These are the 10 best snook lures right now, just in time for the opening of Florida's snook season. In this video, you'll learn how and where to use these lures to catch more snook with these artificial baits. Snook, a fish found in more than half of the State’s inshore waters & targeted for their voracious strikes, leaping acrobatics & great table fare. These fish are also apt to eat artificial offerings of many varieties, making it a blast for light tackle enthusiasts. They aren’t terribly picky, but some lures just work better than others. Fill a tackle box with these baits below & you’re on your way to catching snook just about anywhere they live.
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1. Topwater Plug
Plugs, like the Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil, have become a fan favorite for snook. A nice big profile resembling that of a mullet, paired with a nice “walk-the-dog” action is hard to beat for snook. Seawalls, docks & mangrove pinch points are a few good spots to toss a topwater, where fish can easily ambush their prey. Dawn & dusk are prime time for topwater, but let the fish dictate the bite. You’d be surprised how many mid-day bites you’ll get on these style lures.
2. Rigged Swimbait
Rigged swimbaits, like the Storm WildEye Swim Shad, offer a large profile imitating prey like mullet, ladyfish, & croaker, that snook tend to feed on. This bigger profile, paired with the weight (these tend to be an ounce or more) make these lures killer for fishing deep areas with fast-moving current, such as spillways, bridges & inlets.
3. Soft Plastic Shrimp
Snook love to hang deep in the mangrove roots & shadows of structure like docks. Chances are, if you can get a lure to them, they’re going to eat. That’s where the soft-plastic shrimp comes in. Lures like the D.O.A. Shrimp can be skipped into these hard-to-reach spots. Quick twitch of the rod tip & let it fall, just like a shrimp does in the water.
4. Suspending Twitch Bait
Suspending twitch baits, like the MirrOlure MirrOdine, imitate small baitfish like pilchards & finger mullet. A quick twitch of the rod tip causes a quick “flash” of the lure’s iridescent sides, like that of a baitfish. These style baits work great when snook are corralling schools of bait around flats & shorelines.
5. Lipped Plug
Large, lipped plugs, like that Bomber Long A, have been a staple in a snook fisherman’s tackle box for decades. It used to be one of my great grandfather’s favorite lures! Again, these bigger baits are a perfect match when mullet & ladyfish are around. Shadow lines found along bridges are one of my favorite spots to throw big plugs, casting cross-current & reeling the bait right down the line.
6. Weedless Jerkbait
The weedless jerkbait, like the Zoom Super Fluke, is one of those lures that catches just about anything that swims, snook included. The erratic action from a quick twitch of the rod tip resembles that of a dying bait that gamefish can’t resist. The weedless dynamic works great for when fish are out on the grass flats or hanging deep in the mangroves.
7. Flair Hawk Jig
Another staple when it comes to bridge & inlet fishing for snook, especially at night, is the flair hawk jig. These synthetic hair jigs come in various weights from half to 3-ounce, giving you options to combat current & where you want to fish them in the water column. First Light Jigs makes a great representation of the flair hawk. Much like the large swimbaits, you want to cast up-current & fish these close to the bottom most of the time. If you’re not hanging them on bottom, you’re not fishing them right. A slow, steady retrieve is best.
8. Soft Plastic Paddle Tail
Much like the jerkbait, a 3-inch soft plastic paddletail, like the D.O.A. CAL, catches all inshore gamefish, as it matches just about every small baitfish profile out there. Rig it on a ¼-ounce jighead & go skip it around some docks. Rig it on a weedless hook & swim it through grass with ease.
9. Lipless Crankbait
Often thought of in the bass world & overlooked in the salt nowadays, a lipless crankbait, like the Rapala Rippin’ Rap, can be deadly on snook. They work great when small baits are around in the Spring & early Summer. Don’t hesitate to fish them at night either, especially when snook are being weary on the bridge shadow lines.
10. Bucktail Jig
Arguably the best fishing lure ever created, bucktail jigs, like those made by Hookup Lures, have notched the belts of many snook anglers over the years. Swim them across current, bounce them off the bottom in potholes & deep moats, tip it with a bit of shrimp & drag it on the bottom slow. There’s not really a bad way to fish them. Weights vary but the standard ¼-ounce does just about everything you need inshore. I like a dark profile in darker water & a lighter color when water cleans up a bit, but if there’s ever any doubt, you can never go wrong with all white.