During the summer months, brood snook move to the passes to spawn. The fish tend to “stack up” in well-known areas, and jetty fishermen say the fishing can border on phenomenal. Because snook are so vulnerable at this time, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Everglades National Park and Monroe County are closed to snook harvest from May 1 to Sept. 1.

As the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission explains it, the seasonal closure protects Florida’s valuable snook populations and helps sustain and improve the fishery for the future. The Atlantic coast snook harvest season closes June 1.

When in season, Gulf, Everglades and Monroe County snook must measure 28 to 33 inches (tail pinched) to harvest; Atlantic fish must be 28 to 32 inches to keep.