Page 9 - july2019

5/0 weighted worm hook; colors would vary depend- ing upon clarity of the water and whether it's sunny or cloudy out. To catch a lot of fish on
the flats and to catch big fish on the
flats, all you have to do is follow these steps and you just might have a banner day or even catch that fish of a lifetime, like I did on my birthday, June 24th, when I landed my personal best snook at 39 inches.
Now, I like tossing artificials, but to
catch big snook on the flats during the
summertime heat, I feel you need to
use cut bait such as threadfin or mul-
let chunks. I have found when fishing
around docks or deeper channel points, that live bait such as white bait or pinfish provoke more quality fish. For your cutbait preparation, I prefer to use big thread- fin and I cut the head and tail off and then cut it into two pieces. Another good cut bait is ladyfish cut it into small 2 to 3" cubes on a 2/0 to 3/0 Gamakatsu circle hook with 25 to 30 pound leader. These two baits
are my go to for big snook on the flats during the summer months, and they work well in the spring months, too. I find that the bigger fish are kind of lazy and don't like to chase
baits down like the smaller fish around 18-25 inches do. The bigger fish cruise around and will pick up a nice piece of bait off the bottom before they waste en- ergy chasing down a frisky baitfish. The key to catching snook using cut bait is patience. Once you get that first THUMP, don't do anything. Act as if you are a rod holder; let the fish start to swim off with your offering, and once the line comes tight, reel a little to come tighter and then slightly set the hook by pulling back
about 6 inches or so and then let the "reel fun" begin. Keep the line tight and enjoy the battle.
Captain John Rivers
Rivers to Bay Fishing Charters captjohnrivers@gmail.com 727.313.1781
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