Snook Article - Copyright 2003

Sebastian Snook After Hours! By Capt. Gary New

            The Sebastian Inlet and Snook!  Two things that go together like baseball and hot dogs. 

            Sebastian has earned the reputation as being one of the premier snook hotspots on the east coast - and is perhaps the hottest snook fishing available in Florida!  Whether fishing from a boat, the jetties, the fishing pier, the bridge catwalk, the surf, or from the inlet shore, Sebastian has a variety of angling opportunities for those in pursuit of snook.

            Hank Masson, manufacturer of Trader Bay Lures, has been fishing the inlet for more years than he would like to admit.  A seasoned snook fisherman, Hank says that the quantity and quality of snook in Sebastian Inlet are the best in the state of Florida.  Hank has personally landed a 29 and 31 pound snook in the inlet.  His highest total personal catch was 29 snook in one night’s fishing and while fishing with four others, they caught a combined total of over 100 snook on an evening’s outing. 

            Hank offers the following observations about snook:  Most snook are caught within 10’ of the rocks.  The incoming tide is as good as the outgoing but you have to fish in different spots.  Use a lipped plug such as a Snook Slayer when the current is moving briskly to get your bait down to the fish.  Use a Sea Dude (lipless) on slow or slack tides.  Red and white, black and white, and Daytona colors work best.  Trout Slayers work well at times, and the Blues Buster is an excellent choice in the surf. 

            Finally, Hank offers the following concerns:  Competition and angler courtesy is different now than in the old days.  Sadly, it seems that courtesy is a dying art.  He has had anglers fish right around his rods like he wasn’t even there.  When he left his spot to put a keeper snook in his Jeep, a guy moved right in on his spot and he was only away for a few seconds.  According to Hank, it seems to be the worst at the beginning of the “season.”  Common sense and courtesy seem to get lost in the frenzied action. 

            The Inlet can get crowded during snook season, so some patience and common courtesy is in order.  Many seasoned sport-fishermen claim that the best months to fish for the snook are during the closed season.  Some anglers won’t pursue the fish that they can’t keep, but for catch and release fishing it can be some of the best fishing available.  Two favorite months are August (season closed, less competition and fishing pressure) and October (season open, weather changing, and fishing pressure decreasing).

            Hook setting techniques seem to be a crucial factor when fishing live baits.  In fact, NOT setting the hook!  Let the snook run with the bait.  As the line begins to tighten, simply started cranking in the line to tighten up on the fish.

            Snook fishing begins to get good after the last of the colder weather disappears from the area.  When water temperatures approach the 70’s the snook begin to show in the inlet.  This lasts until the first cold snaps of winter begin to chill the waters to levels below the snook’s preference. 

            The best time to fish the inlet is during the tidal changes.  High and low tides are published for Sebastian, but remember that the current will not slack and change directions at the published time.  There is a delay of about 2 - 2 1/2 hours before a change takes place.  Most anglers find the periods just prior to and just after a slack tide to be the most productive.  During peak snook bites the slack tide can even produce well.  It is even speculated that the local snook from the surrounding backwater mangroves migrate into the inlet for these daily peak feeding periods.  Many seasoned fishermen also believe that a full moon combined with a tidal change after dark spells the very best fishing combination.

            The inlet offers a very nice boat ramp to fish the inlet and surrounding areas.  Some very productive fishing is done while drifting the inlet during the day and night with live baits and artificials.  It can get very crowded at times and sometimes the current can get quite treacherous at the peak of the tidal flows.  This combination of heavy currents and boats drifting the inlet can create quite a traffic jam.  Then there are the regular offshore boats coming through the inlet which can end up detracting from an otherwise excellent angling experience.  Anglers would be wise to gain considerable experience before taking on the inlet as boating accidents are an inevitable and fairly common occurrence. 

            Tim Curtis of Titusville makes the trek to Sebastian on a regular basis.  According to him, there are a few key factors to learn in catching snook in the inlet. He offers the following advice: Always make your cast up current.  The key, he says is learning how to reel and work the plug with the current and to keep up with your plug and where it is situated in the current.  “You want to make the bait look as natural as possible and if you don’t know where your plug is at, how can you work it properly?”, he said. 

            According to Tim, most snook are caught about 5’ under the surface.  Tim reinforces the need to let the bait work close to or parallel to the rocks.  He says that the best snook fishing is sometimes right under your feet, but that we are all inclined to fish out from the bank.  Tim suggests that anglers finish each cast by working up the rocks if angling traffic permits.  Sometimes this tactic is nearly impossible if the inlet is crowded.  Asked when he likes to fish best, Tim replied, “A full moon rising just after dark coupled with tidal change, especially after a lot of rain.”  “That would be my ideal combination.”  Tim believes that a lot of rain improves the snook fishing, because he believes that the snook like the influx of fresh water. 

            Sebastian Inlet is located on the east coast and separates Brevard and Indian River Counties.  The park at Sebastian Inlet is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and offers a convenient boat ramp, concessions, and designated camping areas.  There is excellent security, as rangers roam the park every few minutes in patrol vehicles.  A minimal user’s fee is charged at the gate with additional fees due for launching a boat or the use of a camping space.  One admission fee gains entry to either the north or south portions of the park or both.  By keeping up with the receipt, anglers can try either side of the inlet as often as they would like without additional admission charges.

            Tackle:  Suggestions by Tim Curtis - Use a minimum of 10# test.  Tim uses no higher than 14# on plugs, but emphasizes that he is an experienced fisherman and likes the fight. He uses 17-30# on live bait rigs.  On all rods he ties on 40-60# mono leaders.  Spinning rods or casting rods of seven feet in a medium to medium heavy action are preferred. 

            Lure selections:  Anything as long as it contains white, according to Tim!  Other colors that produce include blue or black and silver, chartreuse and silver, and most bait imitation colors.  From Trader Bay, one finds the Snook Slayer and Sea Dude very productive.  Bomber Long A’s, Rattle Traps, Rebel Wind Cheaters, DOA Baitbusters, and Hawk Jigs are also ranked highly.  Depending on the speed of the tidal flows, a jig of one ounce or even heavier may be required.

            Live baits include finger mullet, pinfish, pigfish, and live jumbo shrimp.  Live baits are either freelined or fished with a split shot or sliding sinker rig.  These baits are much easier fished immediately prior to, during, and immediately after the slack tide.  Currents are swift at any other time and make any live bait fishing method difficult except when fishing from a boat. 

            Baits can be caught in the inlet on small hooks tipped with shrimp or cast netted in some of the sandy areas of the inlet.  Use caution when cast netting as there are many rocks to catch your net and it can create a dangerous situation with the inlet’s swift tides.  Be especially careful when netting from a boat as to how you hold on to the termial end of the net line.  Looping it around your wrist is not a recommended practice and could invite disaster.

            Those who like to live on the shadier side of the law should be forewarned.  There are Marine Patrol Officers watching.  You’ll probably never even know that they are there, but rest assured, they are watching.  They have developed a surveillance tactic involving long range observation with night vision equipment.  And they keep tabs on how many and what size snook are caught and check out any suspicious activities.

            In addition to snook, Sebastian offers redfish, black drum, blue fish, flounder, ladyfish, sheepshead, and an occasional grouper, shark, or tarpon.  Check the weather, moon, and tides, and head on out to Sebastian Inlet for some fine snook fishing!