The Trials and Tribulation for the 40 inch Snook!

So before catching a 40 inch snook, I had to lose a total of 7 fish of that caliber. This personal quest to even land a 40 inch snook started when I caught my first snook in a golf course behind my neighborhood. I was using a button rod at the time with 15lb monofilament line and a Rapala plug. I was only expecting to catch bass in that golf course lake. Man... was I in for a big surprise! The first few casts in the lake resulted in a big fish almost spooling me on the button rod and then finally breaking me off. I retied another lure and bam I hooked onto a slot size snook. After battling it for a few minutes, I was able to land the snook and measure it to be 27 inches. Once I got a taste of the true strength of a snook, I was forever hooked. I quickly lost interest in targeting bass while fishing. I was chasing the monsters of brackish water and saltwater: snook. Over the span of 8 years, from 2013 to 2021, I tried relentlessly go after a giant full breeder size snook. I started to do research of how big a snook can get at max size and every source mentioned 40 inches plus. So, that was my target!

It literally took me a total of 8 years and 7 heartbreaks later to finally land my first 40 inch snook. Each of the heartbreak was a big lesson moment for me because it taught me to up my game. My failures came in the contexts of bent hooks, snapped lines, to missed hooksets. Such major set backs forced me to use external sources like Youtube and Instagram to learn more about fishing for giant snook. For instance, I would watch youtube videos from people tying FG knots to using certain bait like ladyfish, needlefish, or big paddle tails. Losing 7 big forty inch snook within a span of 8 years really fueled my hunger even more than ever. Although I did catch a 39 inch snook during one summer within my eight years span, I felt like I couldn't cheat myself by claiming it was close enough to a 40. I wanted to truly get the glory, when I do catch that leviathan.

On May 17, 2021, my dream was fulfilled. After kayaking from 33rd St Ave to the south end of Gordon's pass, I was able to fish off the rocks with a nine inch live mullet and got completely blown up by a 40 inch snook. Once hooked up to the beast and battling for almost a minute, I decided to jump off the rocks and fight it in neck deep water. I was afraid of losing the fish if stayed on the rocks for too long. The snook was pulling out heavy drag without hesitation while heading towards the underwater jagged rocks to cut me off. I had to make a quick decision to jump into open water and pulled it away from the structure. To be honest, fighting a big snook in neck deep water wasn't the smartest move because I almost drowned! I had to keep my reel above water during the fight while kicking my feet to move me closer to shore. Thank god for my friend Randy because without him I would not been able to land my first 40 inch snook. Once I fully gout out of the water and onto shore, Randy raced out to the surf; he grabbed the snook mouth with both of his hands and brought it on the beach. Forever grateful for Randy! Without him I probably wouldn't be able to land that big snook!

I was not the only one who caught a big snook that day! Our hard work of waking up early and paddling in the inflatable kayak to Gordon's Pass paid off. Within 5 minutes of landing my 40 inch snook, we went back on the rocks and Randy pitched a live mullet out to tip of the pass. Within seconds, the snook inhaled the mullet and took off into deep water. Randy set the hook and clamped down the drag. My favorite moment from this experience was being able to coach and cheer on Randy while he was battling the beast. Honestly, the feeling of putting a dear friend of mine on his personal best snook was like the cherry on top. Repaying my debt by landing that snook for him reminded me why I love fishing so much. Fishing became an avenue for me to network and build a deeper bond with someone. The day ended perfectly. Randy with his 35 inch snook and my first 40 inch snook!