snook season

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fishing friends! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, and were able to dodge all the rain storms we had over the weekend, with whatever you were doing! Well we now have the first two days of the fall snook season under our belts, and I have to say, just like always, it was a very dismal start to the season with not very many fish being caught.

I have learned over the years that they may be biting like gangbusters just before the season, as they did, then when it opens up, they’re gone! Happens every year in the fall. They go to school to learn this and how NOT to be around when all the anglers come from out of the woodwork to throw junk at them, plus all the boats anchored up around them, they just tense up and get “lock jaw.” They will be back on track in a week or so when the water cleans back up some. It did get pretty dirty over the weekend. There was plenty of mullet, greenies and pilchards around for food for all the other species to keep us entertained. Monster jacks, some reds and a few tarpon were around crashing the mullet schools on Friday and Saturday when I was down then, all throughout the inlet. Spanish mackerel, mutton snappers, mangrove snappers, and lookdowns and blue runners were keeping folks active. So with out further ado, here are your action spots.

North jetty

All weekend the winds had picked up and blew SSE 10-20 and just really dirtied up the water, but it remained warm at around 84-85, which it needs to cool down some to really spark the action we had a couple weeks ago when it was that temp. The last of the incoming tide over the weekend did produce some snook hookups, but not like it was a week ago. Most fish caught were either too big, or too small to keep, and had to go back. There were just a couple slot fish caught that I know of. Outgoing tide at the tip there were some big snook being hooked up on live mullet, but again, too big to keep. Along with them were also a few big redfish caught, same bait, live mullet. But you still CAN NOT keep reds. On the beach side of the jetty, both tides the spanish mackerel were biting pretty good on live greenies fished either on a float line, or freelining them. Most fish were in the 14-16 inch range, and several limits of 15 were caught by some anglers. Around the pilings of the jetty, and the rock shoreline from the jetty to the bridge they were catching some nice mangrove snapper in the 11-13 inch range on either live or dead greenies, or the tiny majorra, and shrimp. The muttom snappers that were around have seemed to slowed down a bit, but they are still catching them, but again, all short of the 18 inches they need to be.

South Jetty

Over on this side the action on the outgoing tide has been at the tip with cut bait. Blue runners, small jack crevalle, black margates, and some small mangrove snappers were being caught, along with plenty of those pesky kitty fish, as the water has been so dirty from the wind switch, and big surf. Incoming tide, all along the shoreline from the tip to the bridge, once it gets going a bit the snook and redfish bite has been pretty good on this side all along the shoreline. Any live bait is producing fish, but again, most of them are either too big, or too small, most have been too small the guys said. This side is notorious for the smaller snook. You might catch a bunch, but there are usually some slots in with them, ya just have to weed through them. Also being caught over here are the mangrove snapper, small live baits, or cut bait such as shrimp and greenies will work for them.

T-Dock area

Back here around the dock pilings the small snappers are keeping folks busy, muttons and mangroves. Small live bait, and cut dead baits are the baits of choice. The incoming tide, if you get some cleaner water back here, the snook and reds are biting live mullet, croakers, and flair jigs at night. Also, back here on both tides when the big schools of mullet are around, you can toss one out to the channel area, or large silver spoons, and mix it up with the huge 15–20-pound jack crevalles that are chasing them through the inlet. You might even get hooked up with a tarpon, I have seen them around, and they usually show up in the fall to feed on the schools of mullet.

Surf Area, both sides

The surf on the south side has been pretty much blown out with the winds and big waves making the water pretty muddy. The north side surf for the most part has been pretty clean all along the state park shoreline. For the cut bait anglers using shrimp or fish bites, expect to catch some whiting and croakers, and possibly a small black drum or two. I saw a couple caught on the jetty last week, so they are around. And for the heavy-duty bait guys, the mullet are still coming down the coastline, but not like they were last week. If you see them, either fish a medium swim bait in and around them, or cast net some and fish them in the wash. Big snook, big reds, tarpon and jacks, not to mention the sharks all possibly could be there for some action.

Well guys and gals, that’s it for this weeks report, the action has slowed a tad on the snook, but everything else is still on target for this time of the year. So grab your gear, and some bait, water, and get out and enjoy the inlet, and catch some dinner, or a trophy!! Snookman.