Targeting snook on the Big Bend has become a viable species to catch over the past 7 years or so. Each area along the Big Bend has it’s own terrain or structure that anglers are catching snook. They are in the Withalacochee River, around Ceder Key and I’ve heard a few being caught around Stienhatchee. In my neck of the woods I like to target them with artificial lures. Any soft plastic and hard baits can work in most situations if they have good action. Glow and watermelon redflake soft plastic shrimp and paddle tails work well and for hard baits I like silver/black, silver/green and silver/chartreuse combinations. Using a 30 lb. florocarbon leader is a must because a snooks mouth and gill plate will cut the fight short when they jump or shake their head with any smaller leader. Not to say that 20 won’t work sometime, but your taking a chance. Creek mouths that are deep with rocky shorelines are great areas to target as with deep holes that get good tidal flow. I have the best luck on a high outgoing tide fishing these spots. On the outside keys snook will move in with the incoming tide and stage around points with hard bottoms. Before the tide gets moving good around these keys there are deep sand holes that these fish will lay up in. Some anglers have success with live chumming these snook to get the bite going as the guides do south of us in Tampa Bay. To keep a snook during the spring season ( March/April ) you must have a snook stamp. It’s one snook per angler with a slot size from 28″ to 33″. Incoming tide will be late evening or dark in the morning this weekend.
- Nature Coast - March 23, 2024
- William Toney - February 29, 2024
- Nature Coast - February 14, 2024
