Well you’ve hear me speak of Dave before. He is one hell-of-an angler. When I came in last time, I saw Dave preparing to launch his boat. It was around four in the afternoon.We talked about the snook bite for awhile and Dave said he was going to hunt for a big one. I wished him luck and dragged my kayak out.
Dave Beal gets a big Snook
A couple hours later I got message from Dave. You guessed it. Dave does it again! Here he is with a 34 inch snook on a fly. Nice going Dave.
Snook on a fly? Well, the snook bite is still red hot. Last time out, I landed 14 of them. Terrific action. For the most part they aren’t huge, on average ranging from 22-26 inches. But on a six-weight fly rod they are a blast. And I can see bigger snook skirting the outer perimeter of the sandbar.
Snook on the Sandbar
At one point, I hooked a snook close to deep water. The fish ran erratically. A large wake suddenly appeared, pushing a wall of water. Up on the bar came a five foot bull shark, chasing my fish. While releasing the drag, I leaped back on the Adios in a hurry. The commotion spooked the shark. It reversed and headed off. Close call.
Wow. The snook bite continues. It’s wild out there. Schools of them cross the bar on a rising tide, practically milling around your feet. You can look into the water and see upwards of twenty at time. Amazing. They are not huge, but they are aggressive, slamming streamers and sliders. I landed ten in short order.
Plenty of Dolphin on the Flats too
Even though this fish are well under ten pounds, twenty pound tippets are in order. Snook tear up mono fast. Typically you have to retie after every fish. White Deceivers worked well, especially with an erratic retrieve. But so did silver sliders waking across the top. Next time I’ll try poppers.
The Snook Bite Continues
Dave Bell tells me these snook spawned on the full moon, which helps explain their sudden arrival. But it also indicates that the tight snook regulations of recent times have paid off. Lets hope, they all grow large!
Got a call from my son a couple days ago. He was fishing the lower end of the Connecticut River from the drift boat. In April and May the river fills with schoolie bass, migrating mainly from the Hudson River which lies a 100 miles to the west. They supply great early season fishing, especially on light gear.
Connecticut River Striper
By June bigger bass arrive. My son tells me he got a nice striper on a plug, a jointed lipped swimmer I believe. The fish measured about 34 inches. Wish I was there.
This morning the skies were bright and the wind light, swinging to the southeast for the first time in a week. It was a stellar June day on the Florida flats.
A Stellar June Day on the Florida Flats
I left the ramp just before 7Am, and poled the Adios southward to try some new water. Things were slow until the tide turned around 8AM. But once the flood pushed along the edge of the sandbar, things change. Schools of spotted sea trout showed up to chow in the current, providing steady action for over an hour.
After that things went quiet. Time to move on. Poling northward, I visited a few spots, without a single bite. Eventually I got lucky. Over a grass bed, I found a bunch of snook. Man, it was fun. Love it when that happens. Using a Scott 6wt. a white deceiver, and a 20 pound tippet, I caught seven nice snook in less than 24 casts. Great day!
Snook on a 6Wt.
