Capt. Steve Anderson holds a nice snook he caught on a recent fishing trip in the Jupiter Inlet. September is a good time to catch snook in local inlets. Photos by Steve Waters/The Coastal Star
By Steve Waters
Tom Greene used to look forward to September like most people look forward to Christmas, because the first day of this month was when the snook season opened.
The snook is Florida’s favorite inshore gamefish. It fights hard and often jumps, it hits all types of lures and baits, you can catch one from land or from a boat, and for many anglers a snook is their favorite fish to eat.
South Florida’s guru of snook fishing, Greene used to freely dispense information on where, when and how to catch snook when he owned Custom Rod & Reel, a Lighthouse Point store that he sold after 60 years in the fishing tackle business. He got his start at Boca Tackle when he was 12 years old.
Greene also practiced what he preached in September, fishing around inlets, spillways and beaches — wherever he thought the snook fishing would be best based on the scouting reports provided to him by his customers and a network of trusted sources from Jupiter to Miami Beach.
The snook season is closed from June 1 to Aug. 31 on the Atlantic coast of Florida because that’s when the fish gather at inlets as they prepare to spawn, which makes them easy to target. The fall season runs through Dec. 14. Anglers can keep one snook a day measuring 28 to 32 inches long with the tail squeezed.
The majority of snook are finished spawning by September, but some remain in local inlets and off beaches and around fishing piers. With a full moon on Sept. 7, Greene said the snook fishing at inlets should be especially good because the fish spawn on the full moon.
“The fish will still be around the inlets and off the beach,” Greene said. “The No. 1 time to fish them is early morning daylight and sunset.”
Because of heavy rains this time of year, snook also hang around spillways, where excess fresh water is released into the Intracoastal Waterway. When the spillways are opened, snook will be there to eat bluegills, shiners, shad and other small fish swept through the spillways with the moving water.
Tom Greene, considered South Florida's guru of snook fishing, holds the book he wrote about his fishing exploits, A Net Full of Tails.
Greene said swimming plugs, crankbait and jigs that get down to where the fish are will all catch snook at spillways, including those in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach. He recommended using tackle with 20- to 50-pound main line and 30- to 50-pound fluorocarbon leaders.
Greene, who wrote a book about his fishing exploits titled A Net Full of Tails, said that the hour before and after tide changes is usually the best time to catch snook in inlets and from bridges, especially at night and first thing in the morning.
One of my most memorable snook tales was a night trip with Greene and Capt. Steve Anderson. Trolling Rapala X-Rap swimming plugs through Jupiter Inlet, we caught and released more than a dozen snook up to about 25 pounds.
I had fun because I had never tried that technique. I had even more fun listening to the two old buddies tell stories about fishing from South Florida piers, beaches and bridges. Greene was so addicted to snook fishing as a young man, he missed his sister’s wedding ceremony because the snook were biting so good that day.
As Anderson slowly drove his boat in the inlet, Greene and I stood on opposite sides at the back of the boat with the lures swimming in the water behind us. The results were immediate, as Greene hooked a snook on our first three passes through the inlet.
My lure got hit when I started reeling so it didn’t get tangled in Greene’s line. After Greene landed his 11-pounder, I landed my 20-pounder for a successful doubleheader release.
Anderson and I then took great pleasure in giving Greene a hard time for catching such small fish. The old pro quickly got even by catching eight snook in a row, including several over 20 pounds.
Outdoors writer Steve Waters can be reached at steve33324@aol.com.
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