The Top 5 Saltwater Fishing Game Fish And How To Catch Them

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The Snook is at the top of many fishermen's list of the top saltwater game fish. Its long silvery body is built for swimming speed. It also has a fighting spirit that is second to none.

You can catch Snook with much the same equipment that you would go after a Largemouth Bass with. Understand however that these fish grow larger than bass and certainly fight harder. They do share many habitat similarities with bass.

Snook love docks. I have fished for Snook in the city of Cape Coral, Florida. Cape Coral is a city of hundreds of saltwater canals. These canals are full of Snook of all sizes. Docks on these canals are the place to catch most of them.

Once you have a location you must know how to fish for Snook. Live bait works best for Snook as it does every other species. Snook prefer to eat small fish. Pilchards, pinfish and small grunts are all excellent baits.

You can of course catch them on the old reliable live shrimp as well. If you can get very large jumbo shrimp I would guess that it even better bait than a live fish. If smaller shrimp are only available you should gear your efforts back to pinfish.

If you like artificial baits I recommend something you can retrieve fast. I have caught Snook on spoons and large spinners as well as crankbaits. Snook are a voracious feeder that will slam your lure. There is no reason to retrieve your bait slowly; you cannot reel fast enough for a Snook not to be able to catch your lure if it wants it.

The Tarpon is the granddaddy of all saltwater fish. They are a very accessible fish that is found very close to shore. I have literally seen Tarpon of over one hundred pounds swimming in water two feet deep within ten feet of the shoreline. They can be caught on fly or live bait.

The key to catching this fish is presentation. The tarpon is very aware of food that does not look lively or natural. You can get away with using heavy line; I have caught many Tarpon on monofilament as heavy as fifty pounds. You must present your bait in natural manner however.

One of the first Tarpon I caught was a fifty pound fish in the Florida Keys. I had seen this fish making boils in the water feeding. Three times I cast a crab and retrieved it within feet of the fish. Twice I even saw the Tarpon move towards my bait and turn away.

Looking at my line I saw that I not only had a heavy hook but large swivel as well. I grabbed another pole and tied a thinner hook directly to the line with no other added weight. I hooked a fresh crab and cast in the general direction of the Tarpon. With two minutes I was hooked up for the fight of my life.

Redfish are a very popular saltwater game fish. They are caught in many different locales but their classic hunting grounds are grass flats. Redfish have distinctive black spots near their tails. You can often locate these fish by watching for their tails breaking the surface of the water as they feed.

Information about the Author:

Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is committed to providing the best saltwater fishing information possible. Go to www.asksaltwaterfishing.com/editorials/7_fishing_game_fish.html for more information on saltwater fishing game fish.

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