Here we are in August already and it is the middle of the summer doldrums. There have been a few surprises this summer that should continue through August, one of them has been a brisk breeze that has kept us cool and comfortable in spite of the summer heat. August is still prime time snook fishing month and that fishing has been a bit tougher than usual, but my hope is that August will bring us calm mornings and a better snook bite. Remember snook fishing is catch-and-release this month so land these girls carefully, snap a quick picture and put them back in the water.
What constitutes a careful release? Well, holding them horizontally with support around the belly. Make sure to execute a careful release to ensure the fish swims away on its own. A great idea is to have a landing on board so you can slide the fish into the landing net while keeping them in the water at all times until ready for release or pictures. This allows the fish to continue breathing and recover quicker ensuring a healthy population of our favorite linesiders.
The tackle that I prefer for snook fishing in Miami is the same that I would use for permit fishing, which is a 7 foot medium action rod spooled with 30 pound braid and a 4000 class reel. As far as terminal tackle I use a Bimini twist for my double line on my braid and attach 40lb test fluorocarbon leader by way of a surgeon’s knot. Some people prefer to use circle hooks when live baiting snook and while that is not a bad idea I have had zero issues using 1/0 J hooks for snook and I have not gut any fish.
The bait of choice this month for snook is live pilchards or live pinfish. These baits are great and if there is a snook around, you can bet that it will engulf your pilchard or pinfish in short order. While I fish strictly during the day, there is something to be said for snook fishing at night. And a tried-and-true tactic is trolling large lipped plugs along the bridges at night using stout tackle in the 40 to 50lb class spinning gear. Typically the snook that will hit these plugs are the over slot, so get ready for some solid hand-to-hand combat once you hook up. For the live bait guys, pinfish and pilchards are still the way to go, but don’t ignore a large live shrimp drifted behind the boat under a jig in between the bridge pilings.
As the kids get geared up to return to school make sure to get them out on the boat as often as possible keeping them safe in life jackets and spending some quality time before our lives get busy once again. Have a great August everyone!
Capt. Mo Estevez
(786) 853-1409