A Snook Has No Pier-- Fishing report 2-18-16

Hi,

A snook has no pier-- or is that peer?  All I know is a snook that has no pier is not a happy snook. All the the snook I caught today had a pier and they were waiting for some bait to swim by. Although the 7 snook I caught today weren't the most or the largest, they made it an exciting day, and. . . I now have 11 snook total caught for my fishing club's "fish of the month."

Fishing Report 2-18-16 Walton Proper about 9am tide high and outgoing. Some wind early then very windy from NE about 18-20mph. Air temp about 68-70 water temp about 70. Fishing 3/8 oz jig with paddletail on 8lb braided line.

I hadn't fished Walton proper (intersection of Walton and Indian River) for months. I've been fishing North at Walton Scrub and wading South but never making it all the way to the intersection. I knew the snook were under the piers and some nice snook had moved in shallow. I wanted to fish the awesome last pier which was south of Walton Proper and hit the trout spots deep so I stopped at Walton proper. When I climbed down the steep bank and waded in, there was a guy fishing shallow near the last pier with a fly rod. I fished South over to him and asked him if he was fishing the pier. He said, "No, just go behind me." So that's what I did. The guy with the fly-rod caught a small trout and I started fishing the last pier.

The last pier is the deepest pier of the eight piers from Walton Proper to Walton Scrub. I've caught some nice snook there and lost a couple huge (over slot- 10 lbs) snook. I fished for 30 minutes and couldn't get bit. Nothing!!! The fly-rodder went under the pier and I headed across the sandbar to fish deep. The wind, which wasn't blowing much, was picking up to around 12mph, not too bad.

I fished my way North to my first deep spot. Wham!! hard strike!! missed it! I cast back again wham!! fish on!! This was a good fish but it certainly was staying down-- a 3lb jack. I released it, rebaited and cast back out. Another strike, missed it, but it took off my paddletail. I rebaited and fished North into the wind. Wham!! the water exploded as I set the hook. A four-pound bluefish careened in the air. "Don't cut my line," I prayed. Fortunately the lure was not far in his mouth and I got splashed as I lifted him to me. "Another bait gone" I thought as I released him and rebaited. Soon I got a strike and a nice slot-sized trout shook its head as I pulled it in. I pulled out my camera and took a pic [upcoming]. The trout jumped twice but was double hooked in its mouth so it took me a few extra seconds to release it. The plastic paddletail bait was done - the head was ripped almost off. I rebaited and headed South to my next spot.

I looked behind me and saw the flyrodder nearby fishing the shallows. He had come back North. As he watched I caught an very nice trout, easily 20" and took another pic [upcoming]. About two casts later I got a strike and pulled up a trout that flipped off. Then I hooked another small slot trout and pulled it to me- it too flipped off but I counted it. I saw some bait and cast over it. As I pulled the jig near me I saw a fish flash then when I lifted it out of the water a bluefish jumped out of the water, flew in the air, and bit the tail of my paddle tail off. My jig was about a foot in the air when it hit!!! Great googly-moogly- that got my heart pumping!!

I caught a jack then another bluefish before I caught my last trout, my 4th. Then I realized I'd come to catch snook and in 90 minutes I hadn't caught one. I looked for the flyrodder- he was getting off the water- too windy and probably too few fish. I went in to the shore for a quick bathroom stop under the pine grove- then I set out to fish shallow for snook. I fished shallow to the broken down pier's white pilings (3 piers in the Walton stretch have disappeared and all that is left is the white pilings) and then fished the pilings-- nothing. I fished against the wind across the oyster bar and to the end of the long pier- nothing. I went under the pier, fished the other side and across the the second pilings- nothing. Then I remembered a deeper section of the pier that was shallow- I'd caught snook there before. My first cast parallel with the wind blowing my lure into the pilings and wham!! Snook on! I waded away form the pier and the snook obliged -- it headed to open water and leaped in the air. Not big, but strong! I pulled it around and it jumped and swam to me. I grabbed the leader and the 24" fish shook it head and flipped off. Yes--my first snook of the day- at last! Two casts later another snook grabbed my jig. This one swam fast away from the pier and I moved quickly to open water. It was smaller than the first about 20" and I lifted it by the side. After I released it I remembered- my camera- I had taken no pics.

I fished north across the second fallen down pier with while pilings and into a good open area with mangroves. Usually, snook will feed there, but not today. The wind was getting crazy- blowing at 15mph and there were two foot waves and whitecaps- where's my surfboard!! I had to make it at least to the next two piers. I fished the white pilings of another missing pier then carefully fished the 6th pier, a short but productive pier- nothing.

I went to the 5th pier and cast against the wind under each section- nothing. I went around and fished the other side- nothing. Then I cast shallow parallel to the pier and let the wind blow my line underneath. The bow of my line disappeared- wham! a nice snook grabbed my lure and took off. When I set the hook  she leaped in the air completely out of the water. Wow, nice fish probably a slot (28")!! She headed back for the pier but I turned her and brought her splashing over to me. I grabbed my camera and took a pic then released her. The very next cast in the very same place- wham!!! snook on!!! This one wasn't as big and swam into the pilings but quickly came out. I pulled it into open water and released it. I cast back in the same place and wham!! another snook!! This one jumped and threw my jig so it wasn't a catch. After ten casts I moved to next short pier and into the brisk wind. "I guess I'll keep on," I thought, "they're biting." The short little pier had no bites so I went on to the white pilings and to the the long third pier. "This should be gr8," I thought. But it wasn't - I couldn't get a bite and fished the short 2nd pier without a bite. The last pier I could fish was the long fist pier- even with he wind I had to fish that pier.

Casting against the wind I got no strikes so I went over the the otherside and cast parallel. After 3 casts- wham snook on!!! This was a fairly big snook and I got it away from the pier and kept it from going back. I took out my camera and got a shot of it jumping. Nice!!! I released it and went back to fishing parallel. The next cast he bow on my line from the wind stopped- there got my line!!! Hook set, fish on!! This snook jumped completely out of the water!!! another nice fish!!!  After I released it I was amazed that I immediately got another strike- had the fish on but it popped off. Then two casts later I caught a third snook in the same spot! This time it went under the pier and came out somehow not slicing my line on the pilings. I released it and could coax not more snook from that pier!

I headed back. the wind was 20mph and big waves were crashing into me. I tried fishing deep but it was a complete joke- too rough to fish. So I headed shallow and fished the piers quickly. Nothing  until I got to the 6th pier then I cast shallow and puled the jig under the pier- Wham!! what a strike. The snook took off but under the pier. I was far away and tried but had the give it slack. I waded to the pier opening then checked my line it was wrapped around a piling on the other side- there fish was gone!!

The wind was whistling and I was blown back and got off the water. I'd fished over 3 1/2hours.

My totals: 7 snook with three around 28" none less than 20", 4 trout, 2 bluefish and 2 jack. A great but windy day on the water. Not many people would even try to fish in that wind :)