Snook Question Shallow dead end canal

eQuipMatt · January 2013

I've caught a bunch of snook on the flats in the central region as well as the inlets here, but the snook in the canal behind my house are about to drive me nuts! I've got them around the edges of the light on a regular basis... I've tried live mullet, shrimp ( small large and DOA), large jigs, small jigs, swim baits and eveything in between except for the cast net! The only major look they have given is on a mud minnow. The light is always covered up in small glass minnows but the don't seem to be hitting those either. What are these fish gonna bite? Notes: Dead end canal so limited to no flow, mud bottom with darker water... Any ideas?

FS Jim · January 2013

fly

RStyle · January 2013

This is speculation and not sure it is the right answer.

I had a similar experience. Threw everything I had and could get a hold on to a bunch of snook lazily swimming mostly in circles in a dead end canal. Locals said the fish go in the canals to rest, "sleep" after feeding in the river and are in no eating mood. Allegedly that is why they go into a place without a current.........................................but..................not sure if true or not

LastMango · January 2013

RStyle wrote: »

This is speculation and not sure it is the right answer.

I had a similar experience. Threw everything I had and could get a hold on to a bunch of snook lazily swimming mostly in circles in a dead end canal. Locals said the fish go in the canals to rest, "sleep" after feeding in the river and are in no eating mood. Allegedly that is why they go into a place without a current.........................................but..................not sure if true or not

I tend to agree with this... Also, Snook tend to not eat on high pressure (they feel full)

FIGGY · January 2013

Under the us1 bridge in Jupiter you see a bunch of snook under the light by the piling and no matter what you throw at them they don't eat. This guy came along on this small boat and a fly rod with a shrimp fly and was killing them. Every time I seen snook and not hitting every thing some body comes along with a fly rod and kills it. My go to has always been a doa terror eyes or a red tail hawk when they don't eat anything else but I think I got to learn how to fly fish cause it gets them every time I have seen.

BigJoup · January 2013

FS Jim wrote: »

fly

That would be my first suggestion as well, if you're not handy with the fly rod i'd try the DOA tiny terroreyz.....we've used it on picky snook in the past with good success, it's just so light that if you have to cast very far it will be difficult.

eQuipMatt · January 2013

Casting isn't the issue I can stand off to the side of the dock and drop a fly from a spinning rod on their nose. I've got the light underwater so I'm hidden in the dark. In the back of my mind I was thinking a clouser minnow fly or some sort of shrimp fly. It's becoming a matter of principal now to catch one.

Final Point · January 2013

When I was a kid I used to snook fish dead end canals in Merritt Island and came accross the same problem. I tried everything as well and finaly told my problem to a friend at a local tackle shop. He told me to use tiny tube jigs, brown head with white tails, and to hide the jighead inside the tube. Well, from then on, I had no problem getting those snook to eat.

snook87 · January 2013

They could be in a spawning mode which would explain why they don't eat.

mandaferret · January 2013

First off, even though the light is underwater, by walking down the dock you are sending vibrations from your footsteps down into the water through the pilings. If the fish are spooky this can easily put them off.
Also, when you say small DOA shrimp, do you mean the 3" one? The 2" 1/20 oz DOA shrimp is basically a plastic fly and works great when the fish are small or finicky.
Another thing is to downsize your tackle. You may lose a few fish, but you will hook a lot more.

GTSR · January 2013

Snook most certainly feel you on the dock.

PhishingPhanatic · January 2013

Also try a fresh dead ladyfish or mullet head on the bottom after you stomp on it to get the juices flowing.

Capt George Gozdz · January 2013

FS Jim wrote: »

fly

X2

ShallowExpectations · January 2013

Stay off your dock or go onto the neighbors dock and cast to the light with a small minnow/shrimp fly.

footankleg · January 2013

FS Jim wrote: »

fly

X3.

rowerybo · January 2013

try a pink worm maybe 4-6inches long

eQuipMatt · February 2013

Thanks for all the comments guys and keep them coming... As far as the dock goes I should have said its parallel with the seawall and where my approach to the light is a concrete paver walkway so I'm not actually on the dock when casting to the light so dock noise is out of the question unless my son comes out and then its a no brainer that vibration cases the fish to scatter! LOL it's kind of funny when he gets so excited, but then again last time we went off shore him and a friend stayed up late talking and slept when they could have fished and then when we got home had a contest catching catfish when we got back to the dock. OK enough of the derail.. Who in the jupiter PBG area has a good selection of flys?

BigJoup · February 2013

Something we have noticed is that you can see the fish great on the underwater lights, but they seem to be much more reluctant to bite. Could the underwater light make it harder for them to see your offering? If the light is from above I would think the silhouette would look much different from the light being under the water. We get a ton of follows and they just seem to not commit :huh I'd give the tiny terroreyz a toss in there for sure.

Gatorzone19 · February 2013

Chum with small live pilchards then throw one out on a small circle hook with 25# fluoro. I live on a canal just like that and have caught hundreds of snook this way. They love little live baits, whether it be pilchards, sardines, gogs, or thread fins.

flatsfisher · February 2013

Gatorzone19 wrote: »

Chum with small live pilchards then throw one out on a small circle hook with 25# fluoro. I live on a canal just like that and have caught hundreds of snook this way. They love little live baits, whether it be pilchards, sardines, gogs, or thread fins.

X2 this is how we slay them all the time, whenever we go to take dead bait or live out of the pen and drop one in the water by accident the snook have come up and busted them like the jacks at sailfish, it is odd but it happens occasionally. i think it is because the scent of the dead and rotting baits which is why people say to use a dead sardines, ladyfish, or mullet and smash the heads. good luck i hope you get them!

mako7873 · February 2013

PhishingPhanatic wrote: »

Also try a fresh dead ladyfish or mullet head on the bottom after you stomp on it to get the juices flowing.

Anything sitting on the bottom in their vicinity will eventually get sucked up. They are scavengers just like tarpon if the opportunity arises.

fishknut · February 2013

had the same problem at a friends dock, until we tried a crappie jig, worked great......give it a shot

eQuipMatt · February 2013

Too many catfish to soak dead bait on the bottom!

Snook Question Shallow dead end canal

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