S eptember 1 starts snook season and there is no better place in the state to catch snook then Sebastian Inlet. Anglers fishing in boats and shore bound anglers can fish both the north and south jetties day and night. Daytime outgoing tide is good to fish the tips of both jetties with live pinfish, pigfish, mojarra and croakers. At night anglers in boats will drift the fenders under the bridge with live bait or troll Rapala Super Shad raps along the fenders for some very good action as well. Anglers fishing from the jetties and catwalk at night will be fishing bucktail jigs and Hogy lures from 1 1/2oz to 2 oz.
Guys throwing hard baits use Rapala XRap 14 in mullet, hot pink or bunker, or TA Subdarters and Bomber lures long A or windcheaters. While snook will be the main target this month, anglers will also have a lot of fun catching the big reds and big jack crevalle as well using the same techniques.
The creeks from Sebastian to Melbourne are a good place to target tarpon and snook in September. Look for tarpon rolling and fish live finger mullet or greenie on a 5/0 VMC circle hook. The docks in all of the creeks also hold good numbers of snook that can be fished with live bait, subsurface plugs or DOA shrimp. If you can find a creek with plenty of bait, you should have good success with snook and tarpon, just be sure to gear up for the fish when fishing around the docks.
There should also be some more bait in the lagoon on the flats with grass that is coming back. Gator trout as well as snook, jacks, redfish and ladfish will be mixed in with the mullet. Topwater lures like the Rapala Skitterwalk and XRap Pop as well as the new TA Crossover popper are my favorite to use on the flats.
The mullet run should be started in September. Anglers can follow the fish along the beaches from Melbourne Beach south to Vero Beach. Tarpon, sharks, snook, kingfish and cobia can be caught in the schools of mullet with live baits and artificial lures. I like to rig the mullet on a 7-9/0 VMC tournament circle hook from 4’-6’ of 60-80lb leader while fishing the mullet schools. Try to keep ahead of the schools using your trolling motor as your outboard engine will push the tarpon down and keep them from feeding.