Fall snook are on the agenda as the summer transitions into fall. In the Ten Thousand Islands the water temps will begin to drop. Fall snook fishing comes alive. Days get shorter and the sun gets lower. Now your opportunities increase as the cooler morning provides the snook and other game species a bit more comfort.
So let look at what these changes bring for your game plan. Now your become more interested in the tides as the water cools. During the summer it’s more about the magic hours. By magic hours I mean first light to about 9 am and 6 pm through dark to beat the heat of the Florida sun. But now you can change up. Yes mornings are still magic but you extend more into the day as the tides will be the factor now on the feeding.

Fall snook hunting now entails more fishing the tide not the clock. Your tide movement is key now. Fall snook becomes more active. The tide triggers them to feed and being in the spots where ambush points and tide movement come together is crucial. Snook are somewhat lazy and presentation is important. One foot can make the difference of a refusal or a savage bite.

So let’s get to what you are presenting. Morning provide a great time for top waters bite. The Rapala Skitterwwlk in bone color is one of my go to plugs. Walking the dog is a bit of work but the explosive strike of a trophy snook is worth it. On snookhookerfishing.come have my clients use a 7ft St Croix premier rod with a 3000 Penn Battle reel spooled with 15 lb braid. I use Beyond Braid brand. People ask why only 15lb braid well it’s all about distance and accuracy. Long cast allow you to be in stealth mode and with 30 lb flouro leader you’ll be surprised about the performance. After the sun is higher I like to switch my clients to a 4 inch Zman Jerk Shad in a 1/8 or 1/4 oz StrikeKing redfish jug head. It’s a wide gap jig and the business end had plenty of backbone.

Now is the time to book those October trips. I’ve got dates open later in the month.

Capt John Pfeiffer

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