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As we covered in our recent snook fishing at night article, we think hunting the elusive snook after sundown is the best time to do it. Snook are nocturnal predators and become much easier to find at night. But what are the best lures for snook at night? We wondered this ourselves, so we leaned on our fishing community to figure out what was best.
In this article, we’ll start with the best lures for snook at night depending on the lure type. Snook lures usually fall into topwater lures, jigs, and swimbaits. We’ll cover the best options for those lure types as well as what to look for when fishing for snook at night. Soon you’ll know what the best lures for snook fishing are, as well as how to hunt them at night properly. Let’s get started!
Best Lures for Snook at Night
Best Topwater Snook Night Lure: Yo-Zuri Mag Darter Floating Lure
The Yo-Zuri Mag Darter Floating Lure is our choice for best topwater snook night lure. It comes in many bright colors that a hungry snook will easily see at night. It’s 3D eyes imitate those of shad or mullet (both common snook prey) and give the snook an attack point when hunting at night. We’ve seen success with many Yo-Zuri lures, and the Yo-Zuri Mag Darter Floating Lure is no exception.
Best Snook Night Jig Lure: SPRO Bucktail Jig in White
The SPRO Bucktail Jig is our favorite snook lure for almost every presentation, and it still shines when fishing at night. Jigs work particularly well when fishing for snook, and the SPRO Bucktail Jig in white proves the most enticing at night. Snook jigs are a great option when you’re fishing close to underwater cover, or when the snook aren’t near the surface. Fish the SPRO Bucktail Jig as if it was a wounded shrimp and the snook will come.
Best Snook Night Swimbait Lure: Soljer S Curve Waver Swimbait
Sometimes adding a little light to the situation in the form of your lure can work wonders when fishing for snook. The Soljer S Curve Waver Swimbait gives off its own light after letting it sit in the sun before fishing it. The glow in the dark plastic holds its glowing properties well and also works when not fully charged. The uncharged bone white color mimics typical snook baitfish like mullet and shad.
Best Snook Night Soft Bait Lure: Keitech Fat Swing Impact Rubber Shad
Another time-tested snook fishing lure is the rubber soft bait. The Keitech Fat Swing Impact Rubber Shad is the best soft bait lure for snook at night especially in chartreuse and white colors. The rubber tail flutters in the water during retrieval and mimics a scared shrimp or shad. Snook love feeding on both types of prey and find the Keitech Fat Swing Impact Rubber Shad irresistible. It’s our choice for best night time snook soft bait lure.
Bonus: Elmchee Waterproof Rechargeable Fishing Headlamp
Having your own light is crucial while snook fishing at night. We used to use a handheld light, but once we switched to the Elmchee Waterproof Rechargeable Fishing Headlamp we never looked back. The Elmchee Waterproof Rechargeable Fishing Headlamp illuminates whatever you are looking at and frees up your hands to hold your rod and perform other snook fishing tasks like rigging your night time snook lures. It also is fully waterproof and comes with rechargeable batteries. Besides picking out the best lures for snook fishing at night, this headlamp was second best at upping our snook fishing catch rate. It’s a must-have for night time fishing.
Bonus: Green Blob Underwater Dock Fishing Light
We reviewed the Green Blob Underwater Dock Fishing Light a few months back and praised it for its ability to attract many types of fish to your dock at night. Snook are no different – the Green Blob Underwater Dock Fishing Light will attract shad and other small baitfish, which will in turn attract snook. If you’re lucky enough to have your own dock where you fish, invest in a Green Blob fishing light. It’s also worth noting that if you own a boat, be sure to get some underwater boat lights.
What Makes a Good Snook Night Lure?
Now that you know what the best lures for snook at night are, we thought it made sense to discuss what makes the best snook night lures. There are several factors you have to consider when purchasing a good night time snook lure.
- Visibility. Probably the most important factor when choosing a nighttime snook lure is how visible it will be to the snook. Since snook are an active fish at night, you’ll want to pick a lure they can see. This is why we picked almost all light-colored or glow in the dark lures as they will be the easiest for the snook to spot. Duller colored lures can work too, they just won’t have the same range as the lighter colored snook night lures.
- Lure type. An obvious one, but still an important decision to make. You’ll want to pick out the type of nighttime snook lure based off of the snook’s natural prey in the area you’re fishing. Are their lots of shrimp near where you’re fishing? Go with a jig or rubber soft bait. Is it during the mullet run? A topwater plug or swimbait will probably be your best bet. If you aren’t sure what the snook are going after where you’re fishing, talk to a local fisherman at a bait shop or the docks to get the inside info.
- Action. Lastly, you should consider the action of the lures you pick for snook fishing at night. Since it’s usually quieter at night, it’s ok to use lures that don’t have as much action as day time lures. Hunting snook will notice small disturbances in the water, such as a rubber soft bait or jig.
Where to Find Snook
Snook can be located in many places in the waters they live, and the most common places are mangroves, oyster beds, grass flats, and man-made structure like piers, old pier pylons, and bridges.
At night fish like snook are more apt to roam around, due to the darkness providing the fish a sense of security and leaving cover.
Don’t be afraid to fish in areas other than strict saltwater spots, as snook can also be found in brackish areas as well. Stealth is still critical when fishing for snook at night, and using headlamps or lights should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, as well as keeping any noise to a minimum.
Tips for Snook Fishing at Night
Before we conclude, we wanted to go over a few general tips from our snook fishing at night article. Follow these and you’ll be set up for success.
- Be quiet. Snook have a very strong sense of hearing and will hear you approach where they’re hunting if you’re too loud. Be quiet when you walk and set stuff down, and don’t disturb the water. If you’re using a powerboat or fishing kayak, turn off the motor and stop paddling as you get close to where you want to fish. An electric trolling motor can be a lifesaver.
- Look under bridges and docks. Snook love hunting around underwater structure as this is where their prey lives. Try casting your lure close to these areas.
- Check out lighted areas first. Any existing lights (street lights, dock lights, boat lights, etc.) should be the first place you cast your lures. The extra light attracts baitfish and their predators. It also allows you to see better and cast your lure more effectively.
Snook that are cruising flats and other areas after dark are doing so for one reason, to feed. You can find that on some nights the snook are particularily active, and the fishing can be better than it was during the day, but you will have to get ready for very long nights, as in some cases the fish might decide to turn on at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.
Night bites can also last for weeks and days, so if you stumble on a great night bite, be sure to fish it often until the feeding patterns change.
Conclusion
Snook fishing at night can be a game-changer, and even more so if you have the correct night time lures. Many of the traditional lures types work well for snook at night, but in specific colors and with variations in presentation. We hope after reading this article, you no know what the best lures for snook at night are, as well as how to fish for them. Got your own night time snook fishing lure that catches tons of snook? Let us know what it is in the comments below!
Happy Hunting!
