Snook Fishing The Mosquito Lagoon

Fishing for Snook in Haulover Canal and the
Shallow Waters of the Mosquito Lagoon

The Mosquito Lagoon is not the snook fishing mecca that many parts of Florida is, but it does have it's moments. Snook are typically not a sought after species on the Lagoon this far north, but as the weather has warmed over the last few years and the winters have been mild, we've found snook in the backwaters, along the dropoffs and in troughs in the shallow water flats. Mosquito Lagoon is well known for it's fabulous sightfishing for redfish and awesome spotted sea trout fishing, but the other two types of sportfish that are regularly sought after are the tarpon and hard hitting snook.

Where Are
Mosquito Lagoon Snook?

The biggest snook seem to be in the Haulover Canal from my experience, explains Captain Richard Bradley, but many anglers have found them on the deeper mangrove shorelines. Typically you can find them in the Haulover Canal during the warmer months and they seem to move away or stress out during the coldest months, typically not feeding strongly. On the flats or along natural shorelines the snook are found near deep water when the water is high in the summer and fall months. Snook seem to like structure, water and baitfish. Find deeper water along the shoreline with plenty of mangrove roots and loads of baitfish and you've probably got the ingredients for snook.

When Can You Catch
Mosquito Lagoon Snook?

During the warmer months is typically the best. Big snook are spawning on the beaches during the summer so look for late spring and early summer to be productive. As the summer wanes down you can find them eating up calories during the fall mullet run at inlets or in the lagoon itself. Then as winter sets in... Snook can become less predictable.

What Do You Catch
Mosquito Lagoon Snook on?

Many guides are strictly artificial anglers and this can lead to missed opportunities when it comes to snook on the flats. Yes! Snook will eat artificial's many times but more often than not they prefer a live finfish like a mullet, pilchard or pigfish. It's not often that Captain Richard goes out fishing without catching at least a few live baits along with an assortment of artificial. Snook can be a stubborn fish when it comes to strikes, especially during mid-day as they are more known for nocturnal feeding.

You can read more about snook on our snook species page and while snook are often not as abundant in the Mosquito Lagoon they are more prevalent down south near Cocoa Beach, Port Canaveral and Sebastian where anglers can target snook almost year round during the right conditions. Typically the Mosquito Lagoon has snook as an opportunity fishery rather than a targeted species. But when there's snook on the flats are along the mangroves on the Mosquito flats during the warmer times of the year. Lookout! You're in for a fight!

Snook Links & Information

Snook in East Central Florida have many different habitats and conditions that make them a great target for anglers looking for variable ways to catch this elusive fish. Juvenile fish can be caught in the estuaries, canals and backwater areas almost all year long. While not as prestigious as large breeder snook, they are non-the-less enjoyable to catch and will bite on everything from baitcasters to flyrods and everything between. Juvenile snook are suckers for artificial's and readily take live bait as well.

Big breeding snook spawn on or near the beaches of Central Florida and always have a passageway or access to the beaches or inlets available to them. The only time a breeder snook is generally caught in the backwaters here is because it's a cooler transitional time period usually. Canaveral snook spend their winter months in the Port under docks, wharfs and around other structure like boats and pilings. You often see them hanging around the lights at night in small and large schools. Sebastian Inlet Snook are caught in the inlet itself during the summer and fall months and many of the larger snook migrate south to Jupiter Inlet or hunker down in the fresh warmer water of the Sebastian River a short distance away.

Articles and Photos about Snook

If you're looking to learn about snook fishing while you're visiting the Mosquito Lagoon or Orlando area, ask Captain Gina to set you up a snook fishing trip with our premier snook fishing guide, Captain Richard Bradley. Snook are warm water fish and are more often caught south of the Mosquito Lagoon area toward Sebastian Inlet or possibly Port Canaveral. When booking the trip remember that Mosquito Lagoon is typically a redfish and sea trout destination but snook "can" be caught there from time to time when the conditions are right.