Jigs do the job fished in deep potholes on chilly days. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Rick Grassett)
October 29, 2024
By Frank Sargeant
East coast snook have it a lot easier than west coast snook because the warm waters of the Florida Current (commonly called the Gulf Stream) pass just a few miles off the beach in the southern half of the state, providing a sure refuge in severe chills. But the fish do move when late December and January chills arrive.
Tagging studies by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission (FWC) indicate that some snook migrate southward as inshore water temperature drops along the beaches. It’s likely fish also move south chasing the mullet migrations that pour down along East coast beaches in fall, which naturally puts them in warmer water for the winter months.
Water temperature averages along the beaches from Miami to Stuart are around 70 degrees in January, which means the fish don’t have to go anywhere to stay lively and feeding, but they do seem to push up the rivers here, just as on the west coast, to some degree. They also settle into deep shipping channels and turning basins as well as deeper residential canals. You won’t find them out in the passes and on the jetties as in summer, for the most part, and definitely not up on the grass flats unless there’s one of those unusual 80-degree January afternoons with bright sun to warm up the shallows.
Snook harvest is closed most of the winter, so prompt release of fish is a must. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Rick Grassett) North of Stuart, where the beach bends westward a bit and away from the Florida Current, the water is cooler and the fish definitely don’t stay on the beaches as much in winter. At Cocoa Beach the average is 68 in January, and that’s enough to send snook looking for more comfortable locations—they become lethargic at 65, and are in trouble below 60 for extended periods.
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Where to Find East Coast Winter Snook Miami: Government Cut, the Miami River and the Oleta River Fort Lauderdale: Dania Cutoff, New River and Port Everglades Jupiter: The Loxahatchee and Southwest Fork of the Loxahatchee Stuart: Multiple branches of the St. Lucie River Sebastian Inlet: The Sebastian River North of the Sebastian River: Winter snook numbers diminish northward, but there are catchable numbers in several productive spots including Spruce Creek at New Smyrna and the Tomoka River north of Ormond Beach. Residential docks and bridges, anywhere with light after sundown, is likely to draw snook in winter so long as deep water is close by. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Rick Grassett) How to Catch Winter Snook on Florida’s East Coast If you’re after lunkers and only lunkers, winter is a good time to break out the live or cut baits. It’s very hard to get a 40-inch fish to take an artificial in winter, but put a chunk of ladyfish or a fresh mullet head on bottom, or drop down a 5-inch pigfish or pinfish into their hole and you’re likely to be in for the fight of a lifetime.
One artificial that does work for persistent and educated anglers, a cult favorite of east coast snookers, is the “flare hawk jig” made by many local producers—basically a lead-head jig of ½ to 2 ounces on a 3x strong 5/0 hook, tied with synthetic fibers rather than bucktail, and with a long red streamer extending well past the tail of the fibers. This looks like nothing that swims in southeast Florida waters, but the snook can’t leave it alone, particularly when fished at night on the shadow line of the many bridges spanning deep water in the area.
If you can be happy with snook under two feet long—but lots of them—fishing the dock lights at night with white shrimp-imitation flies is pretty much a sure thing. Or, switch to large live shrimp on spinning gear and fish the dark outer edges of the lights and you may pick up an occasional 30-incher.
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Some larger lures also work around the docks—when there’s current, a DOA Shrimp or the new PrawnstarZ from Z-Man , just dead drifted with the tide, will get lots of action. Restrain yourself from twitching them—the fish seem to prefer just the movement of the tide most of the time on this particular type of lure.
Fishing flies around lighted docks in winter is nearly always productive for fish up to about 30 inches long. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Rick Grassett) Best Winter Snook Tackle East coast snook are a slightly different strain of the common snook than west coast fish, and they generally grow heavier sooner, probably due to the massive baitfish runs that pour south down these shores in fall, and back north in spring.
This means that your west coast snooking gear may be a bit underwhelming on the east coast. Best weapon for live or cut bait is likely to be a 7.5 to 8 foot heavy action spinning rod with 5000-size reel and 60 pound test braid (or an equivalent revolving spool rig) to handle fish that top 20 pounds with some regularity. While you could readily whip a 20 pound snook in open water with much lighter gear, you’ll rarely catch them in open water in winter—they’re usually in close proximity to lots of line-cutting obstructions, and a scared 20 pound snook seems about as strong as a 50-pound amberjack when she only has to get 10 feet to cover. A hard mono or fluorocarbon leader, also 60-pound-test, is best on live baits.
For tossing artificials, you’ll have to downsize—a 7-foot medium-heavy spinning rod, 3500 reel and 20-pound-test braid or equivalent baitcaster with 30-pound-test leader might be necessary to get the bites.
If you’re fishing around the docks at night where the fish often run small, 8 to 10-weight fly tackle or standard flats spinning gear with 15 pound test braid and 20 pound test leader will usually do the job. The Krystal Flash Shrimp or Grassett’s Snook Minnow are favorite fly patterns, in sizes from 2 to 6.
Fishing the passes and ship channels with large lures can also produce big fish after dark. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Rick Grassett) East Coast Snook Seasons Florida has nine separate management regions for snook. In the three east coast zones, the fall/winter season extends from Sept. 1 to Dec. 14. The season reopens on Feb. 1, continuing to May 31 when it closes for the spawn. The east coast limit is one snook daily between 28 and 32 inches long.
Snook Handling and Release A high percentage of snook are released, both due to the closed season and the conservation ethic, and FWC studies indicate a very high percentage of these fish survive if handled properly.
That means boating them as quickly as practical, getting hooks out quickly, and getting them back into the water promptly. Wearing wet cloth gloves while handling fish helps prevent slime coat damage and makes it easier to hold up that trophy linesider for a quick photo or video. (Gloves also make it easier on your hands—the fish have very rough jaws as well as lots of sharp edges on their mouth and gill plates, so it pays to glove up.)