Surf Fishing for Snook

Holly of Black Dog Bait & Tackle shows off the snook she caught surf fishing in Melbourne Beach.

Time to Go Surf Fishing for Snook

When it comes to surf fishing, this is the time of year that we all wait for… Oodles of bait fish are congregating in the surf along the beach and they’re following by a good variety of predatory gamefish that are hungry and ready to fill their bellies. Among these species are the highly coveted snook. You might not be able to keep them until the season opens September 1st, but they are out biting in the surf and they sure are a heck of a lot of fun to catch! Here are some tips to get on your way landing these awesome fish in the surf.

Baiting Up

To catch a snook from the surf, the first step is getting bait. Fortunately, the bait is plentiful and readily available right on the beach. Your best bet is whiting and croaker. Both of these are unregulated species and have no restrictive size limits. You won’t have much trouble loading up on these fish with a pompano rig baited with shrimp, clam, sand fleas, or Fishbites.

Getting Rigged

Once you’ve got your whiting or croaker, put it on a single hook rig with a bit heavier of a mono. 30 lb test should do, but you may want to go heavier if you’re targeting larger snook. Next, attach a sinker slide or egg weight before the leader. And finally, cast your line into the trough, wait, and get ready to hold on for a fun fight!

Landing A Snook

If you follow the above advice and put the time in, you WILL hook up with a snook in the surf this time of year. When that time comes, be sure that care is taken when landing the fish. Take a photo as quickly as possible, remove the hook, and help the fish return healthily back into the water.

Take advantage of this beautiful weather and get to the beach and catch some snook!