How To Catch Snook Off The Beach During The Summer
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
It’s snook time!
Catching snook from the shoreline during the summer is so underrated.
This is a great way to get your toes in the sand and snook on the end of your line!
So in this video, you’ll learn:
- The best times and tides to fish for snook from the beach
- How to position yourself for more hook-ups
- What lures you must have to beach fish for snook
- Presentation and retrieval tactics
- Spots to focus on to find more snook off the beach
Check it out below!
Catching Snook From The Beach [VIDEO]
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We reviewed a ton of information so here’s a timestamped table of contents:
- 0:44 – One of the most underrated ways to catch snook
- 1:28 – Unique time of year
- 1:56 – Much easier to catch these snook from the beach (not in a boat)
- 2:28 – The best time to go catch snook from the beach
- 3:24 – Best beach tides to fish for snook
- 4:02 – You’d be surprised how little water snook need to feed in the surf
- 4:45 – Incoming vs. outgoing tide (which one is better for snook?)
- 5:28 – Positioning on the beach to cast for snook
- 6:39 – If the water hits your toes, do this!
- 7:40 – This is how far you need to be from where the snook are feeding
- 8:02 – Best lures to use when fishing for snook on the beach
- 9:07 – Use this lure to start
- 10:15 – Choose your Slam Shady wisely based on the size profile of baitfish
- 10:49 – Start with this retrieve and presentation
- 12:04 – Best jerk shad to use for snook on the beach
- 14:41 – Weedless setup for beach fishing
- 17:24 – Make sure you use this line size if you want to land snook
- 18:02 – One trick for not spooking snook
- 19:10 – Tie this knot to connect your leaders (Here’s how to tie the blood knot)
- 20:12 – Keep this lure in your back pocket
- 22:12 – Here’s another lure you should try (and why)
- 23:36 – It’s not fancy but this lure catches big snook
- 25:39 – Conditions to use each lure
- 26:42 – Use the gear you’ve got and catch a snook on the beach
- 28:03 – What lb test braid you need for catching snook at the beach
- 28:23 – Fish around this spot where snook will congregate
- 30:01 – It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Here are the best lures and hooks to use when sight fishing for snook:
- Slam Shady Paddletail
- Slam Shady Jerk Shadz
- Trout Eye Jig Head
- Johnson Silver Minnow Spoon
- Aqua Dream Spoon
- Mirrolure Mirrodine
- SPRO Bucktail Jig
- Texas Eye Jig Head (For when you see heavy weeds or grass in the surf.)
Conclusion
No shoes, no boat, no problem!
You don’t need any special gear or fancy lures to target snook on the beach.
But you’ll want to know when to go, what to bring, and where to focus your time if you want to catch a snook in the surf.
Have any questions about beach fishing for snook?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to target snook on the beach this summer, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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I fished for snook on the beach on Little Gaspirilla Island in June. Even though conditions weren’t great I did pretty good.
I recently went back (first week of September) and I did terrible. There was a lot of white bait. I used artificials.
In September vs. June, Have they left the beach?
Would you fish Snook on the beach after August??
Why is white your preferred color for beach fishing? Also would something like a shrimp imitator be useful? Or maybe something like the new Zman kicker crabs?
I like white/light colored lures for the beach because pretty much everything naturally turns that color to match with the light colored sand.
As for lure types, I am not a big fan of shrimp lures on the beach. Here’s a recent trip where shrimp got the most action: https://saltstrongdev.wpengine.com/articles/beach-fishing-for-snook/
On the east coast, on an incoming tide, do you cast your lure to the north or south?
I prefer to cast into the shoreline current, so I use the angle of the waves to see which way they are pushing the water down the beach.
Luke / Justin, in place of the texas eye jig wouldn’t a texas rigged bait with a bullet sinker work, like bass fisherman use?
That probably would catch some fish, but that style is more likely to helicopter in the water.
The wealth of knowledge ya’ll share in these videos is incredible. This one is great!
Curious if owner twist locks with the slam shady could work well in weedy conditions as an alternative to the texas eye?
The blood knot with a stronger leader connecting the jighead is a fantastic idea. I lost three nice snook recently on 20/30 mono. Will give it a try!
Thanks John! The weighted hooks can work in the surf too, but they’ll require low-wind and waves in order to get down deep enough to compete with the Texas Eye jig head.
Especially with west wind and waves are breaking on Boca Grande beach?
The wind can make it tricky when it’s blowing on-shore. In those instances, I’ll go with a lure like a spoon that can cast well into the wind.
How do you cast and keep lure or bait parallel to beach?
Instead of parallel, I most often cast/retrieve at a ~30 degree angle from the shoreline so that the retrieve can hold in the strike zone for a while without me spooking fish by being too close to the water.
Great video. Wished you had shown some actual on the water video of you using the methods discussed. I’ve picked up particular things about speed retrieval, whether the bait is being twitched, popped, etc by seeing some of your videos that were filmed on the water.
Thanks
Dave
Coming soon!
I’ve been out three times trying to use this info. The first time was a bust due to so much sea grass being in the water. Fouled hook every cast. The other two times I’ve not had so much as a nibble. I’m using a 1/4 oz trout eye with a four inch slam shady. I’m walking along the wave breaks and casting to ten o’clock and two and everything in between. I’ve been using a slow steady retrieve mostly. Just bad luck or is there something glaring in my technique? I’ve been on the water at sunrise.
Thanks for any input!
What beach are you fishing? Not all beaches are created equal, so my assumption is that you’ll need to try some different areas out because the tactics you specified should get results if snook are in the area. Did you see any snook cruising along the shoreline or anyone else catching snook? If no, then definitely try out some other beaches.
Great video. Will be trying for some snook this weekend in Melbourne Beach. What about trout and reds on the beach – can similar lures and techniques be used? Will trout and reds come up close to the shore like the snook?
Yes, trout and reds can be caught with the same lures. They are not nearly as plentiful on the beach as snook are this time of the year, but they could certainly be a bycatch (along with flounder too).