After our Caribbean cruise we returned to Miami and spent a few days in the Everglades. Every time we stopped at a fishy looking spot I took a few minutes to work the water with my spinning rod. In light of the fish kill I wasn’t expecting much action so I was thrilled to hook up. But what did I catch?

After an exciting nearshore battle with the fish I finally got the upper hand and managed to beach it:

A nice big snook! I was very pleased. Snook were among the hardest hit species during the cold snap. In fact, snook season has been called off – it’s strictly catch and release until Fall when Florida Fish and Wildlife will review stock assessments. In the interest of the species I won’t reveal exactly how or where I caught this fish. After some photos I released the fish and it swam off strongly in search of a real meal. Now we know there’s at least one healthy snook left in Florida.
Within a minute and a half of releasing the snook an alligator came cruising over. It was undoubtedly attracted by all the splashing. Good thing I landed that fish when I did!