How To Catch Snook on a DOA CAL Shad [VIDEO]
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Lure Reviews, Product Reviews
Wait until you see what happens to me in this DOA Cal Shad Snook video while I was doing a demo!
But first…
Let me begin by saying that here at Salt Strong, we love teaching people how to catch snook.
And many Florida inshore anglers will tell you that snook fishing is one of their favorite things to do inshore.
Snook was the first inshore fish that we really learned how to catch (given how closely their habits relate to bass), and our personal opinion is that it is pretty tough to beat hooking up with a monster snook.
One of our favorite artificial lures for snook on the east coast of Florida is the DOA CAL Paddletail Shad, and we throw it on a 1/8 ounce DOA Jig head when fishing flats in the 3 to 5 ft depth range which is what this video was discussing.
How To Catch Snook on the DOA CAL Shad
As you will see in this video below, snook love this DOA CAL shad.
And yes, I really did catch a snook on my very first cast while we were filming this tutorial.
In fact, this blog was originally supposed to be all about how to rig and cast a DOA shad, but it turned into a “How to catch Snook with the DOA Shad” after this instant snook hookup.
Pretty funny.
Tips on catching Snook with the DOA Shad
- Always make sure that the hook is perfectly centered in middle of the shad (you can use your thumb to mark the proper hook setting area
- Use a loop knot with this type of lure (click here to see the strongest loop knot)
- When fishing shallow flats, make sure to keep the rod tip up, reel somewhat fast with small intermittent jerks, but still slow enough where they DOA shad is hitting the grass and popping up
- After putting the DOA shad on the jig, always do a quick test in the water to make sure it swims with no twists or funky action
- After you catch a snook (or any fish) with this lure, make sure to recheck that the hook/jig head is properly set on the shad
How To Rig The DOA Shad [VIDEO]
(And Catch A Snook On The First Cast)
Conclusion
Snook clearly love this DOA CAL shad (3-inch bait with a smooth body and angled paddle tail)
But none of it matters if you don’t place the plastic DOA shad on the jig head correctly.
Finally, this DOA CAL shad works great for catching snook, redfish, and trout on any 1-5 foot grass flats on both coasts of FL all year long… just vary the jig head size depending on the depth of that water you’ll be fishing to ensure it stays close to the bottom while retrieving the bait.
If you have any questions or ideas for me regarding this DOA lure or any other artificial lure for Snook, let me know in the comments.
P.S. – If you think your friends would like this post, please Tag them or Share this with them. It would mean a lot to me.
Fish On!
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A trick I use when putting the jig head through is to have the hook come out of the “O” in DOA. (DOA is imprinted on the top of the paddle tail)
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment Mike!
Is this a good set up for fishing from the beach, early morning?
Yes, I’ve caught a lot of snook and flounder from the surf using this jig.
Yes, I have caught many Snook in the early morning. The Snook hang out in the trough about 5-10 feet from the shore where I live!
Any other suggestions on color for time of year and/or water conditions. That looks like arkansas glow and I know you talked about the rootbeer before. I try to keep it simple but I get to the store and there’s so many choices I about have an anxiety attack. There’s a voice in my head that says “If you choose the perfect color, huge fish will jump on your line every cast, people will buy you beer, and women will love you.” Then I go fishing with my new purchase and don’t catch fish right away. I hear the creepy knight voice from The Last Crusade. . . “You have chosen poorly.” Haha a bit dramatic I know. But I’d rather have a few colors I could fish with confidence than feel like I need to buy a different color every time I’m in the store. Thanks
Hey Sam, first of all… amazingly positioned question! I really enjoyed reading it.
As for colors, I only use the “Stark Naked” color (looks very similar to Arkansas Shiner) and Root Beer with Chart tail when using DOA CAL Shads. I most often go with the light one during the summer and the root beer one during the winter to keep it extra simple… my theory is that retrieve speed/style and lure size are the more important factors in drawing strikes, so I spend more time focusing on those two items than I do color.
Although these DOA CAL Shad’s are great, I most often use the 5″ jerkbaits that I featured in module 2 of the Inshore Slammer (included in your Insider Plus membership) when targeting redfish, snook, and big trout… here’s a link: http://v2.saltstrong.com/c001/module-2/mid-depth-lures-overview.
Hopefully this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Where can we see the video of the action of the lure underwater?
I’m sad to report that the camera on that pole was pointed too low so it missed the snook (it was at the surface while it went in front of the pole). We took some great underwater shots of our top recommended lures for inshore fishing, but that is all reserved for our private educational course called the Inshore Slammer. If interested, go to our Members page to check it out – http://v2.saltstrong.com/members/.