The two dorsal fins are separated from each other. The most obvious identifying mark is the pronounced black lateral line or stripe that extends from the top of the gill cover to the center of the tail. The stripe accounts for the common names of linesider and sergeant fish. Anglers catch snook in the three to five pound range most often, although fish exceeding 50 pounds have been taken in Florida on occasion. Sexually mature fish may measure as small as 13 inches to more than 40 inches fork length.
Females tend to be slightly larger than males.
As of March 1989, the fly fishing tackle record for snook was a 28 pound 8 ounce fish caught 10 July 1972 at Stuart, Florida. This is both a state and world record catch. Using conventional tackle, the Florida record snook weighed 44 pounds 3 ounces and was taken 25 April 1984 at Ft. The current IGFA world record with conven- tional tackle is 53 pounds 10 ounces, caught off Costa Rica in 1978. In Florida, snook are abundant from Tampa Bay southward on the Gulf coast and from Indian River southward on the Atlantic coast.