Cooler water temps bring on red hot snook action
The aftermath of our first cold front has had a positive impact for fishers targeting snook.
Although the bite the first day after the front was challenging, the days since have been exceptional. Our local snook have gotten a taste of water temperatures and are now ravenously feeding on every bait that passes in front of their noses. They are bulking up in preparation for winter, before their food gets scarce.
Catching 40-50 snook in a session is not unheard of right now. Strong incoming tides in the morning are proving prosperous when searching for the bite.
If you’re on the fish and they’re not biting, be patient. When that tide gets cranking, so will the snook. Most abundant are under-size fish, in the 20-26 inch range, although I’m seeing at least a couple slot-size fish come aboard daily.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business Charters is fishing the flats of Tampa and Sarasota bays with good results. Snook, redfish and spotted seatrout are seeing the inside of Gross’ Dorado boat, the Fishy Business. To catch these species, Gross is free-lining live shiners over lush grass flats during strong moving tides. Slot sizes of all three species are hitting the fillet table at the end of the day.
While fishing inshore structure in Tampa Bay, Gross is finding good numbers of mangrove snapper and flounder. Both species are readily taking live shiners fished on a bottom rig. You can also expect to encounter Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle and blue runners.
Jonny Keyes at Island Discount Tackle is stocking up his freezer with mangrove snapper, grouper and flounder caught on an offshore trip with Capt. Mac Gregory. The two are venturing out to nearshore structure and returning with plenty of respectably sized fish, especially mangrove snapper. Snapper up to 20 inches are being caught on live shiners fished on the bottom. The same rig and bait are producing the grouper and flounder bite.
While fishing around the near shore structure, Keyes is finding action on Spanish mackerel and bonito by trolling spoons behind the bait. Spanish mackerel of 24 inches just can’t resist a trolled spoon, according to Keyes. The same applies for the bonito.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says mangrove snapper are available for fishers using live shrimp or shiners as bait. Keeper-size snapper are being caught by casting baits under the pier near the pilings. By working under the pier, anglers are encountering flounder, black drum and the occasional redfish.
Spanish mackerel can be caught during the morning hours around sunrise. Pier fishers casting spoons or jigs to the edges of the bait schools are getting the bite. While targeting macks, expect to catch jack crevalle, ladyfish and blue runners.
Capt. Warren Girle is fishing nearshore structure with exceptional results. By anchoring over rock pile and other debris, Girle is catching mangrove snapper of 20 inches. The snapper bite is so good, Girle is releasing 14-inch fish so he can keep larger fish. To find these snapper, Girle is working in 60 feet of water at a range of 7-8 miles offshore.
In these depths, Girle is also finding Spanish mackerel, shark and a few cobia. For all three species, Girle is free-lining live shiners combined with a 40-pound fluorocarbon leader and a long shank hook.
Moving inshore, Girle is finding shallow-water redfish in abundance. By using his trolling motor to quietly move across the flat, Girle is directing clients to cast baits into sandy potholes, resulting in hookups with the unsuspecting reds.
Finally, spotted seatrout and flounder are being caught throughout the deeper grass flats. Again, Girle is working the sandy potholes to trigger a strike. Slot-size spotted seatrout are being filleted daily, as well as flounder up to 17 inches in length.
Capt. Mark Howard of SumoTime fishing charters reports rallies of redfish and snook, making for some exceptional memories for his charter clients.
He’s finding schools of redfish and snook cruising the flats on the incoming tides, on the feed as they make their way up into the bushes. Howard recommends looking for the schools of mullet to find the fish highway. Shiners and small pinfish have been the bait of choice for Howard.
Using a 30-pound fluorocarbon leader, 1/0 Owner circle hook and a popping cork, Howard instructs his clients to throw the nose-hooked shiner into the boils of the fish and pop the cork to make a gurgling sound. He says the redfish and snook have been reacting to the gurgles and the flash of the bait with ferocious abandon. Howard’s clients have had 40 fish days in the past week.
Looking forward, he says the fishing will continue to be “red hot” as we have big outgoing tides early in the mornings. “Try to time your trip to match the fastest of the current movement,” Howard adds.
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