snook - jewfish

[Ken Gargett]

recently saw a photo of a snook (have seen them before but never been quite so struck as to the similarity) and was amazed at how much it looked like our jewfish.

i see miami lost a good one. jewfish grow to about 60kg, though that is a very big one. 30 to 40 kg much more common.

any snook fishermen see similarities?

they are also often called mulloway.

[Ken Gargett]

in case anyone is interested, more info on jewfish.

Size 1.5 - 15kg. can reach up to 61kg. Habitat Mulloway are common off the beach and in the estuaries of southern Australia from southern Qld to mid W.A. They can be found in tidal lakes, estuaries, rivers, bays, harbors and adjacent surf and ocean beaches as well as infrequently in deep offshore reefs. They prefer areas of good bait fish populations like tailor, mullet and whitebait. Juvenile mulloway sometimes referred to as soapies or school jewfish prefer the more saline river and estuary systems. Qualities Predatorial fish offering a fast and hard run on strike followed by two or three smaller runs. Important sport fish usually found in schools. Record Australian record 42.5kg. Best Bait bait: Australian salmon, Bass Yabbies (nippers), Bonito, Garfish, Octopus, Pilchard, Poddy mullet, Squid, TailorOther: Lures - red feather jig, Bomber Long A, Rapala CD12 - 18, Killalure Barra baits & metallic Stumpjumper. Tackle Link: 6 - 12kg main line with a 1m 10 - 20kg mono trace. Hook: No. 2/0 - 6/0 Mustad 540 Viking. No.4/0 - 8/0 Ganged for whole and strip baits. No. 5/0 Longshank for worm baits. Rig: Single hook with a No.2 - 5 ball running sinker. Live bait rig for larger fish. More info: Rigs & Baits for JewfishHints High tide within a few hours of darkness is a productive time to fish as well as at dusk up until the turn of the tide. Estuary fish tend to congregate in the deep holes and channels as well as gutters off river mouths. Entrances to tidal lakes also find big jewies. Live baits are best for estuary and reef fishing. Found under lighted bridge structures at night. Full moon nights are productive and early morning. The big fish are taken at night, on the flat of the tide and at the dark of the moon. Best beaches include long and steep often with a visible reef, headland or island in close range. The Jewfish tend to leave these hideouts and feed at the beach at night. They are found in reasonably deep holes and gutters with plenty of white foam flowing over. Strip baits are best for surf. A heavy run-off from rain often puts them on the bite. Big minnow lures work well on a slow retrieve. Trace is not necessary unless fishing near reef or rocky areas. Must be quiet when fishing for jewfish as they spook easily.

[JMH]

I'm just starting to get into a bit of fishing, and apparently going for some jewfish/kingfish/tuna in a fortnight off the heads, so thanks for the info. Wow, 61kg? I'm only a few more than that, better keep a firm grip on my rod.

[Ken Gargett]

I'm just starting to get into a bit of fishing, and apparently going for some jewfish/kingfish/tuna in a fortnight off the heads, so thanks for the info. Wow, 61kg? I'm only a few more than that, better keep a firm grip on my rod.

interesting trio. my feeling is that while you might be in similar territory with kingies and tuna, jewfish a very different creature usually. only ever caught schoolies but i well remember my dad waking me up late one night with a massive jewfish - 50lbs plus - that he caught from the beach along from main beach on the gold coast at the spit. fabulous fish though poor eating at that size. good luck and let us know how you do.

[JMH]

Sorry, didn't mean that as a trio, rather a few different locations & types of fish are being discussed with a decision to be made shortly. I'll report back afterwards, might take a camera, but I have a feeling it will end up on the sea floor.

[Miami101]

Hi Ken

I love this fish, and everyday find myself fighting to keep them around.

We also have a Jew fish which eat's almost anything in it path:

Here are some shots:

Here are some Snook shot they are great fighter, and blow away Bone fish.

Also if you get a chance check out Trapon in the Fla Everglades.

[Ken Gargett]

that bottom photo is not dissimiliar, but there are also some similarities with barramundi. it seems a bit of a cross between the two.

i had heard you guys had a fish called jewfish but that is quite different to ours. hell of a fish, though. more like what we'd think of as a large groper (no relation to rob).

[Ginseng]

Nice fish pics. That fish gets huge!

Could do without the man in speedo though.

Wilkey

[Bill Hayes]

Ken, I've recently got back into spearfishing and am on the southern freedivers forum. We get snook down here in victoria but they look more long and thin than the photo shown. But the mature snook may get big and fatter. Not sure? Here's a link to the forum page with some of the fish down here and the snook is at the bottom of page. Hope you can open it. It's a good shot of a Victorian snook in it's environment.

http://www.southernfreedivers.org.au/forum...?f=21&t=917

[sparh4wk]

recently saw a photo of a snook (have seen them before but never been quite so struck as to the similarity) and was amazed at how much it looked like our jewfish.

i see miami lost a good one. jewfish grow to about 60kg, though that is a very big one. 30 to 40 kg much more common.

any snook fishermen see similarities?

they are also often called mulloway.

Your Jewfish/Mulloway has a vague similarity, the main difference is the upturned tip of bottom lip, starkly visible black stripe, boney, razor sharp gill plates, a "V" tail and smaller max size of Florida snook. Some people also think that Stripers/Striped Sea Bass resemble snook a bit also but close inspection of good photos readily show the difference. (When I replace my recently deceased scanner will post some photos of myself and family with some really nice catches. Didn't have a digital camera back then...)

Our Snook (Common Snook, Centropomus undecimalis)* and Jewfish (Goliath Grouper, Epinephelus itajara)* are very different from your area. The photos in the post by Miami101 accurately depict snook and jewfish found in Florida. They are both ambush predators, but fishing for them is as different as night and day. They can also cause serious injury and possibly death. (Generally, drowning poor swimmers, or blood poisoning from untreated cuts or bites and handling septic material, or even good swimmers with life vests being carried out to sea after being pulled/falling into deep, fast moving water at a pass and outgoing tide...)

Snook can be found in Florida, Mexico (Gulf of Mexico side) and rarely as far north as Georgia and the Carolinas (Atlantic side) to South America, Honduras, Brazil, even reports from New York, Cuba, Jamaica and Costa Rica. (Though these may have been storm flukes or mistaken identity.) Snook are streamlined, very fast, and highly intelligent fighters (for a fish). When hooked they use every trick imaginable including leaping, laying on surface and thrashing, wrapping line around pilings, rocks, your outboard, trolling motor, anchor line and even inboard/outboard shaft and props. They will roll to get above your leader wire and cut your line with 3 razor sharp gill plates (3 per side, 6 razor plates total) and will slice your fingers to the bone if not handled properly. (Note Miami101's photo of angler using pliers to hold snook mouth) It's always a sure sign that a snook threw your hook if your 6 foot (2 meter) leader wire looks like a coil spring! They will also rapidly swim straight at you to get slack in the line in order to throw hook or roll to cut line (not to mention wrapping around you if you are wading and making you fall).

They do not have teeth but have a very raspy mouth which is tough cartilage so you must set the hook hard and be ready for a fight! The largest snook I've seen was 56 pounds (25 kg).

The largest I've caught was 19 pounds. (9 kg) I've heard reports of Atlantic coast records as high as 70 pounds (32 kg).

And yes, snook may be considered by some to vaguely resemble baracuda but the fangs readily visible in baracuda faces dispels that misconception very quickly.

And no, Florida Tarpon are not related to or look like snook, have huge scales, and get much larger (6 - 9 feet or more (2-3 meters)). They also lack teeth and are hard to set a hook in.

Jewfish (Goliath Grouper) are short and stout, somewhat slow and very strong pullers with a tendency to head for the bottom or deeper water when hooked. The have teeth and a gullet that crushes what they swallow. Looking down thier throat you can see rows of tiny back facing teeth that grasp and squeeze what they swallow. The ones in the grass flats and mangrove areas are juveniles and usually are 2 to 20 pounds. In some of the deep water passes (around Naples, Marco, Fort Myers) you can catch much larger ones. I caught a 35 and a 55 pound Jewfish bottom fishing with cut mullet on an incoming tide at a pass near Everglades City.

Off the end of the 1000 foot fishing pier in Naples Florida in the late 1950's a 600 pound Jewfish was caught by a man bottom fishing with rope. He started using whole 3-5 pound mullet and after catching the same 6 foot shark 3 times, butchered it and baited his hook with huge slab of shark meat and caught the monster jewfish. There are photos to this day at the Naples City Pier posted in the bait and tackle shops and fast food stands. Several other people helped him get it to the beach where, after gutting it, he was able to get in the cavity and pull the flap shut. I don't know if this is in the official records somewhere. I have seen photos of snook, sharks, and smaller grouper and jewfish on scales at the pier. This one's weight may have been done by measuring length, girth at multiple points and doing the math. However, Goliath Grouper, Epinephelus itajara, can weigh up to 800 pounds (363 kg). *

There was an article in the Naples Daily News about a scuba diver swallowed past his waist off The Dry Tortuga's about 25 years ago that fellow divers and his own struggles finally got the jewfish to let go. (The jewfish likely decided he was too big to swallow and spit him out.) He suffered from acid burns and broken legs and abrasions/bruises and puncture wounds. The estimated weight of that jewfish was 600 plus pounds.

The photo at the head of this article appears to be of a 150 pounder (60 plus kg). The sad thing about these photos is that this fish looks especially pathetic out of water. If you're snorkeling or diving and run into a jewfish in it's own environment, even a small 200 pounder, the last impression this fish will make is "pathetic"! They are quite powerful and gracefull in the water and you don't want to look like lunch! (grin)

* See http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/desc...nook/snook.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_goliath_grouper

[sparh4wk]

Ken, I've recently got back into spearfishing and am on the southern freedivers forum. We get snook down here in victoria but they look more long and thin than the photo shown. But the mature snook may get big and fatter. Not sure? Here's a link to the forum page with some of the fish down here and the snook is at the bottom of page. Hope you can open it. It's a good shot of a Victorian snook in it's environment.

http://www.southernfreedivers.org.au/forum...?f=21&t=917

Hi,

New here. I'm always amazed at how such different species of fish can share same "common local names" in different parts of the world! From your photo the 2 fish are much longer and thinner, have very large eyes and a yellow fringed tailfin, but they are called Snook. How long are these fish in the photo? Do they have teeth? The Short Finned Pike look more similar to US snook. Did I misunderstand something? I thought Ken's fish was a Jewfish/Mulloway and Miami101 had pictures of Florida Snook and Jewfish.

Anyone from other places have "Snook" and "Jewfish" and photos or line drawings? Are they strictly saltwater? Florida Snook have been known to swim into fresh water and get land locked till next years rainy season and suffer no ill effects. Small jewfish can tolerate brackish water but would quickly die in pure fresh water.

[Ken Gargett]

Hi,

New here. I'm always amazed at how such different species of fish can share same "common local names" in different parts of the world! From your photo the 2 fish are much longer and thinner, have very large eyes and a yellow fringed tailfin, but they are called Snook. How long are these fish in the photo? Do they have teeth? The Short Finned Pike look more similar to US snook. Did I misunderstand something? I thought Ken's fish was a Jewfish/Mulloway and Miami101 had pictures of Florida Snook and Jewfish.

Anyone from other places have "Snook" and "Jewfish" and photos or line drawings? Are they strictly saltwater? Florida Snook have been known to swim into fresh water and get land locked till next years rainy season and suffer no ill effects. Small jewfish can tolerate brackish water but would quickly die in pure fresh water.

thanks to all for the posts. fascinating stuff - gets more confusing here as they are known as jewfish in some states and mulloway in others. plus we have groupers and gropers. very diff to the jewies.

have tried to find a couple of photos of local jewfish. the vertical one is really not much more than juvenile but the large one is a good fish.