Snook Fishing!!! First Time!!!! 2025
Kristo.Agui001 reply :
Hey guys I'm going to sanibel island in Florida this weekend to go snook fishing with my brother in law! Any tips for some one whos never been snook fishing? How to catch, presentations, bait choices? And also is there any spots in Miami fl or Kendall Area where I can catch some snook
Thanks!! Wish me luck
SirSnookalot reply :
Snook are all over S/E Florida, beaches, piers, ICW, brackish canals and even in freshwater. Snook fishing is similar to bass fishing, some call snook saltwater bass. Presentations will vary depending on where you are fishing, about any bass lure will work fine, even a senko. IMO it's more important to know the don'ts, not the do's, probably the biggest mistake a bass fisherman makes when target snook is over thinking, when snook are on they hit anything, when off they hit nothing. Don't fish calm water, snook like it rough, don't cast for distance, cast along the shore line, sea walls or adjacent to a pier, snook ambush and like to stay in the shadow of structure. Do not take a ton of tackle, many experienced snook fishermen usually fish with but one lure. Probably 90% of my snook (most other inshore fish too) are caught with a bucktail, spoon or a fluke on a jig head. Do not stay in one spot, unless you are on pier, sometimes you need to walk to find them.
As a rule the outgoing tide is best, this time of year the incoming can produce because there is baitfish around, being on vacation your going to fish anyway. I can't emphasis this enough, put your jig, spoon or fluke on and don't change too often, walk and cast. Snook can be one of the easiest fish to catch or one of the hardest, they decide that not you. Don't take a knife to a gunfight, snook can get sizable and are a strong fish, I don't recommend any thing lighter than a mh 7' 10/20 spinning rod, 4000 reel and 20# braid with a 30 or 40# leader, unless one is experienced. On average they should run about 6 or 7#, 15 or 20# is not uncommon.
Kristo.Agui001 reply :
I have a super fluke. , I'm gunna take it with me, I'm gunna be using a 7'9" MH Rod with a Sabalos 4000, 30lb braid with a 40 lb flourocarbon leader....my brother in law wants to use red haring chunks as bait.....he's caught with that so I guess I'll give it a try we are gunna be fishing from the shore on the beach
Bassn Blvd reply :
You mentioned using cut bait. Like Sirsnook said, when the snook are biting they will hit anything. When they're not hitting, then NOTHING will work. Snook are 10x more tempramental than woman.
You might get one on cut bait but you will increase your odds dramatically using live bait or atrificial. About the only time I will use cut bait is if I'm out of live bait and am just passing the time. The ONLY cut bait I will use is a squished mullet head. Cut the head off of a large mullet, hook it once through the lips and then step on it, but don't turn it to moosh.
Kristo.Agui001 reply :
Ok cool I'll keep that in mind hopefully we can get a bite this weekend....I'll bring my walking stick bait along
SirSnookalot reply :
Yes both snook and tarpon love mullet heads or the live whole mullet, I'm not a fan of cut bait or really any kind of bait except artificial.
Your rod, reel and line are fine, super fluke on jig head is a good bait to use.
Kristo.Agui001 reply :
I bought a sinking spook to walk the dog a little bit I heard that works well for snook
Helluva_Engineer reply :
On 8/31/2012 at 11:37 PM, Kristo.Agui001 said:I bought a sinking spook to walk the dog a little bit I heard that works well for snook
Yup, remember to mash down the barbs on any hooks you plan to use only for snook. I forget exactly when the season opens back up, but it makes it a heck of a lot easier to release and fish tend to not do well if you have to put them on dry sand.
SirSnookalot reply :
Snook opens today Dec, 1 on the Atlantic side, 1 fish per day 28-32" slot. The season is still closed on the gulf side for another year.
http://www.timeoutpo...doors/120629267
Bit of an after thought.................not only do you need a separate saltwater license but a snook stamp as well, which is only $2.00. The shore bound resident license requirements was changed a couple of years ago, residents are no longer exempt.
NEjitterbugger reply :
Snook fishing is great! My granfather lives on the florida intercoastal waterway and last february I had 2 on they both shot out of the water and spit the hook.....me and my dad plan on going again this
february and I am determined to catch one...and tips on fishing for them from a sea wall or dock? (I've also seen tarpon and huge jack crevalles)-(never caught a tarpon either)
SirSnookalot reply :
On 9/8/2012 at 10:16 AM, NEjitterbugger said:Snook fishing is great! My granfather lives on the florida intercoastal waterway and last february I had 2 on they both shot out of the water and spit the hook.....me and my dad plan on going again this
february and I am determined to catch one...and tips on fishing for them from a sea wall or dock? (I've also seen tarpon and huge jack crevalles)-(never caught a tarpon either)
Not to dampen your hopes, winter time gets tough for snook and jacks, takes time and patience. Fishing off a sea wall or docks I might suggest using either a bucktail jig or a fluke on a leadhead jig and work as you might for a bass, If the snook are "on" they will even hit a senko or brush hog. Snook like to ambush, they hang in shadows, outgoing tide is best by far. Jacks on the other hand do not bite at night, it's rare when they do. Jacks do not ambush, they just swim looking for bait pods, then they start a feeding frenzy, pretty common for them to come in feed for 30 seconds or less and move on, be ready to cast when you see them.
I would suggest if fishing off a sea wall that you get yourself a long handled net, pier net if off a bridge, pier or jettie, there gets to be a limit to " flipping them up".
NEjitterbugger reply :
Yes,ive decided i am going to get one of the two suggestions, just last year my friend tried to heave up an 8 lbs red drum and the line snapped....and you definatley know what your talking about considering i hooked the 2 snook last year on a bucktail jig....what else could i catch whille intercoastal fishing besides snook, drum, jacks ,rays, lady fish, sheepshead, and tarpon if im lucky.
SirSnookalot reply :
Where on the ICW? When you say drum, I say black or red, a red drum is also called a redfish. I don't fish for sheepshead, they use shrimp, crabs, barnacles, insides of clams. They say sheepshead are great table fare I know lots of people that fish for them. You may want to try one of the piers or jettiies, the action may be better, especially if you use bait.
NEjitterbugger reply :
North Palm Beach, the view across the waterway is singer island...my favorite bait shop around there sells live mullet at times would you suggest using that?
Bassn Blvd reply :
I would never buy live mullet. Mullet are plentiful and very easy to catch with a castnet. The only live bait I buy for Snook is shrimp, and that's only when the mullet and sandperch aren't around.
To answer your question, yes, mullet are good for snook. Both silver and black mullet.
IMO, the best live bait for big snook on the beaches and inlets are live Croakers. Pinfish come in 2nd, then Mullet and Sandperch.
NEjitterbugger reply :
I have caught Jacks and Redfish on shrimp but never a snook...What is a croaker and how would i catch them?...(assuming that they are not supplied at local bait stores)
Bassn Blvd reply :
Croakers are caught on little pieces of fresh cut shrimp or squid and a little hook. They make a "croaking" sound when you catch'em. Snook will will go out of their way to eat a croaker.
Make sure you use live shrimp if you use shrimp for Snook.
SirSnookalot reply :
North Palm Beach has some really good areas, better than we have in South Palm. The beaches on Singer Island can be good and I have friends that wade and fly fish in the ICW near McCarther park, they get trout, redfish, tarpon, snook and certain times of the year some really big jacks. I fish the ICW in Palm Peach or West Palm sometimes.
I don't use bait very often but when I do I take a sabiki and use only 3 hooks on it (that's in the wintertime) and tip the tiny hooks with shrimp or squid. You can get croakers, grunts, little 2 or 3" jacks and spots, that's a silver fish with a dark spot on it's tail, all great baits for just about anything. I don't think there are too many mullet around in the winter.
This morning I'm going to jig the ICW with a terror eyes, haven't used that lure in a long time.
NEjitterbugger reply :
I used a terror eyes last year and caught 3 barracuda... and i looked up what a pinfish looked like and i have caught them on a sabiki jig, i will use those this february... Good luck and let me know how you do.
NEjitterbugger reply :
By the way do you know about fishing during certain tides in the ICW i usually fish a spot where a small river flows into the waterway...see lots of big jacks, ladyfish, and i have seen a few tarpon that swim in and out of it including lots of snook at times...
Bassn Blvd reply :
THE single most important thing is that you having moving water. Some anglers like out going tide while others like incoming tide. Either case, fish moving water. I plan my trips the last hour to hour and a hlaf of the incoming tide and first hour to hour and a half of the outgoing tide. I'll stay home if I can't fish those times.
Some people fish the entire outgoing tide. Me personally, I have to be in a certain location to continue fishing beyond four hours of the outgoing tide, usually the inlet or beach.
NEjitterbugger reply :
I've never fished from the beach in Florida, do you think i would have a better chance doing that or fishing from my granfathers sea wall and dock right a long the river flowing into the intercoastal waterway along with a few canals? Or perhaps there are better areas you would suggest. (By the way his place is in North Palm Beach right across from singer island)
Bassn Blvd reply :
Dock fishing a canal that leads to the ICW can and will produce Snook. That situation will be productive if the docks are lighted. As mentioned earlier, Snook ambush their bait. Snook hide just inside the shadow and wait for bait to float by. This is why lights and moving water are important. I would fish the dock during the time /tide period I mentioned in the last post. Use live shrimp, mullet or and assortment of artificial that SirSnook mentioned. Mirror lures would be my first choice.
NEjitterbugger reply :
Yes they are lighted, and i have seen some HUUUUUGE snook swim under the dock but haven't landed a big one yet. Speaking of big fish, under the same dock, i saw what looked to be an 8 to 10ft shark swim right under me...biggest fish iver ever seen in my life!
Do you usually target snook and jacks or do you go for and assortment of snapper, trout, redfish, etc...
Bassn Blvd reply :
I bass fish all year. In addition to bass fishing, I concentrate on snook fishing from Sept through December and again in March/April. As a treat,haha, I will occasionaly drive to the Indian River for trout and snook between now and April, more specifically when the air temp stays below 85 all day.
S.Florida offers such a wide variety of different species all year that you can easily fish yourself sick, haha.
The only two times during the year that I absolutely "target" or plan a mini vacation for myself is when the mullet run takes place along our beaches. The mullet run offers a ton of excitement and is a blast to watch the fish blow'em up.
The other time is from Jan-March during the bass spawn.
SirSnookalot reply :
I target snook 12 months of the year, it isn't easy in the winter months and the beach activity for them is not usually good. It's predicated on the weather and water conditions, in winter the high water mark is at a low level and the wind can get fierce, it's difficult to cast far enough to get into the trough, not to mention the lack of baitfish. The opposite is true now, the high water mark is at a higher level, wind not very strong and lots of bait, a strike a cast is not unusual some days, in the winter I can go for days without 1 strike, that's when I do most of my bass fishing in the PMS.
I'd put the emphasis on the ICW but if the weather cooperates do the beach too.
NEjitterbugger reply :
I prefer fishing the waterway anyways... i would like to try the beach some day, i love to surf cast up here for stripers and bluefish.
How was terror eyes jiggin'
related Other Fish Species topic
previous topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.