Weather plays a large role in determining when fish will eat. Although there are many theories about the relationship between weather and fishing, one seems to be well accepted among good fisherman. Be on the water right before a storm front is coming in and you'll be well rewarded. This angler above is in total agreement. This huge snook, close to 20 lbs., was caught hoursbefore an approaching storm front and was one of three fish hooked in about 15 minutes. Tampa fishing for snook can heat up right before the weather cools down.

Tides play an equally important role. Large snook, like all animals in the wild, want to get as big a meal as possible while spending the least amount of energy. This translates into these fish feeding best on moving water, when dinner will be delivered to their door. Tampa fishing for snook is almost always done on these moving tides, with the outgoing tide seemingly a better tide. One theory on why this tide is better is that water is being flushed out of bays and backwaters which are rich in crustaceans and bait so the snook stand "on the ready" as they expect a good source of protein to be heading their way. In certain locations, you can see this fish lined up on an edge or drop off as if they were in a cafeteria line, just waiting to load their tray. These fish will often be elevated in the water column, a good indication that they are ready to eat.

Although snook can feed with reckless abandon on these outgoing tides...and this is Tampa fishing at it's best... they are just as likely to be a bit selective. That means that baits must be presented in a realistic fashion. Experienced anglers will evaluate all environmental conditions to make their presentations as perfect as possible. On the above charter, the boat was positioned upwind to allow for a long cast. Ideally, the tide and wind will be going in the same direction, but on this day, they were not. Since the wind was strong, the captain made the decision to go upwind for the long cast and then let the bait come back to the boat with the current.

The angler would cast and start retrieving line immediately to take up his slack, but not so fast as to interrupt the natural presentation of the bait. The bait would then travel through the group of large snook looking quite normal...normal enough to eat. The result...another successful day of Tampa fishing.