lightning, Congrats on the snook. They're a blast to catch and really fight hard. You didn't say if it was your first one or not, but you have just exposed yourself to a highly addictive sport. You can't keep anything over 34" these days. As you already know, the window starts at 28". The limit is 1 per day per angler. Also, where you're located isn't that far from my stomping grounds in my younger days. You should have redfish and trout around your area, too.
If you're fishing from Venice jetty much for snook, try this trick. If they hit it close, try to immediately get their head up. You will be surprised how many you land faster, and keep them out if the rocks. Trust me, they're very good at finding something to cut you off on. They know the drill.
And, yes, they are excellent eating. Just be sure to skin the filets. You are GTG any way you want to cook them after that. Back in the old days, nobody ate them because they had a soapy flavor if you left the skin on, hence their old nickname "soapfish".
The spinning combos I have right now are:
Daiwa 4000 on 7' St Croix Tidemaster
Daiwa 4000 on 7'6" St Croix Tidemaster
Penn 450SS on Star 6'6" Star Rod
Shimano 3500 Baitrunner on Star Rod
Shimano 4500 Baitrunner on Star Rod
Penn 750SS on Star Rod
All the Star Rods I have were mfg'd here in the good ole US of A, which was Star's heyday, IMHO, before they transferred production to China.
I used to also have a Penn 440SS on a 6'6" Star Rod, but that one was stolen. Also used to have 2 other older Penn 450SS's on Lew's Speed Sticks that were also stolen. All god setups.
Good luck!
Last edited by local_dirt; 08/31/15.
