August 11.Several local anglers have recently shown impressive catches of three to five pound snook. Gregorio (see article below) displayed a string of five nice snook on August 1, all of them caught from popular angling areas along Fisherman's Walk right in front of town.
I managed to beach and release a couple of the brawlers on August 6 (see snook photos). On two occasions on August 9, big snook in the top water spit the fly back at me after quick jolting hits. Yet another thumper hooked up yesterday, ripped all the fly line off the spool, started on the backing, and then sliced through the twenty pound shock leader in a reel-screeching run for the deep.
The fly of choice for these sea-going Mack Trucks seems to be a three to four inch chartruse deceiver tied on a #2 long shank hook. I'm pressing the limits using a #7 rod, but unlike local anglers fishing for food, I'm fishing for sport. The business end is a six-foot tapered leader in three equal sections including a twelve pound fluorocarbon tippet followed by a six-inch shock leader. A slow retrieve, almost a crawl, after letting the fly settle two to four feet below the surface seems to attract the most attention. The daily excitement doesn't last long. Feeding snook are near shore for only an hour or so after first light--a bit longer if the cloud cover is complete, then they seem to slip into the offshore depths.
