Snook Fishing on Florida Beaches

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Written by Mark Mussett Saturday, 19 June 2010 19:00

Summer Snookin'

Springtime flats fishing in Florida is not only productive, but fun.  The air temperatures seldom break 90° and the water holds steady in the magnificent 70°-80° range.  Steady breezes allow fishermen to comfortably drift across broad expanses of submerged grass while presenting baits to a variety of hungry fish.

But once the sun really starts to beat down, and it's light enough to see well past 8:00 P.M., the water on the flats and in the backcountry can resemble a freshly drawn bath, while still winds make the air feel like a sauna.  The vast bait schools become less evident, often holding in deeper water below the range of diving pelicans.  Many pelagics and migratory fish have moved on to cooler climes.  So what's the best way to enjoy the summer and still bend a line?  Simple.

Go to the beach!  The lengthening days and onset of regular summertime rains trigger the common snook, one of Florida's premier gamefish, to swim to the beach.  Here they gather by the thousands, taking advantage of some of the strongest outgoing tides of the year in order to spawn.  This process requires a lot of energy, resulting in throngs of indiscriminately feeding linesiders from Clearwater on south around the peninsula and up much of Florida's East Coast.

The fish you'll encounter may be small male snook (snook are all born male; it is not until they grow to somewhere around 34 inches that they turn into females), slot size keeper fish, or truly mammoth spawning females.  You may find fish of all sizes, whether they're schooled up or on a lonely cruise, at any given time and practically anywhere from the lagoons to depths beyond the breakers.  Generally speaking, though, there are two places you'll want to focus your efforts to hook up consistently:  Passes, and on the sand.

The Pass

Passes, or the deep channels separating two adjacent beaches, are where the snook spawn.  Though there's no rule set in stone, larger fish tend to be caught here than in other summertime haunts.  Begin your search for fish by having a look at the pass.  Snook love structure, and if a moving current is involved, they particularly gravitate towards it.  Areas such as bridges or docks which span across or extend into passes play home to snook from late April until the first cold fronts of October.  The same is true of rock jetties, breakwaters, or any other type of obvious cover you find where the sand meets the water.

Less subtle pieces of structure which hold snook include sandbars, submerged breaks in the bathymetry, and underwater ledges or obstructions.  In a swift tide, identify these features by looking for eddies and swirls on the surface, or by finding any water which looks different than the surrounding water; if it is a choppy day, locating a plume of calm water may lead you to the right spot.  If you have a hard time finding promising structure, trying your luck right where the pass spills out into the ocean is a good idea, as the often rugged bathymetry and funneling water draw many fish.

Once you know where to fish, how you go about it is largely a matter of preference.  If you are fishing from a boat, anchor uptide of the structure and drop baits back to the fish.  Current and depth will dictate how much weight, if any, to use.  Popular baits include live shrimp, scaled sardines and pinfish, though many other types of bait will work.  When the current is ripping a white bait hooked through the tail and held below the surface by 1/2 ounce of lead is a good bet.  When rigging, remember that snook will snag a bait flying by in the current, but they are often hunkered down near the bottom or are staging behind the structure, so having a bait that bounces along the bottom or suspends mid-depth is a good idea.

If live bait isn't your choice, try sinking plugs or diving plugs with a small lip.  Bucktail jigs are also an old favorite.  Vertical jigging around bridge pilings can produce, as can hanging a swimbait off the stern of the boat.

For land based excursions (note that summer is a great time for lubbers to catch impressive numbers of snook), follow the above rigging hints, but remember that unless you are on a bridge or pier that runs perpendicular to the current you will likely need to cast across the current.  In this case, some fine tuning may be required to keep your bait in the strike zone long enough, while not snagging structure on the bottom.  A great way to fish artificials in this situation is to cast 1/4 - 1oz bucktail jigs out and up current, maintaining a tight line as the current sweeps your bait along.  Artificial shrimp, plugs, swimbaits and even topwaters are also effective.

The best tackle for the passes is a matter of debate.  Medium-heavy spinning or casting tackle is about as light as you'll want to go.  Braided lines in the 20-30# range, and leaders of 30# test should be adequate for all-purpose snook fishing.  Beef it up if you're after trophy-sized fish.  In this case, you'll need tackle resembling what you'd use for small tarpon, as large snook will eat large pinfish, cutbait, and ladyfish.

 

The Sand

This may be the most exciting and fruitful way to sight fish for snook.  All you need is a medium or medium-heavy spinning rod with 6-10#  monofilament, a 1-2 foot section of 20# fluorocarbon leader, and a 1/4-1/2 ounce white bucktail jig.  There are few obstructions for snook to use in cutting your line on the beach, and the lighter tackle makes for good sport.  Of course, the snook will cooperate if your throwing something else from a different setup, but this rig is a standby for beach-going snookers.  This may also be the best setting for catching snook with a fly rod (no pesky dock pilings like you find when you're at the dock lights); just watch your back cast.  Free-lined live shrimp or scaled sardines, which are usually abundant along the beach throughout the summer, work exceptionally well in the live bait department.  A 2/0 circle hook is a good all-around hook choice.

Unlike many other surf fishing approaches, where anglers wade out and airmail their weighted baits past the waves, you don't even need to get your toes wet when snook fishing.  In fact, you may catch more if you stay completely dry.  Many snook cruise along the beach looking for an easy meal.  Slowly walk a yard or two beach side of the water, keeping an eye out for the silvery white shadows of marauding fish.  Polarized glasses greatly assist you with spotting fish in time for a quick presentation.  The fish may be out a good ways, but in many cases they are inches from dry land.  Sloshing through the water while looking for fish can spook them before you have a chance to catch them.  Another approach is to stake one area out and wait for the fish to come to you.  On Gasparilla Island and Mullet Key, for instance, anglers spending their morning perched on a cooler while waiting to sling a bait may have a shot at dozens of cruising snook schools.  If you can find a deep area in the swash channel (the channel between the beach and the first or second sandbar) near a rip current, you will find fish.  Also recall that where the beach and pass meet, fish will often congregate.

Don't overlook piers, either.  While fishing near the structure is a bit different than fighting fish on the open sand, piers act as bait and fish magnets throughout the summer.  Ft. DeSoto's Gulf Pier and Pier 60 in Clearwater are just two examples of great piers for summer snook fishing.  Fishing near the pilings or from atop the structure requires heavier tackle than the light line used on the obstruction-free stretches of beach.

When to hit the beach is largely a matter of when you feel like fishing.  Obviously, this type of fishing poses a unique dilemma in that you may have to schedule your fishing time around the habits of the non-fishing, beach going public.  Trying to site fish for snook at Pass-a-Grille or Cocoa Beach on July 4th can be a frustrating experience.  Generally speaking, the earlier you can get out, the better, with some anglers on the Gulf Coast calling it a day before rush hour even starts.  On the east coast, later in the day with the setting sun behind you may make it easier to spot your target in the water.  Tide is also a factor, with outgoing tides typically the most productive.  However, even a day with slow tides can produce fish.

Know Before You Go

Harvesting snook in the summer months is illegal.  Given the special regulations imposed due to the fish kill of the bitter winter, pay attention to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations (http://myfwc.com).

The snook you find on and near the beaches are spawning.  While they are a great catch-and-release target, handle them with care, as they represent the future of snook in Florida.  If at all possible avoid dragging the fish onto the sand; this damages their protective coat of slime and may cause post-release mortality.  Rather, use a de-hooking tool or pliers to remove the hook while the fish is in the water (you'll have to wade in ankle to knee deep; watch out for stingrays).

Be sure to re-tie after every fish.  Snook have no teeth but do have abrasive mouths and will fray your line during the fight.  Taking time to make sure your line is in top shape will save you lures, hooks, and will result in more landed fish.

After a hard fight in warm water, the snook may need a little help regaining its strength.  After you've caught your fish hold it by the lower jaw and slowly walk through the water, keeping the fish totally submerged.  When he bites down or tries to swim free, let him go.

If you're picking up your fish for a photo, hold it by the lower jaw with one hand, while supporting the fish's belly with your other hand.  A quick photo, and then let him swim off.

Be respectful of other beachgoers.  If many people are swimming, it's best to change locations.  Conflicts between anglers and other beach users may result in 'No Fishing' being added to the signs at the boardwalk.

Whether you're a seasoned tournament fishermen or a rookie angler, snook fishing on the beach can be a relaxing and exciting experience.  If nothing else, you get to enjoy a walk on the beach while the possibility of landing your next trophy fuels your next step.  And if it gets too hot out, you're already at the beach, so jump in and cool off.