Tropical storm Fay is behind us now and hopefully with no more storms the fishing should really begin to pick up with the mullet run starting. Look for the trout and snook bite to really turn on and redfish get more active in the flats. A few guys who fished off of Highbridge (real name, Walter Knox Bridge) during Fay did really well on snook. There were reports of snook to 20 lbs being caught during the middle of the day. All they had to do was drop bait in the water and the snook were all over it. Artificial baits that resembled a mullet, hard or soft plastic, were doing the trick.
When fishing off the bridge you’ll want a plug that can dive to around 15 feet. Throw it up current and retrieve it back to you. One of the more popular soft plastics is the Storm Wild Eye in either the 6” or 9” size. These plastics come with the weight built in so there is no guessing as to what size jig head to use. They also have a very limp paddle tail that gives off a lot of action when retrieved.
In the past year I have turned into a fly fishing junkie. I love catching snook on fly. A couple of my favorite flies are the Mighty Minnow that can be purchased on line at www.littleriverflyshop.com I like this fly in the #6 or #4 size. Another of my favorites is todds wiggle minnow in the 2/0 size. This is one of the more successful flies I have fished. It is loaded with action and can be fished effectively on a floating or sinking line. It too can be found on line if you google todds wiggle minnow. And lastly I find the Puglisi rattling flies in the mullet or bunker patterns to be extremely effective with chartreuse being one of the better colors.
When it comes to live bait a snook can’t pass up a live shrimp. Small live pinfish is another excellent choice and don’t leave out a live mullet.
I talked about snook this time because the season is now open. Remember the laws and that is, 1 snook per person per day and they must measure between 28 and 32 inches with the tail pinched.