Centropomus undecimalis

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) Species:

The Sebastian snook buckle is based off the common snook. Four other snook species also exist in Florida, but takes a trained eye to differentiate between the species.

• Small-scale fat snook
• Large-scale fat snook
• Tarpon snook
• Swordspine snook

Range:

Common snook are found throughout Florida. Normally, the range is from my hometown Titusville on the East coast around the peninsula and back up to about Tarpon Springs on the West coast. 

Of course, we have all heard stories and also caught snook in places they shouldn't be. It surprised me recently to find out snook are also found in parts of Texas. I may need to make some much bigger buckles!

Tolerance:

Do not mix snook and cold water. Snook do not do well with water temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of us living on the Gulf coast, we unfortunately witnessed the damage firsthand from prolonged cold weather in recent times.

For fishing in cold weather, keep a focus on sandy bottoms, sea walls, and other structure that can retain heat from the sun. Snook will often gather in larger numbers to enjoy this warmth.

Anatomy:

• Females are larger than male snook.
• Females live to around 20 years. Males live to about 15 years.
• There are no anatomical differences between genders of snook

Large and in Charge:

The state record was caught near Sebastian Inlet and was 45lbs 12 ounces! 

For more information, the FWC has plenty of interesting research available.