# Sanibel Snook in August



## GatorFan321 (Jun 8, 2016)

I will be in Sanibel for a few days in early August and am wondering if the snook fishing is good then? I usually go in late May. Im not asking for anybody's secret spots or anything, just wondering if the snook are still there, and if the fishing is better, about the same or worse. I imagine it should still be pretty good. On the east coast, it picks up around april/may and goes away in the fall usually. Should be the same over there correct?


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## TylertheTrout2 (Apr 21, 2016)

GatorFan321 said:


> I will be in Sanibel for a few days in early August and am wondering if the snook fishing is good then? I usually go in late May. Im not asking for anybody's secret spots or anything, just wondering if the snook are still there, and if the fishing is better, about the same or worse. I imagine it should still be pretty good. On the east coast, it picks up around april/may and goes away in the fall usually. Should be the same over there correct?


You'll still get into fish in August, no doubt. I remember a few years back we were able to sight fish snook off the beach well into November!! Every year is a little different in that regard but August will still have fish...now as far as the water quality off the beach in Sanibel right now, I cant say...I haven't been up there since all the s**t has hit the fan with the river water...if the water does suck, shoot down to Bonita Beach...best of luck!


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## Dawhoo (Oct 27, 2015)

The water is nasty right now, good luck getting much more than 2 ft of visibility with much less at times.


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## GatorFan321 (Jun 8, 2016)

What happened over there? Any links to info i can read? We're experiencing some terrible water conditions here in the IRL/The lagoon too. I like reading about it to know why it happens and what needs to be done to fix it. Id be interested to know what happened over there to compare it to our situation. Is the fishing hurting at all? Im going with my family and my dad and brother aren't really into fly fishing or even throwing lures so we will probably use bait some so they can get on fish. Sucks that it sounds like sight fishing will not be good but id like to put them on some beach or blind pass fish.


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## TylertheTrout2 (Apr 21, 2016)

there is tons of info on the internet on what's going on over here...we don't have any thick blue green algae but weve got lots of brown water with algae floating in it. Kind of varies as you move North of South of the river mouth...I would guess the more North you go on Sanibel the better the water will be..(hopefully).


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## GatorFan321 (Jun 8, 2016)

TylertheTrout2 said:


> there is tons of info on the internet on what's going on over here...we don't have any thick blue green algae but weve got lots of brown water with algae floating in it. Kind of varies as you move North of South of the river mouth...I would guess the more North you go on Sanibel the better the water will be..(hopefully).


Gotcha. I found some info on google about the lake o level and runoff. I hate seeing that shit happen. I didn't get into whether its caused bu humans or nature over there but on this side of the state its 100% caused by humans. Its sad. Anyway, the cabin my family rented is near blind pass so on the north side. Im only meeting them there for 3 days so Im not taking the boat. Just gonna try to get some fish out of the pass or off the beach.


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## jp08 (Feb 2, 2016)

Just got back from sanibel, and I fished mainly off the beach and under the blind pass bridge. I caught snook just blind casting to popping bait fish along the beach around dusk and the snook were feeding heavily at night under the bridge. My brother used live bait one night and caught a few, and I used a lure the next night and caught one. 

Just be aware there will be a lot of people fishing from that bridge so you will have to be patient and take bug spray.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

GatorFan321 said:


> What happened over there? Any links to info i can read? We're experiencing some terrible water conditions here in the IRL/The lagoon too. I like reading about it to know why it happens and what needs to be done to fix it. Id be interested to know what happened over there to compare it to our situation. Is the fishing hurting at all? Im going with my family and my dad and brother aren't really into fly fishing or even throwing lures so we will probably use bait some so they can get on fish. Sucks that it sounds like sight fishing will not be good but id like to put them on some beach or blind pass fish.


bullsugar.org


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## GoonGhost (Jul 24, 2016)

Dawhoo said:


> The water is nasty right now, good luck getting much more than 2 ft of visibility with much less at times.


I was there all of last week and the water was gin clear on the beach. Inside is nasty, but beachside was perfect. 

If you throw fly, swing by norms flyshop. All the guys there are super friendly and helpful. 

If the water is still clear on the beach, best time is low tide. There are groups of 2 -20 snook swimming up and down the shore. I brought my boat and did all sorts of fishing while I was there, the beach sight fishing was the most successful. 

I was also in a similar situation as you, the family just wanted to bait and wait. So I set them up with cut bait on the shore and then I would walk the shoreline until I saw snook.


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## GatorFan321 (Jun 8, 2016)

GoonGhost said:


> I was there all of last week and the water was gin clear on the beach. Inside is nasty, but beachside was perfect.
> 
> If you throw fly, swing by norms flyshop. All the guys there are super friendly and helpful.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. I'll probably be mostly beach fishing so that is good to hear.


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## ratsix (Jul 2, 2014)

Good luck! Not to hijack the post about summer but I will be headed down there after new years for the first time fishing. I have been looking at the poll and troll options on the back side - may be interesting in the summertime as well. Last year I drove around that area in the park and saw some rolling small tarpon in the creeks where the water was pushing through. Thanks for posting the tip on the fly shop, I'll be sure to check it out and get some inside knowledge on my trip. I am a little concerned about where to keep the boat, seems like there is only one public ramp on Sanibel itself.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

The reason the water has been nasty is that they are draining Lake "O" to reduce the water levels in case of hurricanes. That water is fresh and full of nutrients, which helps to create more algae blooms. But the water is also stained from tanic acid from tree roots in the rivers and lake. So they are letting it out the Caloosahatchee and Sanibel sits at the mouth of the river. The moving lake water also picks up silts and sediments which can make the water look like chocolate milk. Sure you will have good days where offshore winds, tides and currents will sweep in clean water. Then easterly winds and low tide volumes will hold the stained water close in. So depending on conditions, it can be hit or miss as far as clean clear water being out front on the beaches.

Ted Haas


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## GatorFan321 (Jun 8, 2016)

I think those storms out there had the surf all jacked up. Ive never seen the gulf that rough. It looked like cocoa beach waves the last few days. We still managed to catch some snook and a couple reds. Had a great time just bad timing for beach fishing. I was hoping to get some shots with the fly rod but there was no way at all to see them. It would have had to be blind casting into a stiff wind. I did go jump a few tarpon in the wildlife refuge on fly. Fun trip.


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