STOUT is the way to go. If that fish gets a 2-foot slip of the drag, he can just as easily turn it into 10-feet run, because STATIC friction in the drag is always higher than SLIDING friction. Once he gets a run going, it's just plain hard to stop, especially in close quarters. You want a reel that can maintain a high drag AND still be smooth. But basically, once that snook is hooked, you need to think like you have him on a fixed length LEASH. Otherwise, he will not be on that line very long ! He'll head right for the bottom, or around the piling. You can always bow the rod tip to the fish at your will. But if you need to turn his head and the rod & drag give in too much, that snook will burn your line over the nearest structure. And you'll be re-rigging (again) ! At $3-5 per Rat-L-Trap, you learn quickly that being playful with these fish is costly.
Yes, you can straighten the hooks (more likely), or rip them out of a fish's mouth (less likely, 'cause a snooks jaw & lips are thick, rubbery & hook easily). But if you don't have a rod & reel that can hold a tight line to pressure a fish, he's gonna run on you, and he'll cut you right off. It seems to me that snook are never confused about what is going on when they feel the steel in their mouth. THEY TAKE OFF AWAY FROM YOU, away from the pressure they feel, LIKE A ROCKET ! They won't roll over like a striper and violently shake their head, giving that familiar two-yanks and a hard dive. Or they ain't stupid like some cobia that'll swim TOWARD you, because then they don't feel the pressure and think they are free. And they don't stand still and fight in a frantic little circle around where you hooked them, like most bottom fish.
In CLOSE quarters, the best way to get a snook off the structure and into the boat or in your hands or on your stringer, is to use a TIGHT LEASH, lead & winch him in, and use a HUGE NET. I'm talking big enough for small children. If these fish are only 4 pounds, you can make mistakes and get away with it. But if they start pushing 8-14 pounds and up ++, there is often little room for error. So, a moderate action blank is not really helpful in fighting a fish, although some may prefer it. If this were beach fishing, with no structure, cut-offs or other boats or anglers nearby, then you / your father would have the luxury of letting a fish run and playing him out. But some of these bridges can be heavily trafficked with other boats, with boats lined up like a toll booth doing a single-pass endless merry-go-round loop. You get one pass / drift thru on the running tide, then it's motor back up-current and get in the back of the line. Sebastian Inlet is like that, but I know he is not fishing there, because overhead clearance is not an issue there.
For rod length, 6'6" may be as short as you want to go. Sidearm casting, back-hand pitching, or even flipping-casts like a bass-fisherman is what your father should learn to try. Overhand casting will catch the ceiling, or at least the spider webs under the bridge, and give no end of trouble. A longer rod helps lead the fish away from the boat engine and into the net. Yes, trebles + nets don't mix well, so pick a net-line that fouls hooks less (and doesn't spook fish). -LOL!
And one more thing: according to Tom Kirkman in a related POST
"St.Croix Blanks"(12-21-04) [
www.rodbuilding.org]
ST.CROIX will be DISCONTINUING this line of rods. Sorry, but "BOO-!"
So, if you want to get a great blank for this situation, order soon.
ST.CROIX SC-II Graphite Inshore-SaltWater TC/S-(66-80)-MHF-1pc. ~ $70.
Merry CHRISTmas to all, and a PROSPEROUS New Year. Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL.
