Maybe this has happened to you: after paddling deeper into the mangroves than ever before, you get the feeling you have finally found a slice of Florida that is truly pristine — or at least not seen by human eyes for decades or more. You portage across sand and oyster bars, monkey-crawl through some minuscule mangrove creeks, randomly select another opening across a hidden bay to explore, round the last corner and... Huh? Who the heck is that guy???

Who would be so deep into the "bush" at this morning hour? Fifty years ago, he might have been an outlaw, hiding a whiskey still (or worse). Twenty years ago, it might have been a gill-netter. It's still possible to see those characters today, but chances are if you happen across someone alone in the coastal waters of Florida, they are fishing — quite possibly for snook.

Snook are a unique fish in Florida. They are a truly tropical game fish, which limits their range to the southern half of the peninsula. They inhabit the freshest lakes to the deep offshore reefs. The variety of habitat they use is matched only by the variety of anglers that can't seem to get the mysterious fish out of their forebrains — the parking lot at a snook fishing lecture might find a swamp buggy parked next to a brand new Mercedes. But for the avid snook fans, there is a common thread: they understand that for snook to survive in Florida, quality habitat is required.

The snook has become Florida's most popular game fish for several reasons. They fight like the devil, with strength and acrobatics that rival any inshore fish. They are highly prized as table fare. They are pretty visible, yet can be extremely difficult (and frustrating) to catch.

Centropomus undecimalis translates loosely to "stinging cover, uninterrupted." The stinging cover reference is well understood to those that have felt the razor-sharp gill plates that have made a mockery of many fishing lines. And the "uninterrupted" part of the name refers to the signature lateral line that runs down the side of the snook. Most fish have some form of a lateral line, which is used to sense pressure and sound.

Snook are linked to so many habitats, that they have been recognized as a perfect "indicator species" for the overall health of Florida's coastal ecosystem. The Florida Audubon Society selected the snook as their canary-in-the-coalmine for South Florida. Although snook can be seen under just about any salty or brackish dock light in the southern half of the Florida Peninsula, they are rare enough to be labeled as a "species of special concern," because their population is so sensitive to such a variety of threats. Water temperature is one of the biggest threats — once water dips below 60 degrees, snook really begin to struggle. A few more degrees (depending on how fast it drops) can kill them. Red tide is another snook killer. Habitat loss and fishing pressure round out the most obvious threats, and since snook actively feed throughout their very predictable spawning season they are particularly vulnerable. This is why there is a closed summer season.

Snook spawn during different times throughout the summer, generally at the passes and inlets that dot the coast of the peninsula. The actual spawning event usually occurs during an outgoing tide, and the fertilized eggs drift passively with the outgoing current. With some luck, they are swept back in when the tide turns — maybe the same pass, maybe an adjacent estuary — and they ride the tide all the way back to the "salinity barrier" of an estuary.

Many inshore fish use the tides to transport their fertilized eggs, called zygotes. Although unable to actively swim horizontally at this life stage, some zygotes can shift their buoyancy, rising high in a water column during a specific tide to maximize the current. When the tide switches direction, they might sink to the bottom, taking advantage of the "baffle effect" that sea grasses and other structures have on moving water, holding them in place until the tide reverses once again.

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