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SNOOKLightning Fast
World Record: 53 pounds, 10 ouncesThe Scientific Snook Taxonomy book Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Centropomidae Genus: Centropomus Scientists and (ahem) a-fish-ianados call them Centropomus Undecimalis because it sounds intelligent. Imagine asking a guy what he had caught for the day and he says "I hooked 2 centropomus undecimalis." Don't think so…. Where to find them and their Life cycle This is a more ocean going fish that ranges from the coasts of the westernmost Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. They can also be found from the southern Floridian and Texan coastal waters all the way to…..are you ready?...Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. That's a fairly WIDE range for a single species. Normally they wimp out and stay in shallow waters less than 60 feet in depth. The snook commonly enters into freshwater areas including estuaries and non-landlocked lagoons. Also known as robalo, stripesides, and soap fish, they are an interesting catch indeed. These dimensionally challenged aquatic wonders can reach a length of over 4 feet and weigh as much as 50 pounds or more. At an average of 4 feet long, that’s about 12 pounds per foot. In other words, they are fatties, guys.As far as colors and markings, nothing dramatic there. Simple silvery grey with a pronounced black racing stripe down each side. VROOOOOOOM!
What they eat and when These guys are carnivores like many other varieties of their troutlike counterparts. The snook cook book consists of smaller fish and crustaceans (shrimp (yum) and an occasional crab {double yum}).Like many carnivores, they eat whenever they are hungry. They just reach out and eat someone (or something) close by.
How we eat them and how to cook 'em My buddy is an excellent food fish. Resembling the sea trout in many ways, they can be prepared in much the same ways. Of course, there's always the basics like grilling and broiling. Smoking, pan frying, and even deep frying is never out of the question, either. What is the best way to eat them? Why with a fork, of course, Silly! But you better catch your own, fellas. It is illegal to buy or sell them on the open market. Also, if you are lucky enough to catch one, it is a must to remove the skin BEFORE you cook it. If you don't it will taste like Clorox soap, hence the nickname "soap fish". The meat is said to be not as delicate as trout, yet not so firm as to be confused with swordfish either.
Other species like this one and the differences Snook has been likened to red snapper, grouper and redfish. The only real defining characteristic is the black side stripe. Otherwise, it resembles a sea going rainbow trout with that silvery grey pallor about it. The salt water tends to take color out of anadromous (today's word of the day) fish for some reason, so most of the ones that go between salt and fresh water have this silvery coloration, yet this fish retains it's black stripe as a qualifying hash mark. The tail fins are split in a "Y" shape and the fins along the body are not spiny as is usual. For further information, please CONTACT US or visit our ONLINE FLY SHOP.
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