| Up the Creek Strategies for fishing mangrove edges change seasonally. In the winter, mangrove creeks (especially those with deep areas) are the best places to find snook. Snook, a tropical species, are near the northern extent of their range in the subtropics, and they canít tolerate cold water. They find refuge in deeper stretches of creeks sheltered from winter winds, and these are great places to find hungry snook during the cool months. As the water warms in the spring and summer, many snook move out of creeks and feed along mangrove shorelines and adjacent flats. Although snook prefer to feed at dusk and into the night, theyíll strike flies cast into the shadows of mangroves during the day. Even in the summer, creeks, particularly those with current, are still good places to find snook, because the shade keeps the water cool and provides hiding places.-Aaron Adams High Times at Low Tide Low tide is often the best time to fish for snook along mangrove edges. At high tide, snook can hide way up under the mangrove branches, but they have to leave this shelter as the water drops. Often, the fish remain at the same spot, as close to the mangroves as the waterís depth will allow. If you pole quietly along a shallow mangrove shoreline at low tide, you might be amazed at the number of snook waiting for the next tide to flood the mangroves.-Aaron Adams Flies for Murky Water Black mangroves often grow in areas with murky water, where getting your fly noticed is more important than using an exact imitation. Flies with a lot of flash, an undulating motion (produced by marabou, for instance), noise (from a rattle, perhaps), or bright colors are all good choices for these conditions.-Aaron Adams |
| The trick here again lies with the fly angler fishing large patterns very fast. Surf casting has also been one way to attack the Roosterfish. 10 weight rods are probably the best overall choice within the gulf. Our gulf is full of bait fish, and anglers must be prepared to fish the gulf in a number of various styles. Depth charge lines, intermediate sinking lines, and fast shooting taper floating fly lines are all used. Our inshore fish need to be fished with very fast retrieves. Anglers should be able to double hall their casts and plan on two-handed retrieves. Most baitfish patterns and poppers work well inside the gulf, and patterns should range in size from 1/0 to 4/0 for the the inshore game. Our enormous Roosterfish population is used to eating large blue runners (our local baitfish). |
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