fort pierce snook

Bobby wanted to catch his first snook and even though this one wasn’t his first it was his personal best! The thirty inch snook ate a topwater plug near the mangroves!

The lackluster fishing in the jungles of Fort Pierce has finally improved. If I had to guess, I’d say the cooler water temperatures are having a positive effect on the local predators feeding activity. I’d also say the slowly declining water levels might be convincing more fish to leave the deep mangrove jungles and take up stations on the outer perimeters, where we can get to them.

Tidal (current) changes seem to be the most active times recently with the hour before and after the changes giving us the most activity. However, any point or structure with a good current flow will likely see sporadic activity if baitfish are present.

Live shrimp brought us a very mixed bag, including snook, mangrove snapper, jacks, ladyfish, barracuda and a few undesirables. Live fingerling mullet will improve your chances of a keeper snook when free-lined near mangrove roots or other structure like docks, rocks and seawalls.

Recently we had a banner morning tossing topwater plugs along the mangroves in one of my favorite jungle haunts. Plenty of snook, up to thirty inches, were caught from first light until a bit past nine o’clock. Quite a few others greedily ate our Z-Man Jerk Shadz “skipped” under the tree limbs. If you like close-quarter combat fishing, learn to skip a lure under tree limbs and docks!

If open water is your thing, the inlet and turning basin are holding lots of snook, both small and trophy sized. Jack crevalle are abundant, hungry and on the prowl throughout the day and a few Spanish mackerel are coming and going. Live shrimp, pilchards (when they appear) and finger mullet will entice all of these critters and more. Lures imitating these natural baits will catch a few too.