Night time continues to be the right time for snook. The snook bite after dark has been super all summer long with most trips being very productive. At the end of the day its still fishing and not all trips go as planned. Last night went as planned, snook and a host of others were eager to play. Early this summer I wrote how we used small weights more often and increased our redfish, snapper and grouper catch from the very same docks and bridges. At any one time we would have a bait fly lined, one at a middle depth and one hugging the bottom. Typical water depth 8-10'.
We made only 4 stops with each location producing. It's great when the plan works! Spotted Sea trout invaded one of my regular snook docks and inhaled both live baits and soft plastic shrimp imitations. The trout were like clones all around 15". The DOA Glo shrimp was almost a sure thing with most casts being hit on the initial drop. We moved a short distance and found snook thick on docks lights of a local dock side restaurant. I felt like I was at the Florida Aquarium or Bass Pro shop giant aquarium watching 20 or 30 snook swimming in 3 lights. Imagine how many are out of view in the shadows. Lots of noise and movement did not deter the action. We could see the snook chasing bait so we quickly free lined white baits into the mix and got bit almost immediately. It was like a fire alarm, lines going everywhere. I love it, as I often call it Combat Fishing 101. I swear snook have one mission and that's to treat you poorly and make a mess of your line. Several redfish kept things interesting and made for another Tampa Bay Grand Slam.
If you hadn't noticed daytime snook fishing is hot as is the night snook action. You can feel the change coming, lower humidity and lower temperatures. The water is still pushing 85 but with shorter days and cooler daytime temperatures will soon push temps into the 70's. Tomorrow mornings trip will be focused on snook and redfish early then Bonita and Mackerel near the top of the morning tide. Check back soon for details.
Capt. Steven
