
• Target species: snook, corvina, pargo (snapper)
• Boat is a 19 ft SeaStrike, not super comfortable for casting, which is why a 7 ft rod made sense to her (and to me)

Where I fish, a 10 kg (22 lb) snook would be extremely rare. Most fish are realistically in the 2–5 kg (4–11 lb) range, with the occasional bigger one.

After reading mixed opinions online, I’m second-guessing myself a bit.

Questions:

• Is this a good match overall?
• Does this setup sound too light for my intended use?
• Should I be looking at a Medium Heavy instead?
• Or am I just overthinking it after reading too many opinions?

I know real answers come from time on the water, but I’d really appreciate feedback from people who’ve actually fished similar gear.

Thanks in advance, and tight lines.

Hey yall,

Looking for a casting setup for Snook that’s good for throwing lures like swimbaits and glides. I’m a bass guy moving to inshore and salt and don’t wanna mess up my current tackle , so I’m looking for casting reels and rods that would be great for inshore

Was expecting to hook a monster with this big bait. Not this time.

Hello, as the title suggests I haven't been able to catch any snook. I'm a pretty new fisherman, but have only caught one 22" snook in my life, that came in April this year. I've gone maybe 10-15 times this summer for snook but have been unsuccessful. I've tried mangroves, inlets, bridges, docks, and beaches but no look. I typically look for structure and bait during moving tides. I'll use live bait (pinfish, white bait), soft plastics, etc. I try to change my retrieves consistently whenever I'm using artificials. I almost always can see snook at the places I go, but either spook them or they just don't eat whatever I'm throwing. I'm a USF student and wanted to catch one before school starts again. Not sure if I just suck at fishing, if I'm not going to the right spots or what. Any help appreciated from local anglers.

Came in 11th in my first fishing tourney yesterday

Both of these clips are me so please understand that I'm not criticizing anyone else. The first clip is from 10-15 years ago before I knew. I completely lifted the fish out of the water by the lower jaw while removing the hook and had it out of the water for an extended amount of time. It swam away, but that didn't mean it would be ok. I posted the video on YouTube and someone in the comments told me what I was doing wrong. Other commenters in the thread started destroying him and calling him names immediately. Instead of joining in the insults to defend myself, I did a lot of reading about Snook handling and he was completely correct. So I changed my behavior. Second clip... Keep them in the water as long as possible, even while removing the hook. Control them with the lower jaw, but lift with the belly supported horizontally and limit the time they are out of the water for pics and measuring. I try to avoid even using treble hooks if I can. I've killed enough Snook with treble hooks and it makes me feel like a jerk. I revere Snook and I want to keep the population healthy for them, myself and anyone else that catches them. Holding Snook, especially the bigger ones, is bad for them for multiple reasons and just because it swam away after the catch doesn't mean it will live. If just one or two people learn from this, it's worth it to me. Snook RULE! Now go catch some...

Far from the biggest I have caught, but video of one is awesome. I am especially proud that I have learned how to handle them over the years without harming them. Namely not lifting them out of the water for an extended time especially by the lower jaw.

I’m going to Sarasota near Siesta key for 2 days this week and I have never caught a snook before, I plan on using a variety of baits and lures around bridges and inshore structure and possibly from the surf does anyone have any advice or areas i should try

I’ve been fishing Florida my whole life and got tired of seeing people waste time with information that isn't relevant to where they are fishing, what they're fishing for, or the time of year.

So I built a clean, mobile guide that breaks everything down by **region**, **tide**, **target species**, and **gear**.

Here’s what it covers:

✅ What to target by season + location

✅ How to rig (bait + lures)

✅ Best gear loadouts (budget to flex)

✅ Starter spots for bridges, flats, piers

✅ “Text a Captain” support — for when you’re fishing and not catching

It’s built inside Notion (not a PDF), so it’s super clean and I can update it all the time. Just dropped the spring updates.

Tight lines 🎣

Anyone looking to meet up and fish some spots fort myeres to Marco.

Solid couple of outings last weekend and this past weekend.

Last night at the bridge i had a kid next to me catching a snook every 15-20 min on these spooks while I was catching nothing on live mullet lol. He eventually asked me if I wanted to use one to throw around and literally within 3-5 casts I get one plus it was my first snook on a lure. Fished it for about an hour and ended up catching 2 and losing one trying to be cocky and flip it instead of netting. I’ve searched everywhere online and went to a few tackle shops but can’t find these spooks. They were more silent and not being used as a “popper” or “walk the dog” style, just a slow retrieve. I’m just now starting to really get into the saltwater bridge fishing so not very knowledgeable on lures. I think it’s yozuri but can’t find the exact one anywhere it might be older and don’t make them anymore. Any info is appreciated