The snook and trout bite has been pretty solid lately along mangrove shorelines and around docks. Most of my trips this week were early mornings, with one evening trip mixed in. The best morning bite came from shorelines getting direct sun — especially spots slightly out of the wind but still with a little bit of water flow. Paddle tails, topwaters, and artificial shrimp have all been getting the job done.

My evening trip was Monday night, and conditions were a bit tougher with a strong north wind. I focused on the southern sides of a few spoil islands for some protection. I saw a few mullet jumping but no big schools of bait around. Eventually, I heard a pop off in the distance, eased over, and hooked into a fat 20-inch trout. I ended up catching four more solid trout before moving on to find some current.

I wrapped things up working a windblown shoreline with a small paddle tail. The bite was quiet until I came across a big pocket where the current broke to the left — that’s where this nice snook was sitting, waiting for an easy meal.

The fall bite is really starting to fire up, and things should only get better as the water cools down.