De-Lightful Snook

	De-Lightful Snook by Walt Jennings
`Copyright Š1998 Reel-Time`	In Florida, snook are 10 times more plentiful than bonefish, but equally hard to catch. If you've never caught a snook, you may be fishing in the wrong place at the wrong time - or you may be at the right place, but there at the wrong time, as snook are as difficult to catch as the above statement is confusing. However, here is a typical snook fishing scenario that takes place at night. Idling up to a bridge that crosses the intra-coastal waterway on Florida's west coast we heard a distinctive "pop" and looked to see the resultant swirl under the light just ahead convincing us that a snook had consumed an unsuspecting meal. Slipping the anchor overboard ever so quietly, we positioned our boat about 30 feet down current from the light shining down into the water off of the bridge's protective fender system.
The Night Time Bridges and Docks Tackle and Flies Another nice snook slips back into the murky darkness of the night waters. Ask Walt a question in the Florida Forum on Reel-Talk. He's a frequent contributor, and there's plenty of discussion about snook. Florida Regional Discussion Area ...and don't forget to check his weekly FishWire reports!	We could see five or six snook under the light with their snouts pointed into the current, and their tails waving slowly back and forth holding them in position. Every few seconds one would dart to one side or the other to inhale a passing shrimp or baitfish suspended in the passing current and illuminated by the light. Rick Grassett (941-923-7799), one of the West Coast of Florida's best snook guides, cast a crystal shrimp (tied on a #2 ss hook) ten feet up-current of the light and slowly retrieved it back through the edge of the illuminated water. The explosion that resulted sent showers of water in all directions as a 3 pound snook tried to free itself from the stainless steel hook imbedded in its jaw. Over the next 4 hours we fished the lights under three more bridges and numerous private docks in Venice, Florida, boating and releasing eighteen of the twenty snook we were to hook that night. The Night Time is the Right Time Snook generally lie on or near the bottom around the structure they have chosen to call home, and when the sun is up there is enough ambient light available for them to see and feed far below the surface. Nighttime is a different story. If you want to improve your chances of catching snook, take a break from the hustle and bustle of daytime fishing and try night fishing around either the intra-coastal waterway bridges, or docks on either coast of Florida. On the east coast, the bridges and docks in the Stuart and Jupiter areas are particularly productive, but many other bridges and docks both north and south of these locations also have good snook habitat. Snook are found around bridges and docks because snook like protection - structures and habitat to hide under, and structures and habitat around which they can find a meal. Whether you fish during daylight or at night, the most important item you should remember about snook fishing is to fish around some kind of structure; and there are very few structures that provide as good a habitat for snook as the bridge fender systems that surround and protect the intra-coastal waterway bridges or docks. Another item to look for when fishing for snook is current. Snook like moving current, and will lie facing the current waiting for a meal to come drifting to them; the stronger the current, the more they seem to feed. I have had many anglers tell me that they only catch snook on an incoming tide or vice-versa, but personally I haven't noticed much difference. Whether you catch snook on an incoming or an outgoing tide, stick with what works for you; remember, this article deals with fishing at night around bridges and docks, and both incoming and outgoing tides have worked equally well for me. Bridges and Docks Almost every bridge on the intra-coastal waterway will sustain an abundant population of snook due to the structure, current, and supply of food that is ever present around bridges. If you take a little time to scout the bridge and its fender system during the day you will find the well worn paths leading down from the bridge approaches to the edge of the water. These daytime reconnaissance missions will help you to familiarize yourself with the bridge so you will know what is where when you return at night. And after spending a night or two there, you will understand why this type of fishing is one of the best kept secrets in Florida. You may never have noticed while driving over a bridge, but at night most intra-coastal waterway bridges have bright lights near the water shining down towards the water along their fender systems. These illuminated areas draw a food chain of small baitfish that in turn attract snook (and other gamefish). In addition to the light drawing baitfish, you also have two of the snooks favorite elements present here - STRUCTURE and CURRENT. Frequently snook will lie directly under the light as if they were daring you to cast a fly, but unfortunately you can often dangle a tempting morsel directly in front of their nose, and they will ignore it. Snook are very finicky feeders, so have patience, eventually they will be in a feeding mood, and your diligence will be rewarded with explosive action. Whether around a bridge or dock, snook will lie facing the current awaiting a meal carried by the current to drift by, so when casting to them, you should position your self down current, just like in a river. You then make your cast upcurrent and let the fly drift downcurrent, just like a shrimp or baitfish would do if it were being naturally carried by the current. If your cast is made downcurrent and retrieved into the current, your offering will not look normal to Mr. or Mrs. Snook, which means a certain refusal.
	Tackle and Flies The flies shown in the photo have all proven to be productive for snook at night around bridges and docks, however, snook seem to have favorite flies, so others may work better in some areas. My favorite are the 2 crystal shrimp pictured on the left, and of these 2, the weighted/sinking version is the more productive of the two. You will notice that all of the flies shown are small - you don't need large flies to catch large snook (not necessarily so when using natural bait). With light 8 and 10 lb test tippet you should be able to place these flies just about anyplace you want to as fly placement is very important in nighttime as well as daytime snook fishing. When fishing the bridge or dock lights at night, cast your fly well beyond the light, and retrieve it back through and along the perimeter of the area illuminated by the light. If fishing is slow try a variety of different retrieval techniques as you can never tell what will look good to a snook on any particular night. A 6 to 8 wt rod is sufficient for nighttime snook fishing, and a clear slow sinking line is preferred, but floaters, other intermediates and even sinking lines will all work.
An assortment of productive snook flies.	When hooked, snook will invariably take off for the protection of the bridge or dock supports, or surrounding structure. With smaller test tippets, you will lose some of these tackle busters to the barnacle and other growth around the bridge or dock structures if you are unable to stop their initial run. But most of the snook you will catch will be small, and they are weary of heavy tippet, so I generally do not exceed using anything heavier than 12 lb test. Unlike other species, populations of small snook on the West Coast of Florida have increased steadily since 1982, when closed seasons and size limits were first imposed on this scrappy gamefish by the Department of Natural Resources; and they have increased in numbers even more dramatically since 1984 when the closure was extended to include their spawning period - a classic example of the proper regulation of a resource. If this sound management continues, snook may become one of the species we will be able to show our children, not just tell them about.