# Setting up for beach snook on the 8wt...



## jrasband (Jul 12, 2010)

Setup is perfect. I like a 10-12’ leader. Start with 30 lb shock tippet and go down if the fish are being fussy.


----------



## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

jrasband said:


> Setup is perfect. I like a 10-12’ leader. Start with 30 lb shock tippet and go down if the fish are being fussy.


Agreed. I routinely used 20# flouro in calm conditions. I tied some small whitebait flies on #1 circle hooks and "usually" lip hooked the fish. You don't have to pull hard on the beach anyway. Have fun, and be a helluv an engineer.


----------



## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

25 lb bite is a good compromise. If the water is dirty, use 30. You will get bit more with 20 but...you know what will happen when you hook the big gal. I've been a big proponent of the 25 lately...


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

I grew up fishing Sanibel and at one point, worked for several years about 2 miles from the causeway, so.... Back when Norm was developing his Shminnow, a buddy and I were working on ours which we call the Arctic Crystal Shrimp used for both night dock light fishing and beach fishing for snook. I also like the DT Specials.

Your line will be good. My advise is to be on the beach at 1st light and then stay up on the sand, not in the water. Look down the break where the water laps onto the sand. There will be a small ledge about 4-6" out 2-3ft out from where the water laps onto the sand and if you watch way down the beach on either side, you may see a few here or there swimming down that ledge that you'd swear you were seeing bonefish coming at you. Lead them and wait till there were withing a few feet from it and start working the fly. As they approach, pick up the pace and that will trigger them to lunge at them. Also, if none of those are in site, you can blind cast the 1st trough out there between you and the 1st sandbar, but let the fly setting to the bottom before you start working it.

I'll use all fluorocarbon leader system for beach snookin, no matter what flyline I'm using. Plus it's sinks, which is what you want. Normally on the beach, you can go lighter since they can be spooky, but the mix between a stealthy leader system and being being about to turn it over in the winds we've been having will be the trick. Remember, those flies generally run small and you'll think they feel like bonefish flies up in the air.

3ft - 40lb FC, to 2ft of 30lb FC, to 18" of 20lb FC, to 18" of 15-16lb FC. That will make your butt section. Then I'll use about 30" of 12lb FC tippet and then tied to 12-16" of 20-25lb FC bite leader. Like the guys said above, if the water is mucked up, then you can get away with 30lb and then 3ft of the 15lb and nix the 12lb. But normally, I like a long 12lb tippet and have found it to work best for beach fishing. That extra 18" of 15lb keeps the 12-20lb connection from hinging and therefore helps to roll the energy through the tippet to the fly and also helps prevents wind knots.

If the water clarity is super clear and still, then I'd drop down to a #4 size hook and fly. Otherwise, size #2 will be good.

Over near the passes, like near the lighthouse, south end near and around Blind Pass or south side of Captiva at Redfish Pass, I'd be using Halve and Half Clouser/decievers or EP minnows or sardine type baitfish patterns in Size #2 or #1. For those areas, I'd throw up current and let it sink as much as you can and then bump it along the bottom.

Make sure you bring a stripping basket. You'll need it!

Ted


----------



## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Honestly, I find you can just use a poor boy leader, butt section 5 feet of 30-40 lb, and then 5 feet of 20lb Fluorocarbon, with maybe a 1-2 feet of 30lb bite tippet if the water is a little off color.


----------



## aahx489 (Jun 9, 2020)

20p flouro for most cases which is the best in my opinion.
25p if the water is dirty/unclear.
15p if you dare to lose a snook.

I've caught many on 20p and would not think twice using it in all conditions.

Agreed with comments above. There is plenty of room for fish to run on the beach, so a light drag setting is perfect!

When landing any fish from the beach, let the waves bring them to shore.


----------



## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

Backwater said:


> I grew up fishing Sanibel and at one point, worked for several years about 2 miles from the causeway, so.... Back when Norm was developing his Shminnow, a buddy and I were working on ours which we call the Arctic Crystal Shrimp used for both night dock light fishing and beach fishing for snook. I also like the DT Specials.
> 
> Your line will be good. My advise is to be on the beach at 1st light and then stay up on the sand, not in the water. Look down the break where the water laps onto the sand. There will be a small ledge about 4-6" out 2-3ft out from where the water laps onto the sand and if you watch way down the beach on either side, you may see a few here or there swimming down that ledge that you'd swear you were seeing bonefish coming at you. Lead them and wait till there were withing a few feet from it and start working the fly. As they approach, pick up the pace and that will trigger them to lunge at them. Also, if none of those are in site, you can blind cast the 1st trough out there between you and the 1st sandbar, but let the fly setting to the bottom before you start working it.
> 
> ...


What knot do you use from 12lb tippet to a 25lb or 30lb bite leader?


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Thanks guys!

I expect I'll be out there early mornings from Thursday through Sunday...somewhere between South Seas Villas and the Mucky Duck.

Stay out of my back cast, but don't be shy.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Flyfish40 said:


> What knot do you use from 12lb tippet to a 25lb or 30lb bite leader?


I typically use an Albright from tippet to bite connection for all my inshore stuff, except for grown tarpon or big pelagics.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

crboggs said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> I expect I'll be out there early mornings from Thursday through Sunday...somewhere between South Seas Villas and the Mucky Duck.
> 
> Stay out of my back cast, but don't be shy.


Gotta try the Bubble Room for the Mrs....


----------



## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Backwater said:


> I grew up fishing Sanibel and at one point, worked for several years about 2 miles from the causeway, so.... Back when Norm was developing his Shminnow, a buddy and I were working on ours which we call the Arctic Crystal Shrimp used for both night dock light fishing and beach fishing for snook. I also like the DT Specials.
> 
> Your line will be good. My advise is to be on the beach at 1st light and then stay up on the sand, not in the water. Look down the break where the water laps onto the sand. There will be a small ledge about 4-6" out 2-3ft out from where the water laps onto the sand and if you watch way down the beach on either side, you may see a few here or there swimming down that ledge that you'd swear you were seeing bonefish coming at you. Lead them and wait till there were withing a few feet from it and start working the fly. As they approach, pick up the pace and that will trigger them to lunge at them. Also, if none of those are in site, you can blind cast the 1st trough out there between you and the 1st sandbar, but let the fly setting to the bottom before you start working it.
> 
> ...


X 2 cast parallel to the beach right against the shoreline that shpuld be whete the snook are feeding


----------



## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

The bite is on, caught and released about 50 snook off the beaches the last two days. Good to see the snook making a come back.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Steve_Mevers said:


> The bite is on, caught and released about 50 snook off the beaches the last two days. Good to see the snook making a come back.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Backwater said:


> Gotta try the Bubble Room for the Mrs....


Oh yeah...we walked down and picked up some cakes for the villa fridge. The Bubble Room is a mandatory dessert destination when we are in that area.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Steve_Mevers said:


> The bite is on, caught and released about 50 snook off the beaches the last two days. Good to see the snook making a come back.


The visibility was tough up where I was...clearing from Thursday through this morning when we left. It looked like conditions would have been awesome for sight casting today.

I saw more than a couple of big females but they were moving Mock 50 down the beach and were hard for me to get ahead of.

I didn't get skunked though...managed a couple of smaller males...










It may sound simple to find these guys on the beach, but its not if you haven't done it before. Those of us used to backwater snook with dark backs will miss alot of the beach snook simply because they are so damned hard to see...check out the pic below and add in water movement from the surf and wind along with the fish itself moving...noone camouflages better than mother nature...


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Backcountry 16 said:


> X 2 cast parallel to the beach right against the shoreline that shpuld be whete the snook are feeding


Yup...both snook I caught were within 5-10' of the water's edge...right in the trough.

I'll never throw another floating line at beach snook ever again. The intermediate line with the clear sink tip was a game changer for me this week...


----------



## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

More info please, Chris. Is that because the waves down't move the line (and fly) around as much? Or just getting the fly lower? I use a little lead wire in my beach flies....and only have floating lines at this point. Thanks.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

The intermediate line was much easier to work and maintain in the trough when the surf was breaking on it. Night and day difference from trying to do the same with a floating line...which is an exercise in frustration.


----------



## 4991 (Jun 21, 2012)

When you say intermediate are you talking about full intermediate line or intermediate clear sink tip with floating running line?


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

dhenderson said:


> When you say intermediate are you talking about full intermediate line or intermediate clear sink tip with floating running line?


SA Sonar "Grand Slam Clear Tip"

It says its a WF-8-F/I line


----------



## k-roc (Feb 8, 2018)

I bought a couple of those lines and haven't been able to use due to travel restrictions. I'm interested in how the Grand Slam clear tip will cast compared to the regular Grand Slam. I say this as sometimes when they put a section of intermediate tip, it adds weight to the line, and makes it feel heavier overall.
I'm a huge fan of the Grand Slam on Sector rods fyi.
The clear tip lines I was using in the past for beach snookin' were Rio Flats Pro Stealth Tip, the short one.


----------



## aahx489 (Jun 9, 2020)

The bite is on in Palm Beach! Saw many tormenting shoals of white bait and I hooked onto a large female today, just guessing but must have been 20 pounds (maybe an understatement).


----------



## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

crboggs said:


> The visibility was tough up where I was...clearing from Thursday through this morning when we left. It looked like conditions would have been awesome for sight casting today.
> 
> I saw more than a couple of big females but they were moving Mock 50 down the beach and were hard for me to get ahead of.
> 
> ...


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

k-roc said:


> I bought a couple of those lines and haven't been able to use due to travel restrictions.


I did notice that my NRX does a much better job of picking the line up once I retrieve enough that only the clear sink tip is really still submerged. I just got in the habit of raising the rod tip high while lifting the line until I saw the clear section...then the NRX picked up the whole thing easily for a recast or reposition.


----------



## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

So the sink tips get the job done? I was thinking a full intermediate would be preferable for surf.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Hank said:


> So the sink tips get the job done? I was thinking a full intermediate would be preferable for surf.


It worked for me...twice...surf was moderate...a full intermediate line may work better in really rough surf, but on those days I'd probably pass anyways...


----------

