Fly Fishing for Snook in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, and Stuart Florida
Snook are one of the most sought-after inshore game fish in Florida waters and a favorite of saltwater fly fishing enthusiasts.
The author of this article is a fly fishing guide with over 40 years of inshore fishing experience.
In the article below we will cover.
Let's get started.
Snook are one of the most sought-after inshore game fish in Florida waters and a favorite of saltwater fly fishing enthusiasts.
The author of this article is a fly fishing guide with over 40 years of inshore fishing experience.
In the article below we will cover.
- What are the best snook flies?
- How to catch a snook around docks, off the beach, on the flats, in the mangroves...?
- What size fly rods are best for snook fishing?
- What fly lines are best for snook fishing?
- What size tippets are best for catching snook on the fly?
- What are the best months to fly fish for snook?
- What are the best tides to fly fish for snook?
- What is the best time of day to catch snook on the fly?
- What is the best stripping technique for snook?
- and much more.....
Let's get started.
What are the best snook flies?
The best snook flies are minnow, baitfish and shrimp imitations. See above.
Shallow- When you are fishing in waters 3 feet or less, then you want a slow sinking unweighted fly that lands softly. Something fluffy without weighted eyes is a great choice.
The best hook size will go from #1 to 2/0. Keep in mind that the bigger the hook you use, the faster the fly will sink in the water column.
Deceiver minnow patterns are my favorite for shallow water snook and snook off of the beach. You will need a mostly white one with either chartreuse or tan highlights for clear water scenarios.
When you are fishing low light scenarios or stained water, then blacks, browns, greens, cockroach and purples are great color combinations to use. You need to think about contrasting flies that are easy for the snook to see in low light scenarios.
Topwater fly options like the pole dancer flies are an action-packed way to catch snook in water less than 3 feet deep. Gurgler flies are another excellent choice for some fun topwater action.
Deeper- When you are fly fishing for snook in water deeper than 3 feet, then you can use fly patterns with weighted eyes. The famous clouser minnow patterns are an excellent choice for deeper water and high current scenarios.
Shrimp patterns with weighted eyes are another great choice because you have to get your fly close to the bottom to get a snook's attention.
Match the Hatch- If you know what forage species that the snook are feeding upon, then you should use that fly. If you can match the size and profile of the baits, DO IT!
Sometimes you can see the snook blasting a school of pilchards, threadfin herring, bunker, finger mullet...... Pull out that fly from your box and get as close to that size and profile as you possibly can.
How to catch a snook around....
Docks- Docks are a great place to stalk snook lying in wait for an unsuspecting baitfish or shrimp to swim by with the current. It is best to position yourself so that you can present your fly from up current. Most of the time snook will be facing into the current and if your fly comes at them from behind, they will usually get spooked.
Snook are very comfortable in a foot of water so when working a dock you will have to fish the entire structure. Once the water gets deeper than 4 feet it is a good idea to switch to a weighted fly.
PRO TIP- All docks are not created equal. Older docks with lights tend to hold the most fish. Docks with big boats usually leave large washouts on the sea floor from the propellers coming and going from the dock. Snook love these slight depth changes.
Snook will most likely be under the dock so pinpoint casting accuracy is important. Be ready to get a good strip set and hang on because snook are great at wrapping your line around the pilings.
Off the beach- April through November is a great time to stalk snook on the beach. Snook make their way from their winter haunts to the beaches so that they can rendezvous with thousands of other snook to spawn in the inlets and passes all over Florida.
The spawn lasts from June through August but good beach snook action can last until December.
*I do a one-on-one fly-fishing surf charter focused on catching these snook coming from and going to the spawn. Learn more here Surf Fishing Charters.
These fish will cruise the trough within 10 feet of the shoreline during the higher parts of the tide. This is great because even on windy days you can get your fly out to where the snook are.
The best-case scenario is when the higher part of the tide coincides with first light and/or last light. This is your best opportunity to score some epic snook bites.
Grass Flats- My area of the Treasure Coast is blessed with healthy grass flats that are chock full of snook year-round. The key to targeting snook on the fly around grass is focusing on the sandy potholes and edges.
Snook love to lie in wait for baitfish and shrimp to wash over the pothole that they are hiding in or nearby. The unsuspecting prey never knows what hit them. This is another time to make sure your fly presentation comes at the pothole with the current and not against it.
Mangroves- A large portion of my snook are caught in among the limbs and roots of the mangrove tree. The Treasure Coast of Florida is blessed with countless mangrove lined islands and shorelines. And guess who loves to hang out in the mangroves. Answer: Hungry Snook
You had better be good and accurate with a fly to catch these fish. Your error zone might be 18 inches from catching a dozen snook or zero snook.
It's a good idea to practice your sidearm casts before attempting fly fishing for snook around mangroves. You need to master the 25-foot sidearm cast.
You have to present your fly deep into the structure of the limbs and roots of the mangroves to maximize your catch. Weedless unweighted flies are a good idea for this type of fishing.
PRO TIP- I will talk about tippets later but for now let me say it is a good idea to have a 12-inch class tippet before your bite tippet so you can break off unretrievable flies and wrapped line without messing up your entire leader or breaking your rod.
Bring lots of flies if you want to fly fish mangroves for snook.
What size fly rods are best for snook fishing?
The best size fly rod for snook fishing is an 8 or 9 wt. If you are going to fish a lot of structure like docks and mangroves, then get the 9 wt. When you are putting your outfit together make sure that your reel has a large arbor and is saltwater tolerant and has sealed bearings.
You can spend a couple of thousand dollars on a top end saltwater fly rod outfit for snook but I found a good and cheap one made by Redington. The Redington Tropical Saltwater Fly Rod kit goes for $400 at the time of this writing. They sell them at Bass Pro Shops and they ship them for FREE.
*I am not sponsored by any of the companies or products that I mention in this article. I'm just trying to help you get started into saltwater fly fishing without spending too much money.
The best size fly rod for snook fishing is an 8 or 9 wt. If you are going to fish a lot of structure like docks and mangroves, then get the 9 wt. When you are putting your outfit together make sure that your reel has a large arbor and is saltwater tolerant and has sealed bearings.
You can spend a couple of thousand dollars on a top end saltwater fly rod outfit for snook but I found a good and cheap one made by Redington. The Redington Tropical Saltwater Fly Rod kit goes for $400 at the time of this writing. They sell them at Bass Pro Shops and they ship them for FREE.
*I am not sponsored by any of the companies or products that I mention in this article. I'm just trying to help you get started into saltwater fly fishing without spending too much money.
What is the best fly line for snook fishing?
Not all fly lines are created equal. You are going to have to pay $100 for a good quality fly line. You need a tropical line that can handle the Florida heat. The fly lines available will often tell you if they are for tarpon, redfish, permit, bonefish....... but never snook.
You want a line that can load well at a close distance to your target. Bonefish, redfish, grand slam, flats pro are often descriptive terms for these types of lines. It's all an exercise in branding and marketing.
My advice is to get a saltwater tropical floating line of any brand that costs at least $100. Make sure you match your rod, reel and line weights and you are good to go for snook.
If you decide to buy an extra spool for deeper water scenarios, then you will want a saltwater tropical intermediate sink line to go with your floating line. Between the two spools you will be ready to catch snook from one to six feet of water effectively.
What size tippets are best for catching snook?
It is pretty standard to have 2 ft. of bite tippet for saltwater fly fishing. Most store-bought tapered leaders will come in 6 to 10 ft. lengths, and then you can add your bite tippet and class tippets if necessary.
You need to have a 30 lb. bite tippet section on your leader for snook. If the water is super clear and the snook are spooky you can drop to 25 lb. bite tippet but any lower and they will wear though your tippet material. When fishing around structure for bigger snook a 40 lb. bite tippet is a good choice.
I like a 7 or 8-foot total leader length including the bite tippet for snook around docks and mangroves. I sometimes go to 9 feet for clear, open water and off the beach.
If you are having trouble controlling your line, then you can go all the way down to a 4-foot leader, but I wouldn't go any shorter than that.
Many fly guys will just use a non-tapered, no tippet 30 or 40 lb. leader that is 7 or 8 feet in length. You can use monofilament or fluorocarbon lines. They each have their advantages.
- Fluorocarbon line sinks faster and is stiffer than monofilament line. Therefore, if you want your fly to stay higher in the water column for longer, then a monofilament line might be the better choice.
- The advantages of fluorocarbon line are its no stretch characteristic, and it is less visible to snook in clear water situations.
I am going to try and type a diagram of a homemade tapered leader now showing the different leader sections and tippets coming from your fly line.
Fly line-----butt section----mid-section---class tippet----bite tippet.
Many hard-core fly fishermen like to make their own tapered leaders this way. Here is an example: The butt (4 ft. 40 lb.), mid (2 ft. 20 lb.), class (1 ft. 16 lb.), bite (2 ft. 30 lb.). That's your nine-foot leader.
Personally, I like to buy a 25 or 30 lb. tapered leader and cut it 3 ft. from the end, then remove 12 inches so I can add a 12 lb. class tippet when fishing around docks and mangroves. Marry the lines with a blood knot.
Here's what I mean. 30 lb. tapered leader (5 ft.)----12 lb. class tippet (1 ft.)--- 30 lb. bite tippet (2 ft.)
There are many reasons to use a class tippet to create a weak point in your leader.
- I use a class tippet so the line will break before my rod will if I get hung up or wrapped around a piling.
- A class tippet will also save your expensive fly line if a huge snook is running you through oyster covered dock pilings.
- A class tippet can also save your snook if a shark or a dolphin tries to eat it while you are hooked up. It's better to break the line so the snook can live another day.
- Imagine this scenario. You are fly fishing off of the beach for a 15 lb. snook. Then out of nowhere a 150 lb. tarpon eats your fly. There is no way you are stopping that fish with your 8 wt. You might lose your leader, line and backing and ultimately kill that tarpon, if you don't have a class tippet.
It's better to lose a $5 fly than ruin your $150 fly line or your $600 fly rod or feed a bull shark. Use a class tippet. At some point you will be really happy that you did.
What are the best months to fly fish for snook?
You can catch snook all year long in my area of Florida BUT the best months are from May to November. Snook don't get really aggressive when they feed until the water temperatures are above 70 degrees. Snook are a tropical species, and they love hot water.
Snook are most active from 75 to 85-degree water. When it gets hotter than 85 degrees, they will look for shade or go to deeper water to cool off.
Are you going to be in my area? Book a Fly-Fishing Charter with me. Snook, tarpon, redfish and trout on the fly. Learn more here.
What are the best tides to fly fish for snook?
The outgoing tide seems to be the best for inshore scenarios like grass flats, docks and mangroves. Incoming and outgoing tides are about the same when fishing off of the beach.
The biggest advantage of the outgoing tide is the dirty water and the shrimp and fish that are often swept away from their hiding spots. Dirty water makes it easier to fool the snook with your fly.
The incoming tide is usually clean and clear when it comes in from the Atlantic Ocean. If the surf is rough, then the water is milkier and better for fooling a snook.
During the higher parts of the tide, inshore, the snook can be waaaayyyyyyyy up under the mangroves and nearly impossible to present your fly to. As the tide recedes the snook will move closer to the edges of the mangroves. This makes it easier to present your fly to them.
What is the best time of day to fly fish for snook?
The best time of day to fish for snook is first light, last light and nighttime near lights. Snook are ambush predators and use their superior vision to hunt prey in low light scenarios.
You are most likely to catch your personal best snook during these same low light situations. Yes, you can trick a huge snook to bite your fly in the middle of the day. It happens all of the time. BUT your odds are better in low light. This is when to use your purple or any darker flies that you have.
What is the best stripping technique for snook?
I like a short and fast strip with a random 1 second pause. Example: 12-inch strip---strip---pause---strip----strip---strip----pause.
Sometimes a longer and slower strip is what they want.
PRO TIP- Keep your fly rod tip in the water or extremely close to the water when stripping for snook. This will help you tremendously in strip setting the hook securely.
Your job is to figure out what the snook want on that day. In the winter months they seem to like a slower presentation. The rest of the year they like it fast and erratic most of the time.
The constant steady strip is the one that seems to work the worst for snook. It's great for tarpon but it is usually bad for snook.
I like a short and fast strip with a random 1 second pause. Example: 12-inch strip---strip---pause---strip----strip---strip----pause.
Sometimes a longer and slower strip is what they want.
PRO TIP- Keep your fly rod tip in the water or extremely close to the water when stripping for snook. This will help you tremendously in strip setting the hook securely.
Your job is to figure out what the snook want on that day. In the winter months they seem to like a slower presentation. The rest of the year they like it fast and erratic most of the time.
The constant steady strip is the one that seems to work the worst for snook. It's great for tarpon but it is usually bad for snook.
Conclusion:
Fly fishing for snook is a blast. That is why snook are so popular for inshore fishermen in Florida waters. People come from all over the planet just to get a shot at these hard fighting, rod bending, drag pulling fish.
Florida is lucky to be the apex of snook fishing. We actually have 5 different species of snook to target in our waters. BUT the one that most anglers target is the largest and most common species, the common snook.
These snook can get up to 50 lbs. but the abundant 5 to 15 pounders are what most fly fishermen are targeting. The really big ones usually stay in deeper water and are hard to trick with your fly.
I hope this article has helped you decide if you want to get into saltwater fly fishing.
Thanks for reading it.
Capt. Mike