What's Not to Love About Fishing Seawalls?

Seawalls found throughout coastal Florida are fish-attracting hotspots, especially for snook and large jack crevalle. Why? There’s no easy way out for baitfish when up against these walls. It’s an ambush point for predators, making it easier to catch these baits, often smashing the baits up against the wall. This makes for some of the most exciting eats you will experience inshore. Concrete, corrugated metal, wood, it doesn’t matter the type of wall, they all hold fish. These walls are often a little shallower and hold heat better, making a great spot for snook to sun, especially on those cooler days. Get lucky and you might sight fish one. Both live and artificials work well on seawalls, but tactics vary.

Live Bait

When live baiting a seawall, a large mullet is my go-to bait. When I say large, I mean 8 to 10 inches. A 7/0 circle hook placed either in the back or through the nose of the bait, with a 60-pound leader attached to a 6000-sized spinning combo is standard. I will add a float on occasion to keep track of the mullet.

I like to pull up to a spot and ease in on the trolling motor, staying 40 feet or so off the structure. The number one thing with bait fishing is, keep it on the wall. The baits will want to swim off a lot of the time, especially when fresh out of the livewell. Don’t be afraid to recast it up there as many times as needed until it begins to swim its way down the wall. Mullet are hardy baits that can handle this.

You want the mullet right on the surface and as tight to the wall as you can get it. Keep your rod tip high, and slight tension on your line; I like to keep my bail open and the line barely held in my fingers. This allows me to keep tight and keep my bait on the surface, but not hinder its swimming. If you can see your bait waking on the surface, you’ve got it down. Your bait will typically get nervous before a big bite. Once bit, count to three, close your bail and come tight.

There are typically docks around these walls, so when you get that eat, make sure your drag is locked down and be ready to pull with everything you got. These fish know exactly where they can break you off and are happy to show you if you let them.

Artificial Lures

Seawall approach is a bit different with artificials. You want to be able to run your lure down the structure as close as possible, just like you did your mullet. Only way to do that with a lure is ease up very slow and cast down the seawall. You want your bait to look like a nervous mullet scurrying along the seawall.

Topwaters are a fan favorite. Rodtip up, fast walking action often entices a violent strike.

Another great bait I’ve found for seawalls, which are relatively new in the saltwater world, are glide baits. Lures such as the Berkley Nessie give off a natural and erratic action that can be manipulated with by the speed of retrieval. It seems to drive the snook nuts. I prefer a quick “burn” and stop retrieve where I’ll let stop my retrieve for a half second every 15 or so feet. With any lure, be sure to keep your rodtip up, you want your mainline out of the water, as it will often spook fish well before your bait even gets there.

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• This article was featured in the August-September issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe.

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