Snook Fishing with Live Shrimp
Snook fishing with live shrimp is a very effective way to catch huge snook. Shrimp are one of the most important food sources for many inshore fish species especially in the winter months when that is their main prey item. A large premium sized shrimp is the best way to target snook in the colder months.
There are times when snook will ignore other live baits but crush a live shrimp when offered. This is especially true in the Winter months. Shrimp make up a huge part of the snook's diet in the Winter time.
Snook are one of the most sought after inshore fish species in Florida's waters. There is a good reason for this. They are excellent fighters and they are very good to eat when they are fresh.
When you can't throw the cast net and can't find any mullet or white baits, then you can always find shrimp at your local bait shop. You can catch a ton of snook with shrimp so don't forget about fishing for snook with live shrimp the next time you are looking to bend a rod.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats and mangroves for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you what I know about snook fishing with live shrimp.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more.
Snook fishing with live shrimp is a very effective way to catch huge snook. Shrimp are one of the most important food sources for many inshore fish species especially in the winter months when that is their main prey item. A large premium sized shrimp is the best way to target snook in the colder months.
There are times when snook will ignore other live baits but crush a live shrimp when offered. This is especially true in the Winter months. Shrimp make up a huge part of the snook's diet in the Winter time.
Snook are one of the most sought after inshore fish species in Florida's waters. There is a good reason for this. They are excellent fighters and they are very good to eat when they are fresh.
When you can't throw the cast net and can't find any mullet or white baits, then you can always find shrimp at your local bait shop. You can catch a ton of snook with shrimp so don't forget about fishing for snook with live shrimp the next time you are looking to bend a rod.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats and mangroves for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you what I know about snook fishing with live shrimp.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more.
Snook Fishing with Live Shrimp around Docks
Snook are one of the most sought after inshore fish in Florida waters. People come to Florida from all over the world to catch a snook. They are very fun to catch and they can get very big too.
The world record for the common snook weighed close to 60 pounds and was nearly 50 inches long. That snook was caught in Costa Rica but the Florida record was over 44 pounds. That is still a very big snook.
Of course you could never keep a snook that big. They are very closely monitored and regulated. Currently on the East Coast of Florida you can only keep a snook between 28 and 32 inches in length.
Docks are one of the best places to find and catch some big snook. Docks are a great place for small shrimp, crabs and fish to hide and live. The dock pilings will grow sponges, aquatic plants, oysters, barnacles and many other marine creatures.
All of those creatures are eaten by other larger creatures. Docks are a mini ecosystem supporting all sorts of marine species. The snook know this and like to eat the shrimp, crabs and fish that are among those dock pilings.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a snook. You can read that article by clicking right here.
You can catch the snook under or near every part of the docks. I have caught them in 1 foot of water all of the way out to the deep ends of the dock. This means that you have to fish the entire dock to figure out where the snook are lurking.
Snook can be very spooky sometimes so you have to be subtle with your live shrimp presentation. The best way to present it is by free lining it. This just means that you have your shrimp hooked to your line without any weights or corks.
That is not always the best way to present it because the big snook are usually hugging the bottom. You have to get the shrimp down to the snook's strike zone and the water depth, current and wind will often not let you free line a shrimp down to the shrimp.
You might have to add a small split shot or a larger sinker to get your shrimp down to the snook. If you have to add a weight, then make sure that you use just enough to sink it to where the snook are.
Another great way to catch snook with a live shrimp is under a float of some kind. Snook are usually facing into the current so it is best to present your bait to them from up current. They are much more likely to eat it and not get spooked.
I like to let the current take the shrimp to the docks for me. That way I won't scare the snook with the splash of my float when I cast it to them. Docks are my favorite place to target snook. If you are serious about catching snook, then a dock is a great place to start.
The video below shows you snook sight fishing with live shrimp.
Snook Fishing with Live Shrimp in Mangroves
Another great spot to find lots of snook is around the mangroves. Snook love to cruise the mangrove roots searching for food. The Red Mangrove Tree has a tangle of roots that support many small marine creatures. Those roots will hold crabs, shrimp and small fish.
The snook know this and during the higher parts of the tides them will cruise those mangrove roots looking for food. If you can get your live shrimp in front of those hungry snook, then you have a great chance of catching one.
The key to fishing the mangroves is getting your shrimp into or near those tree roots without getting hung up. The snook will hug those roots. They will cruise within a foot or two of those roots or they will swim right through them. You have to get your live shrimp extremely close to the roots to catch snook consistently.
The best way to fish like this is to sight fish for the snook. That way you can keep your shrimp in the bucket on your boat and only pitch it when you see the fish that you want. That way the mangrove snappers, sheepshead, pin fish and catfish won't get to your shrimp first.
If you are blind casting, then you will just have to deal with all of the bi catch. I'm okay casting for a snook and catching a delicious mangrove snapper anyways.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in much more detail the best baits and lures for snook fishing. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Snook Fishing with Live Shrimp on the Grass Flats
The grass flats are another great spot to find some big snook. These snook are already feeding on the huge amounts of shrimp that are living in the sea grass. So why not give them what they are already eating.
My favorite spot to target grass flat snook with shrimp is the sandy potholes that are on every grass flat that I have ever seen. You have to get your shrimp into that pothole without spooking the snook that might be lurking in it.
If the water is shallow enough, then you can probably free line your shrimp into the pothole and get it into the snook's strike zone. The key to fishing the potholes this way is to not spook the snook. They can see very well so you need a good long cast to get your shrimp to them.
I like to use a float to get the shrimp to the snook. You have to make sure that your leader is long enough to keep your shrimp within a couple feet of the bottom. That will get you the most hits.
You might need a split shot or a weight to get the shrimp into the pothole. The current, wind and water depth often make it impossible to use a free lined shrimp or a shrimp under a cork.
WANT TO CATCH SNOOK? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
The grass flats are another great spot to find some big snook. These snook are already feeding on the huge amounts of shrimp that are living in the sea grass. So why not give them what they are already eating.
My favorite spot to target grass flat snook with shrimp is the sandy potholes that are on every grass flat that I have ever seen. You have to get your shrimp into that pothole without spooking the snook that might be lurking in it.
If the water is shallow enough, then you can probably free line your shrimp into the pothole and get it into the snook's strike zone. The key to fishing the potholes this way is to not spook the snook. They can see very well so you need a good long cast to get your shrimp to them.
I like to use a float to get the shrimp to the snook. You have to make sure that your leader is long enough to keep your shrimp within a couple feet of the bottom. That will get you the most hits.
You might need a split shot or a weight to get the shrimp into the pothole. The current, wind and water depth often make it impossible to use a free lined shrimp or a shrimp under a cork.
WANT TO CATCH SNOOK? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Snook Fishing with Live Shrimp around Sea Walls
Snook love to pin their prey against sea walls. It takes away one of their prey's escape roots making it easier for the snook to get a meal. You can use this behavior against them.
You have to get your shrimp up current to be effective when fishing for snook around sea walls. If you can get your shrimp to flow naturally with the tide to where the snook are, then you can catch a ton of snook.
If the conditions allow you to use a free lined shrimp, then that is your best bet. If it is too deep; too windy; or if there is too much current, then you might have to use a float to get your shrimp into the strike zone.
The bottom line is make sure that you fish any sea walls that you can find because they hold lots of snook.
Snook Fishing with Live Shrimp in Canals
Snook are a very freshwater tolerant fish and can live exclusively in freshwater. Don't forget to fish the canals that lead into saltwater. Snook love to swim into these canals to find food.
In the Winter months, many snook will run up into the freshwater canals and rivers to find more stable water temperatures. During the Summer months these same snook will leave the canals and rivers and head towards the inlets to spawn.
In other words, the canals around Florida are a great place for you to target snook with live shrimp. The key is to find canals with lots of forage for the fish to live off of and some current. Snook like moving water so you have to find current to catch fish.
You will want to target any structure along the canals. The canals might have boulders lining it; sea walls; bridges; whatever. When the rains come in the Summer months the authorities will open up the flood gates to all of the spillways. The snook love to hunt around the spillways.
When they open up the spillways, bluegills, crawdads and freshwater shrimp are sucked out into the canals into the waiting mouths of the canal snook. Your job is to get your live shrimp into those mouths.
Snook are a very freshwater tolerant fish and can live exclusively in freshwater. Don't forget to fish the canals that lead into saltwater. Snook love to swim into these canals to find food.
In the Winter months, many snook will run up into the freshwater canals and rivers to find more stable water temperatures. During the Summer months these same snook will leave the canals and rivers and head towards the inlets to spawn.
In other words, the canals around Florida are a great place for you to target snook with live shrimp. The key is to find canals with lots of forage for the fish to live off of and some current. Snook like moving water so you have to find current to catch fish.
You will want to target any structure along the canals. The canals might have boulders lining it; sea walls; bridges; whatever. When the rains come in the Summer months the authorities will open up the flood gates to all of the spillways. The snook love to hunt around the spillways.
When they open up the spillways, bluegills, crawdads and freshwater shrimp are sucked out into the canals into the waiting mouths of the canal snook. Your job is to get your live shrimp into those mouths.
Conclusion:
Snook are one of the favorite fish for Florida fishermen to catch. This is one of those bucket list fish for fishermen all over the world. That is why Florida's economy is boosted by more that 9 BILLION dollars a year because of its fishing resources. A lot of that money comes from tourists targeting inshore fish like snook.
Snook are one of my fabulous five favorite fish to catch. Snook, tarpon, redfish, speckled trout and flounder are my Fab Five and they account for most of the inshore fishing demand around Florida. AND guess what bait catches all of these fish. You guessed right if you said live shrimp.
It is probably the best choice of bait that you can pick for targeting inshore fish around Florida. Snook fishing with shrimp is a very effective way to catch a whole lot of snook anywhere that they reside.
If you ever want to catch some snook, redfish, tarpon, redfish or flounder from a kayak, then book a trip with me and we will have a fishing adventure together.
I created an online snook fishing video course. You can access it by getting on our email list below.