Offshore Action

[SirSnookalot]

Hot, humid, no wind and a slow drift but managed to get some yellowtail, big rainbow runners and some kings, about 15 pounders. Glad I fished an inshore outfit rather than a boat rod, kings were a blast on lite tackle, freelining with 1/4 oz bucktail.

Fished the beach at Hobe Sound a couple of days ago, big ground swells and snook were hitting, 1 guy caught 25 #, mine weren't quite slot, c'est la vie, bluefish were getting active too.

Got a report that the ladyfish are on the beach at Lantana & Boynton, since I have incoming tide tomorrow morning it's tarpon then ladyfish (aka poorman's tarpon) on the beach.

[Bassn Blvd]

Wow, no wind and no drift usualy sucks. I went to inlet two nites ago and caught one snook and lost one. Both on mullet. The lady fish should be a blast on small jigs, excellent snook bait too.

[SirSnookalot]

Get your slot?

I've caught those lady fish in water less than 6", practically on the sand. They hit anything, but will destroy any lure, I mostly fish spoons for them.

A 5 pound ladyfish feels like a 20 pounder, pulls drag out like a bonefish and jump like a tarpon.

[WHYoWHY]

I have read your your posts, and you seem to have the most knowledge on how to get those linesiders. I have been trying very hard to get one since the first, and it has been tough to say the least. Boynton Inlet, Jupiter inlet, the Juno Pier, and a few other select locations No Snook. I have caught them before, but it seem like when you want to get them they are very tough to get. Help me if you can.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't tell you the days when I don't catch them, like today lol. That's a great one in your avatar! Without being there I'm willing to bet that fish was caught on bait, imo this time of year it is not that hard to catch those big slobs using bait, I see it done quite often. I strictly use artificial and this has been a very difficult year for them, my numbers and sizes are not as good as last year. Beach production is dismal, I even went up to Hobe Sound and didn't do all that great, I'm hearing the same thing from many snook fisherman I know.

If you can catch bass you can catch snook, there isn't that much difference. Like bass fishing one needs to know how and when snook feed, and where they should be. I prefer the outgoing tide, even on the beach, snook like dirty water, fast current. They are lazy, they swim thru bait and just inhale, hopefully they inhale yours. There are always exceptions, I've caught great fish when the conditions were not favorable, that said outgoing tide in ICW or an inlet, tide is less important on the beach. Cast side to side on the beach in a few feet of water, they like the trough, if the water is flat your chances are reduced. Any lure will do, soft plastics on jig heads, spoons, hard jerk baits and bucktails, topwater don't seem to produce as well for me, but people do use them. Be patient, the windier and rougher the water the better snook fishing should be, our weather has been clam this year. Mullet run is happening soon, Juno will be on fire ( I'm sure I'll be up there, but not on the pier), if using live bait, try cutting one of the fins or tail fin, isolates them from the rest of the school.

[Bassn Blvd]

I primarilly fish for snook in the ICW. I fish mainly at nite and target lighted docks and bridges. The snook will hide in the shadow and face the current waiting for their prey to swim/drift by and then inhale it. I prefer the last hour and half of the incoming and first hour and half of the out going tide. Just like Sirsnook said, snook like the current. Snook fisherman will plan their trip based on the tide and almost all snook fisherman will agree that the worst time to catch snook is on slack tide (not impossible but not ideal).

The baits I prefer to use when fishing on docks are live shrimp and live mullet. I use 25-30 pound mono with 40-60 pound leader. Flip the shrimp or mullet parralell to the shadow and let the current take the bait a few feet under the dock and then repeat your flip. You only need to use about 6-12 feet of line.

On the bridges I prefer live mullet, fished the same as the dock, but straight 60 pound mono.

Inlets I prefer live croaker, sandperch, mullet, feathers and plugs.

[SirSnookalot]

I've coming down to Florida for 30 years, been here full time the last 7, this has been the most disappointing year of fishing I have experienced. Hard to catch even blue runners on artificial this year. Bassn' has the right ticket, live bait is the way to go to improve your chances, especially for a slot.

Going offshore again today, this time time off Singer island, weather forceast looks decent, we'll see, I enabled my GPS, if I get a nice Cobia you'll know where I caught it, lol.

[WHYoWHY]

Good luck on that cobia, I havn't heard about too many cobia being caught. Allot of kings out there, bottom fishing has been good out there. Dolphin over the last couple of weeks. Go get em. I won't be able to try again until Wed.

[SirSnookalot]

It was dead, I caught 1 snapper and that was it. My guys caught quite a few bottom fish but I don't do chicken rigs with 8 oz of weight. Going offshore and catching 1-2# fish is not what I call exciting. I wound up casting a spoon for a few hours which is really very unproductive out there and it was.

[Bassn Blvd]

8oz weight? I guess the current was a little stronger today then it was the other day.

[SirSnookalot]

It was a funny drift, it was fine for 1 oz, when I switched to 2 oz I was under the boat, but no where near bottom, I didn't care for it. I won't fish anything heavier than a 3 oz and I don't much like that. I'm looking for bigger fish in higher in the water column, if I wanted 2# fish I can catch bass in my backyard.

[WHYoWHY]

I think i will be going somewhere tomorrow. Not sure where and when, I guess I will have to keep an eye on the tides.