AS SEEN IN THE MARCH/APRIL 2005 ISSUE

Regardless where in the State you reside, combining stealth and agility may offer the wading shallow water angler the greatest odds of success.

The day started out like so many before, patiently waiting in the dark at the boat ramp for my angler to show. Right on schedule, Tom Sounds from New Jersey walked across the parking lot with a cup of coffee and a bag of doughnuts. I yelled, “Times a wastin, the snook are bitin!” A handshake, a few laughs and a jelly doughnut later, we were off. We headed north up the Indian River Lagoon with the sun just starting to peak over the horizon. Crystal clear skies and a 65 degree morning left me with an optimistic feeling about our snook fi shing success.

I stopped the boat short of a 200-yard long grass fl at that was home to plenty of scattered sand holes and an eastern shore lined with red and black mangroves. I stealthily poled us towards the edge of the fl at. With so little wind, the surface was as smooth as the hood of a newly waxed truck. Tom stood on the bow waiting for the fi rst fi sh of the day. The gorgeous morning sky was quickly changing colors by the minute, though the serenity was short lived. I whispered, “Tom, snook, 30 yards, 11 oclock and 20 feet off the mangrove roots. Hes lying in that hole facing north.” Tom instantly spotted the fi sh and made a perfect cast, the fi sh however, thought otherwise and slowly swam away from the security of its ambush spot. Tom quickly recovered and made two more nicely placed presentations right in the fi shs path, but the snook was u n i m - pressed. For the next three hours that same scenario replayed itself as we worked our way s o u t h . Releasing only two fi sh in the 24 inch range left me extremely disappointed with the percentage of fi sh hooked verses the amount of fi sh seen.

By 10:00 AM, we found ourselves over a familiar fl at southeast of Stuart feasting on more doughnuts while discussing our next move. As we talked I noticed some activity about 100 yards to our east. Very familiar with this part of the fl at, I knew the fi sh were lying in a cut waiting for bait to be washed off the shallows. Tom blurted “That looks like a good place to start our next round.” I agreed and said “It sure does, but this time were not taking the boat.” The look on Toms face was priceless. I threw him a pair of wading boots and said “Youre not afraid to get your feet wet are you?”

With the tide rushing toward us, we left the boat behind and slowly stepped our way into casting range. I told Tom that the fi sh would probably be facing away from us and that he should cast past the target and let his bait naturally fl ow over the edge into the deeper pocket. As soon as his bait drifted into the deeper hole, Tom was rewarded with a hefty 39 inch female snook. After a quick photo and careful release, Toms was a happy man.

We spent the rest of the morning wading across that same fl at, casting to all the distinct holes, cuts and points. By early afternoon we had released fi ve more snook, eight or nine speckled trout, one redfi sh and several ladyfi sh. To say the least, changing our plan of attack turned a fair day of fi shing into an excellent day of catching! Tom later asked me why we had seen so many fi sh in the early morning with so few takers as compared to later in the day when we were wading. The answer could be as complicated as tidal infl uence, water clarity, water temp, time of year, type of bait etc. or as simple as the fi sh could simply just see us.

Without question fi shing is my number one passion with hunting coming in as a close second. In the Fall 2004 issue of South Florida Sport Fishing Magazine an article by shallow water expert Captain Fred Everson titled Perfecting The Hunt, discussed how similar shallow water sight fi shing is to hunting game birds and deer. I couldnt agree more. The anticipation of prowling a grass fl at is equally if not more exciting than hunting the edge of a wooded fi eld and regardless whether youre on land or on the water; the key to success is seeing your prey before it sees you. Snook, sea trout and most shallow water dwelling species have excellent eye sight and you can bet that most of the time if you can see them, they can see you. Most of these species have spooky days and not so spooky days. When the fi sh are playing hard to get, there is no better tactic than to level the playing fi eld by staking your boat and getting out and wading.

Regardless of what body of water you intend on fi shing, to consistently achieve success while wading you need to be as familiar as possible with the area. For starters, check out the fl at at low tide. Youll fi nd that some of the bars and high spots are fully exposed during low tidal stages. This is an excellent opportunity to make a mental note of all the distinct cuts and sandy pot-holes. Seeing these troughs will give you a really good idea as to how the water will fl ow on and off the fl at and in which direction the bait fi sh will funnel towards the spots where the predators will likely lie-in-wait. This is when and where a pair of top quality polarized sunglasses is an absolute must.

Low tide will also reveal where the actual drop-offs are located. This is critical, since stepping from one foot into six feet of water can be an eye opening experience. Take it from somebody whos been there and done that! A number of inshore enthusiasts will say that you can only entice large snook with live bait, and this may be true to some extent. I personally believe that regardless if you are fi shing from a boat, standing on a shoreline, or wading in knee deep water, you are the most successful when you have confi dence in what you are throwing, live or not. Though for those new to wade fi shing, an extra large live shrimp fi shed on a circle hook is a deadly combination that is hard to beat. Dont use too large of a hook as it will weigh the shrimp down and make it look unnatural. Too small of a hook and youll sacrifi ce hook set effi ciency so be careful there as well.

Finger mullet and pinfi sh are also very popular and effective baits when wading across shallow water fl ats. Both are also fairly easy to keep alive and will produce a variety of species. There are three different ways I prefer to hook these baitfi sh. The fi rst is through the top of the lip and into the boney part of the nose. The second is behind the dorsal fi n and thirdly, right behind the anal fi n. It all depends on how you want your bait to swim. Either way, throwing one of these lively critters up current and letting it drift past an appealing point, cut, or sand hole is an excellent method of approach.

The use of a circle hook is important when fi shing for regulated species like snook. Most of the time youre releasing these fi sh anyway and with a circle hook, 90% of the time youll get a corner of the mouth hook-up. This is less stressful on the fi sh and makes for a quick, healthy release. The most common mistake made with circle hooks is setting the hook like youre largemouth bass fi shing. An intense heave will only result in pulling the hook right out of the fi shs mouth. With a circle hook, a slow retrieve with steady pressure is all that is required for a solid hook set. After more than twenty years of wading the Indian River and its adjacent waterways, Ive grown a fondness for throwing artifi cial baits. Maybe its an ego thing, but theres something about fooling a big ol snook or bull redfi sh into eating nothing more than a piece of plastic. Plus, artifi cial baits are convenient. You dont have to spend precious fi shing time catching live bait, and you can keep a variety of extra lures in your pockets. And under most circumstances you can cast artifi cial baits a lot farther. Youll fi nd the extra distance to be extremely benefi cial when wade fi shing shallow, crystal clear water. A seven and a half to eight foot spinning outfi t is an ideal set-up for this type of fi shing. Top the reel off with 20 lb. PowerPro and fi nish things off with a 30 lb. fl uorocarbon leader. When selecting lures, the choices are endless. There are many designed to catch more fi shermen than fi sh, so I like to keep it simple and only throw a handful of lures on a consistent basis, with soft plastics leading the pack. D.O.A.s TerrorEyez and CAL ShadTails are excellent choices and what snook in the world can resist a D.O.A. shrimp drifting by its hole? When it comes to stick-baits, purchasing only top quality saltwater lures is a must. Their freshwater counterparts will not hold up to the harsh marine environment or to the relentless power of unforgiving saltwater species. Yo-Zuri, Bomber, and High Roller are just a few of the many quality lures on the market today. I prefer throwing topwater stick-baits in low light conditions. If that doesnt get their attention, Ill try a Zara-Spook with a walk the dog retrieve or with an enticing 1-2-3 pause, 1-2 pause, 1- 2-3 pause. Lets also not forget the proven, long casting, fi sh fi nding gold spoon. There is a new little spoon on the market called Capt. Joes Jigging Spoon and Ive had excellent success with it. Remember that wade fi shing isnt only a conventional fi shermens game. Fly fi shing enthusiasts will fi nd that walking a fl at provides plenty of room for perfecting their presentations. Woolhead mullets, clouser minnows and deceivers in various colors will account for plenty of exciting strikes. These are just a few of the fl ies that local guides fi shing the Indian River Lagoon use with consistent success, regardless of season.

For those who live in the area, you can fi nd all of the tackle Ive mentioned at John Bs Fly and Light Tackle shop in Stuart. With so many years of light tackle angling under his belt, owner John Sweeny is a great resource for advice and is always willing to point you in the right direction of promising fl ats.

Wade fi shing is a relaxing, and enjoyable angle of our exciting sport, but there are some precautions you need to take into consideration. Proper footwear is essential. Oysters, shells, rocks and even discarded glass can ruin your day in a big way. It took me more than one trip to the emergency room to realize that I will never wade without proper footwear ever again. However, even a quality pair of booties will not protect your legs from stingrays. Five thousand stingray attacks are reported in the United States each year. Most occur as a result of carelessness or ignorance. The sting is actually a rays refl ex action to protect, not attack. Rays are actually masters of camoufl age and even shy creatures. Consider how you would feel if someone came along and stepped on your back. Nevertheless, a sting is very painful and a serious laceration can be caused by the razor sharp barb, severing arteries and possibly an Achilles tendon. Stingrays can also release poison which can cause a drastic decrease in blood pressure, increased pulse, dizziness and possible shock. For every stingray that you see on a fl at, there are probably three or four more in the area, so be very careful!

The next concern is sharks; though do not let them be a deterrent. Ive had fairly large sharks cruise right by me and not even stop to take a look. Sharks cruise the fl ats looking for a meal, which is fi sh. There is nothing about a wading angler that remotely looks appetizing, unless that is; you have a stringer of fi sh tied to your side. I can tell you from experience that this type of practice is not a good idea. About two years ago I had a large bull shark rip a few speckled trout right off my stringer. That encounter probably shortened my life by a year. An inner-tube with a fi ve gallon bucket tied in the middle is a perfect alternative and a better way to preserve your catch. You can also bungee extra outfi ts, a small cooler, tackle bag, bait or anything else you may need. If you do prefer a stringer, make it at least twenty feet long with a fl oat on the end. This will keep your catch far away from your legs; just remember to tie a quick release knot to your belt. This way if a hungry toothy critter does decide to take off with your dinner, he wont take you with him. Wade fi shing on any fl at for any shallow water dwelling species can be an extremely rewarding experience. If you are poling across any shallow water area and the fi sh arent cooperating, slip on some wading boots and hop in the water. I think you will fi nd that wading will fi t right into your overall bag of tricks. Also, wade fi shing is very convenient and can be done before or after work by just parking your vehicle and slipping into the water.

Remember to pay attention to what is going on around you, be alert and use common sense. Hopefully some of these tips and information will make your next wade trip more successful and more enjoyable. Hope to see you on the water.

About the Writer:

Captain Gregs passion for fishing began at age 5 when his grandfather introduced him to the vast and wild Everglades. There wasnt a week that went by that his grandfather did not take him fishing somewhere in South Florida. Capt. Greg purchased his first skiff at age 11. Growing up in south Dade County, he explored the vast areas of Biscayne Bay and the Everglades. His passion turned quickly into an obsession which is still strong today. Eventually settling in Palm City in 1983, it didnt take long for Greg to learn that the 156 miles of the Indian River Lagoon was a gold mine. It doesnt matter what your angling skills, Capt. Greg can put you on the fish. He offers half day, full day and night trips. You can also contact him for multiple day trips and lodging. Capt. Greg is also a member of the Florida Guides Association. For a memorable fishing experience, contact: Capt. Greg Snyder at 772-201-8501 or 772-220-9954. riverhawkcharter@aol.com.

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