The Common Snook is an iconic Central and South Florida game fish. But anglers can find them across the world in locations as diverse as South Texas and tropical destinations in Central America. But Florida is Snook “central.” And other than the Common Snook, one estuary—the St. Lucie River—is home to all five major subspecies. But only the Common Snook exceeds 6 pounds and grows to as much as 40 pounds—and more.
Snook on Florida’s east coast are a slightly different strain to those on the Gulf coast, and Atlantic fish live to about 15 years of age, compared to 12 years for Gulf fish. They also tend to be larger. Indeed, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission recognizes this and has created separate regulations for the two regions.
In this article, though, I’ll focus on a specific way of targeting these tough-fighting creatures. Night fishing for Snook adds even more intrigue to going after this beloved fish. So let’s get started…
Nighttime is the Right Time
Snook are basically nocturnal. Linesiders (as Florida anglers often call them), prefer to feed in either low-light conditions or at night. And they seem to turn on when the weather is unsettle. So windy, rainy nights can be especially productive.
Some anglers swear that the full moon is the best moon phase but I’ve never noticed an increase in action. However, the bright moonlight on a clear night does make it easier to fish, make your way around a boat, bank, or bridge, and better see where you’re casting your baits, lures, or flies. Most veteran night anglers report good action on dark nights, too. But ambient light is plentiful when you fish lighted bridges and docks especiallyl.
Of course, it helps to wear a headlamp and have good spotlights aboard your boat to tie on lures and flies, tie knots, and hook live baits. And that’s without mentioning safety while fishing and running from spot to spot! Speaking of lights, it’s essential that your boat’s running lights are working so that other anglers can see you.
Snook Night Fishing: Artificial Lures
A plethora of artificial lures imitating bait fish and shrimp—and sometimes crabs—are deadly when night fishing for Snook. You can fish bucktail or plastic-tail jigs in ways to imitate any of the three prey species.
Snook are unique in that they’re “up-feeders” and bottom feeders thanks to their undershot bottom jaw. This effectively scoops prey from bottom sediment. Therefore, they’re equally adept at busting a floating surface lure, a bottom-bouncing jig, or a swimming lure in the middle water column. When I gaze at the pegboards of tackle shops, I wonder, which of these will a Snook not eat? Not many!
Jigs
These lures lead the pack when it comes to big nighttime Snook. The Flare Hawk is a 1–2 oz lead head with a nylon skirt that “blooms” as it’s worked in the water column or bounced along the bottom. In Florida, First Light Jigs produces them in a handful of color combinations, and they normally have one tuft of nylon that’s about 3 inches longer than the rest of the skirt.
They’re, at best, impressionistic—lacking the realism that so many “hard” lures and soft swimbaits have today. And it matters little. It’s “finesse fishing” in that you must keep constant contact with the jig with your rodtip, in a current that can often be strong.
Expert jig anglers either anchor their boat or keep it in position under bridges via an electric motor. They then cast the jig upcurrent and “roll” it along bottom, with a taut line to detect the sometimes subtle bite. Some anglers think a big jig might even look like a juvenile Snook, which a bruiser Snook is more than happy to eat! Otherwise, it passes off as a croaker, mullet, or similar bait fish. In any case, it can work wonders!
Topwater Plugs
The classic Heddon Zara Spook or popular Rapala Skitterwalk and Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil can be worked on the surface at night in a deadly “walk the dog” manner that makes the lure look like an injured mullet.
These lures are best employed when Snook are feeding on mullet around bridges and shallow shorelines. Subsurface lures are your best bet around bridges, jetties, and inlet shorelines. Many have actions built in, and wobble to give off vibrations that help Snook zero in on them at night. The Bomber Long A is an old favorite that you can troll slowly with an outboard motor to cover maximum water without casting.
Swim Baits
I’ll round out the nighttime Snook lure selection with soft-plastic swim baits that have built-in lead jigheads. Examples include the Rapala Storm Wildeye Swim Shad. Soft-plastic jerkbaits and plastic shrimp are terrific for Snook close to the surface around docks and bridges.
The Zoom Super Fluke is a good example that can be rigged with a wide-gap hook to make the lure snag less around pilings. DOA Lures produces its popular shrimp in many colors and two sizes. The company’s quarter-ounce shrimp in clear or “glow” is a great choice under lighted docks.
Snook Night Fishing: Natural Baits
Live shrimp, mullet, croakers, scaled sardines, crabs, mullet heads, a half-dead mullet, a shrimp-and-jig combo, half a small ladyfish… These are just some bait options that make up the Snook smorgasbord. Snook take them all, so the only challenge is to rig them correctly to present them naturally.
You have to observe what’s going on where you’re fishing. Are you fishing at anchor at a bridge where there’s a strong current? Then free-lining a live bait fish (mullet, scaled sardine, croaker) back to the structure is the ticket. Do this while anchored or idling with a motor to hold position.
You can opt to add a sliding egg sinker above the live bait to get it down to the bottom, especially if there is little current and the Snook are near the bottom. You can also fish the bait under a small float to keep tabs on it and keep it just under the surface.
The same options apply to big live shrimp, which can be very deadly when the water is alive with mullet. A shrimp will stand out and sometimes outfish everything else. The only drawback to live bait is fishing in estuary waters in summer and fall when heavy rain runoff lowers the salinity substantially. Then, your live baits, especially shrimp, die in the live well due to fresh water.
Best Tackle for Snook Night Fishing
Spinning and Baitcasting
These options are great for presenting live and natural baits, along with artificial lures. Live-baiters often fish around structure such as bridges and inlet jetties at night, so tend to choose heavier gear to take the fight to the Snook.
Purists who prefer to fish lures favor lighter gear that makes casting repeatedly more pleasurable. Outfits in the 17–25-pound class are considered medium-heavy to heavy. Light Snook gear falls in the 10–17-pound class.
Fly Fishing
Fly fishers often outfish anglers wherever nighttime fishing pressure is heavy. Snook in metropolitan areas, which are commonplace in Florida, see a lot of lures, so they can become wise to them. That’s when flyrod streamers shine.
Flyrod anglers flock to lighted bridges where distinct shadow lines set up ambush situations for the Snook that swim on the dark edge of a lighted surface, waiting for prey to come through with the current. Casts along these shadow lines with either floating or sinking lines are often rewarded. Sometimes you can see the fish themselves if the light is bright enough, or see them bust bait fish on the surface, calling for a quick cast with a streamer right to the spot.
The best bite seems to occur a couple of hours either side of a tide change. The bite will shut off for a bit on slack current. Though you can anchor and present flies, it’s far more effective to fish with an electric trolling motor to maneuver along the bridge, and then chase down a big hooked fish.
Bridge Snook normally range anywhere from 7–25 pounds or more, calling for 9 wt rods at least. 10 wt rods are even better to help you cast 5–6″ inch streamers on hook sizes 1/0 to 3/0 for the biggest Snook.
All-white, olive-and-white, and purple or black streamers all work. Popular patterns include the Lefty’s Deceiver, Sea-Ducer, Woolhead Mullet, EP Mullet and others. Big, bushy Marabou Muddlers are good shrimp imitations, too. Bite tippets should test at least 40 pounds for these rough-lipped fish in these surroundings.
Docklight Fly Fishing
Docklight fishing is the most visual and popular night Snook fly fishing. Many lights are incandescent, hung above the surface. Many dock owners choose underwater “green” LED lights, which look “cool” and are suspended under the surface. Each type of light has its fans, although I find that dimmer above-water lights can attract more fish and keep them off-edge because they don’t feel as conspicuous.
The lights attract small prey primarily—marine minnows and juvenile shrimp and crabs—and they’re best imitated with like-sized flies. Minnow or shrimp patterns no longer than 2 inches are best, tied on strong (heavy-wire) no. 2, 4, and even no. 6 hooks for the smallest flies.
Current is everything, remember. Snook will face the tidal flow in anticipation of food swept their way. Some nights, the fish are most receptive to your fly if you cast it in the dark water outside the halo of light and let it sweep in naturally. Other nights, it matters little. Snook actively popping prey at the surface will grab you fly even if you land it right on the heads! After a hookup or two, the fish can wise up, requiring you to back the boat off and rest them for a few minutes before showing them the fly again.
Docklight fishing is best done with a floating line. Keep in mind that docks and dock lights are private property. Though there is no law against fishing public water around docks but be respectful, never go onto a private dock, do your best to not snag flies or lures on the structures, and keep quiet while fishing. Dock owners will quickly turn off their lights if you make a disturbance. Use common sense!
Peak Snook Night Fishing Season
Night Snook fishing can be done nearly all year round, with the exception of especially cold winter periods that drive the water temperature below 64 or 65 degrees. If the waters drop to under 60, the tropical fish shut down. The fish can even die if it drops below 55ºF for a few days in a row. And this happened all over South Florida in 2010.
The best night Snook fishing is from March through November. Tampa Bay on the Gulf and Daytona Beach on the Atlantic coast offer some of the best action in Florida. Just beware of the closed (catch-and-release) seasons:
- Atlantic coast: June 1–August 31 and December 15–January 31
- Gulf coast: May 1–September 1
Otherwise, you can check out the Laguna Madre in Texas or Central American hotspots like Quepos, Costa Rica. You can even hit the Carribean and hunt Puerto Rico’s inshore fishing grounds. While the seasons may differ, the techniques will remain the same!
Snook Night Fishing: A Thrilling, Rewarding Adventure
I’ve guided many anglers to night Snook catches in the St. Lucie River and nearby Indian River Lagoo, and find the catch-and-release seasons (outlined above) to be the best. There are fewer anglers on the water at this time. And, on weeknights—especially after midnight—you practically have the waters to yourself. That means you have the fish all to yourself, too. Come and join for a thrilling adventure!
Have you ever been Snook fishing at night? How was your experience? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
