Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

Try this during the off season. It will greatly increase the survival rate of released snook, and you will be very proud when you develop the skill to succeed at these fish with this gear:

- Use a small hook and bend down or file off the barb
- No more than 12lb test line, NO leader, or...
- if using heavier line, use a 12lb leader

This will allow a fish to be "popped off" once it's given up, after which the hook will just shake loose since it's barbless. Also, you will get alot more hits with the light line/leader.

By the time the season opens you'll have become so good at lip-hooking them that you'll be able to cut down the leader size when the fish are shy, and still be able to put them in the net!

I agree with removing the barb but not too sure about the light line. The reason is that if you use lighter light, you'll have to play with the fish more to tired it out. This will build a type of poison in the fish and could kill the fish.

Agree with the hook put not too sure about the line...concept to be able to "pop" em off is good but agree that if you take too long to finish the fish it will have potential problems from the build up of lactic acid to being too spent to escape predators....sharks and porpoise that might be around ....

I use regular tackle 30 braid and 30 mono shock leader 15 to 30 feet but with a short 1 to 2 foot piece of floro 30 to 60 lb with a surgeon's knot at the hook end

It usually will break at the surgeon's knot but with great effort.... how about once you consider it caught let it wrap you on a piling and get it cut.... usually just a foot or two of line and the hook should be out in short order....use bronze hooks instead of the tougher black nickle to speed up the hook out process....

need a knot that will hold under steady pressure but will pop when snapped hard?????

BEOWULF wrote:Try this during the off season. It will greatly increase the survival rate of released snook, and you will be very proud when you develop the skill to succeed at these fish with this gear:

- Use a small hook and bend down or file off the barb
- No more than 12lb test line, NO leader, or...
- if using heavier line, use a 12lb leader

This will allow a fish to be "popped off" once it's given up, after which the hook will just shake loose since it's barbless. Also, you will get alot more hits with the light line/leader.

By the time the season opens you'll have become so good at lip-hooking them that you'll be able to cut down the leader size when the fish are shy, and still be able to put them in the net!

12lb leader maybe from the beach but not from the pier you wont land to many, most of the big mammas will just pop you on the hit

FYI, This post was meant for pier, not beach or boat, as well as for a live-lined bait with rod in hands.

-The point is to avoid landing it, I've seen many float away after netting and photo ops

-You'd be surprised how much pressure you can apply with 12lb if you push its limits, but on second thought maybe 17lb line would be better, still "pop-able"

-A clean lip hookup is mandatory and very challenging, but can be done

Yeah, a knot that will hold under steady pressure but will pop when snapped hard would be nice too.

This is meant as a challenge with the benefit of higher survival rate for the fish