Slot Size For Snook In Fl

You can still catch them but you gotta release them, at least here on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The FWC has spoken and snook season will remain closed until August, 2012.

• Slot Size For Snook In Fl

News Release
Thursday, June 09, 2011

The bait shop is open, but only eight customers are allowed at one time. A maximum of 105 people are allowed on the pier and social distancing measures are required. A good number of over slot size. There’s plenty of slot size fish, but some pods of big, over slot bull reds are starting to show. There’s also been some cobia. Look for them following the bait pods, reports Capt.

Media contact: Aaron Podey, 850-487-0554
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) decided on Thursday to reopen the recreational harvest season for snook in Florida's Atlantic waters on Sept. 1 and maintain a catch-and-release snook fishery in Florida's Gulf waters. Only catch-and-release fishing for snook has been allowed statewide since Dec. 15, 2010 under FWC executive orders to protect snook populations affected by prolonged cold weather in Florida during the winter of 2009-2010.
Commissioners received a staff report regarding the latest information on the status of the snook population, which suggests that snook on Florida's Atlantic coast were less severely impacted by cold weather than Gulf coast snook. Based on this information and public comment it has received, the Commission agreed to reopen the snook harvest season this fall in Atlantic waters.
Snook has been strictly regulated in Florida for more than 50 years. Current regulations include summer and winter closed harvest seasons, a one-fish bag limit during open seasons, restrictive slot-size limits and a prohibition on the sale of snook. The FWC believes these measures helped ensure that snook abundance was healthy enough before the freeze to enable the fishery to rebound and continue to grow in spite of the cold-weather impacts.
Consequently, the Commission determined that the Atlantic stock of snook in Florida's Atlantic coastal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, can return to the regular season opening Sept. 1. The regular daily bag limit of one snook per recreational angler will apply, as will the 28- to 32-inch total length slot limit.
In addition, the current harvest prohibition of snook in all of Florida's Gulf, Everglades National Park and Monroe County state and federal waters will remain in effect until Aug. 31, 2012. This will allow the Gulf snook population additional time to rebound and allow the FWC to complete a full stock assessment that is scheduled to be presented to the Commission in early 2012. Anglers may still catch and release snook during snook harvest closures, and the FWC encourages everyone to handle and release these fish carefully to help ensure their survival upon release.

There's nothing quite like a tailing redfish making its way across a flat. Usually seen working in groups of several fish, they're aggressive in chasing bait across the flats and getting them balled up for big topwater strikes. A lot of my fly fishing charters like to sight fish for reds on oyster beds and sand bars that run alongside deep drop offs. Redfish will school up and tail in 3 or 4 inches of water, making them a difficult target without an extremely shallow drafting boat. They also consistently run with snook and will often shadow schooling mullet. Many guides and anglers agree that redfish are the best tasting game fish. I will gladly fillet any redfish you catch as long as they're in the legal 18' to 27' Florida harvesting slot. For those planning to make this great fighting fish the main course for dinner, I've listed some great recipes below. Their skin can be left on unlike snook which are known as soapfish by some as their skin can give a soapy flavor to the fish when cooked. These are my favorite ways to cook both.

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#1 Bull Bay Paprika Redfish

Ingredients

4 potatoes
1 tbsp salt
4 fish fillets (snook, redfish or...)
4 cloves/tsp garlic
5 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp parsley fresh/chopped

Instructions

1. Peel, wash and slice/chop potatoes.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 12 to 15 min.
4. Add fillets to the pot with the potatoes and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until both are tender.
5. Drain/keep 1 cup of the boiled water
6. Place potatoes on a plate then gently lay fillets on the potatoes.
7. Peel and slice cloves of garlic or buy the minced garlic.
8. Heat 5 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. When warm add the garlic and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.
9. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.
10. Add the cup of boiled water, 1/2 tbsp of paprika and chopped parsley to the skillet and stir on low heat to make a sauce (a teaspoon of cornstarch can be added to thicken).
11. Spread the paprika sauce over the plate of potatoes and fish.

#2 Turtle Bay Tomato Ginger

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 fine diced onion
1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger
1.75 cups canned crushed tomatoes
.75 tsp salt
2 Lbs fillets
.25 tsp black or white pepper
.25 cup fine chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat the oil over moderately low heat in a deep frying pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until soft (not brown) for a few min.
3. Stir in the ginger and continue stirring for a couple min.
4. Add the tomatoes and salt then bring to a light simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover for 10 min.
5. Add the fillets and black pepper to the mix and re-cover for about 15 min (depending on the fillet thickness) until fish is cooked.
6. Remove the fillets and place on plate to serve.
7. Mix the cilantro with the sauce and pour over the plated fish.

#3 Boca Grande Pass a l'orange

Ingredients

4 potatoes
3 Florida Oranges
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 fish fillets
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Instructions

1. Peel and chop 2 oranges into 1/2 pieces and add to cup.
2. Squeeze the juice from 1 orange into cup of pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and saute until tender then transfer to a plate.
5. Add fish to pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Cook about 4 min per side until golden brown (thicker fillets will take longer)
7. Transfer cooked fish to a plate.
8. Return the onions to the pan.
9. Add the OJ pieces and juice and increase the heat bringing mixture to a boil.
10. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 min.
11. Pour the OJ mixture over the plated fillets and serve.

#4 Creamy Roasted Pepper Redfish

Ingredients

12 oz. jar whole roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic or half a dozen chopped clove pieces
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped fine
.5 onion chopped fine
3 tbsp olive oil
1.25 cup light cream
.25 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 lbs redfish or snook fillets

Instructions

1. Add peppers, garlic, basil and olive oil to pan and cook on medium heat for 10 min.
2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree (optional).
3. Return the mixture to the pan and simmer for 2 min.
4. Pour in cream, add cheese, salt and pepper.
5. Simmer for 5 min. while stirring occasionally.
6. Pour half of sauce mixture into a baking dish.
7. Add fish fillets to dish and pour remaining sauce over them.
8. Bake, uncovered at 350F for 30-40 min. until the fish flakes apart and is fully cooked.
9. Pull, plate and serve.

#5 Old Lemon Bay Livation

Ingredients

2 Lbs fish fillets
4 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
.5 stick butter
.5 lemon
2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1 bag rice

Instructions

Slot Size For Snook In Fl

1. Drizzle olive oil into pan and bring to medium heat.
2. Add fillets and cook for 4 min per side.
3. Add butter and garlic to pan then sprinkle the fish with Old Bay and salt.
4. Simmer for 3 min then squeeze lemon juice into pan over the fish.
5. Turn the fish over, cover and cook for 2 min.
6. Add fillets to a bed of cooked rice. (microwave minute rice is fast and easy)
7. Pour the remaining lemon butter garlic mixture from the pan over them.
8. Serve