After a miserable winter that did untold damage to Southwest Florida’s snook population, the summer beach snook fest has begun in earnest. Hungry schools of snook are prowling beaches and outside shorelines from Sanibel all the way to Lostman’s River. Expect to see the best action on less inhabited beaches where larger fish tend to congregate. Telltale signs of hungry hordes of snook will include scattering baitfish and concentrations of wading birds. Fly anglers should be armed with longer flourocarbon leaders as light as you dare, small white baitfish patterns and of course high quality polarized suunglasses. The two best kept secrets in beach snooking are the use of clear tip fly lines and bonefish flies! That’s right, those size 2 gotchas taking up space in your fly box are absolutely deadly once the sun gets high enough to cast shadows! Trust me, a small crabby fly stripped in short 4-6 inch hops will tempt even the most wary beach linesiders! Plan your days around incoming morning tides but don’t rule out the stronger afternoon tides as well. Party crashers such as trout, mackerel, ladyfish, jacks and the occasional tarpon are all welcome distractions.
Hit the beach and tight lines!
Capt. Kevin Merritt
