Jetties Snook Fishing Catching Them on Pinfish

I asked a local how to rig for catching snook near the rocks at the jetties when using pinfish. His method of fishing produced excellent results. In this video I reveal the best time of year to fish for these game fish in Florida around the beaches and inlets. I also share rigging the method of rigging that produced good results.
One of my goals this week was to figure out how to consistently catch these migrating fish during their spawn at the jetties. I fished around the rocks two days in a row. During the first attempted I was freelining the live pinfish and only had one strike. The second day I caught two snook and lost a couple of good fish.
Some Gear JC uses:
• Video
Here's the rig I used:
1. 80 lb. mono leader, 10 to 20 foot long
2. 5/0 silver circle hook
3. Very small amount of weight, split shot attached three to four feet above the hook
4. The pinfish were hooked through the top of the mouth
There are many different ways to fish for snook with live bait at the jetties. During the past three months people have suggested using:
A. Large ladyfish
B. Eight to twelve inch long mullet
C. Decent sized mohorra
D. Large grunts
All of those baits are excellent suggestions, but the problem I have is availability. For me pinfish are easy to catch. If I was good at throwing a cast net near the rocks, I could catch some of the schooling mullet at the jetties. Ladyfish, mojarras and grunts seem to be random type catches. I guess one of the major problems I have is I'm only set up with a aeration system to keep shrimp and pinfish alive for long periods of time. I'd have to invest in more equipment to fish with larger baits. That's something I'm just not ready to do right now.
So, my plan is to continue learning how to catch snook at the jetties using live pinfish and also lures.

[@14theroad1955]

Great video, love the "wildlife" on the jetties with you.. ha ha

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for commenting. Yeah, there's a beach close by, seems to attract some interesting sights.

[@johngoon8735]

@@RadReelingFishing hey brother love all your snook videos been learning a lot of techniques from you 👍ty. .. I have a question I recently been doing some snook fishing off the jetties here in Tampa Florida I don't know why I lost about three or four fish this past week big guys 30 .35 inch snook as I reel in to land them like 3 or 4 feet from me soon as they get close to the rocks under me either the circle hook just comes out or leader breaks off right where the hook ? there something that I'm doing wrong ? I Just can't seem to pull them in lol I'm using 30 to 50 lb leader with 30 lb braid... Like I said hooking them fighting them all that good stuff but just can't seem to get them that extra couple feet to land them I'm thinking they hit the rocks or shake their head I don't know any suggestions it's very frustrating for me LOL what am I doing wrong ?

[@RadReelingFishing]

​@@johngoon8735 Thanks for commenting. Try 80 lb leader day or night is fine. I make my leaders 7' long also.

[@FloBass]

Awesome positivity in all your vids.

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks man. I try to keep things upbeat.

[@fishinnjiggin1014]

Hey JC another good video. I went fishing yesterday with live croakers and pinfish and didn't have any sight of snook. That makes a lot of sense now when they spit it out. Same probably for catfish because that happened to me yesterday.

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for sharing. There have been some good comments made on the subject of the fish hitting the bait several times.

[@swampstalkeroutdoors]

Great video and great tips! Thanks for sharing, Tight lines JC!

[@ProjectReel]

So I wasn’t the only one getting hung up on rocks this weekend I see lol . The weather has been weird the last couple days, good to see you had luck out there.

[@RadReelingFishing]

That's where they hang out for sure! The snook fishin at the jetty is going to be great for the next couple of months.

[@StanleyOrchard]

T hats a good video man, going to take some pointers for the videos on my own channel. Thanks so much for posting, really enjoyed it man. Happy fishing!

[@michaelhoneycutt9648]

I’m very glad you got back to some great fishing and away from eating nasty raw fish. Great Video.

[@RadReelingFishing]

ha ha...

[@buzzygermony2745]

That's my favorite place to fish. Love the video's.

[@chuckerroo5977]

Jc. Great video n info. Thats one of my favorite jetties but my girl dosnt like. Fishin on the rocks so i dont get out there much.

[@RadReelingFishing]

The great thing about the jetties is there always seems to be a certain species of fish migrating through there. It's snook catching time now, but the spanish mackerel have been hitting pretty good lately...

[@duelinggunnsadventures5946]

Jc when you get hung up on the rocks what I do I reel up tight , grab my line between the last eye and bail , pull the line back and give it a snap. Do it a few times. Pops the hook off the rock. Great vid.

[@RadReelingFishing]

I'll give that a try for sure. I need all the help I can get, so frustrating at times. I also think I need to learn to just leave it there for a while because there might be a fish on the end.

[@michaelbishop2988]

Awesome!! Hope to see ya out there

[@joseeruiz8945]

Hi, JC I was out again today great day . 2 stripers and 1 Black sea bass Your videos are👌

[@RadReelingFishing]

Awesome dude. Are you on Instagram?

[@joseeruiz8945]

Yes,

[@FaithNFishing]

Love fishing this Jetty and was there last weekend for Sheepshead. Great accessible spot!

[@nateoutdoors7061]

What inlet ?

[@FaithNFishing]

@@nateoutdoors7061 Out of respect for JC, I will refrain from disclosing the location on his channel.

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for asking. I don't reveal locations on this channel 99% of the time.

Great *Fishing* Congratulations Fisherman!👍🎣🐠

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for sharing. What city are you located in?

[@AndresPagan-h3m]

I LOVE U JC..THE CHICK MANE..KILLED IT...LETS DO BETTER...LOVE YA ..SEE YA.....

[@WereAllThatBored]

Looks a lot like our jetty but I know its not it. Great looking spot!

[@melissaolson2754]

Your a ticket. Absolutely love your videos.

[@bigcatfishin]

nice fish & good tips to get em

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks, that was my goal.

[@floridasaltlife]

good stuff !!

[@albertbradeis5144]

Love that jetty

[@bradplaney4936]

Love that jetty.... caught a nice big tarpon there on a 14 inch ladyfish. Have yet to land a keeper snook there, but it happens. And oversize snook too. Alas,,, red tide has taken its toll and will probably be a while before fishing is any good. So sad

[@RadReelingFishing]

Yeah, it's sad. Hopefully there will be some Sheepshead that make it in this winter.

[@adamrabbett1342]

What length is that rod?

[@frostizz2072]

What size circle hook

[@robcaponesoutdooradventure8286]

Nice catch bro Gotta love it !

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for watching Robert. Yeah, it was nice of that snook fisherman to share his pinfish rigging tip with me. I went snook fishing last night. The water is horribly dirty from the tropical storm. I caught one little dink.

[@williamw3779]

Great video! I know it might take longer for something to eat it, but could you do a video using 12 to 15 inch mullet?

[@RadReelingFishing]

Hey William, probably not, pinfish are easier for me to get and keep alive. There are people who throw nets at the jetties for mullet. They bring giant containers to keep them alive in...I"d have to invest in different gear, not something I'm equipped for right now. Thanks for making the suggestion though. Perhaps I'll do a collaboration one day with someone who has all the stuff to make that work.

[@williamw3779]

Thanks for the reply. Yah I can see that being a mess. It has been a long time since I have used live bait so I am kind of clueless when it comes to keeping them alive.

[@videosdepescarias]

Nice! Would you describe the rod and line you have used?

[@RadReelingFishing]

Ugly Stik Bigwater 7' Medium/Heavy amzn.to/2qzLCSk Good Reasonably Priced Braid Line amzn.to/2gJ6brd Penn Pursuit 2 6000 Reel amzn.to/2yxwfju

[@striper8311]

Would a float help from being hung up? I know pinfish always go for the grass and cover,

[@RadReelingFishing]

The idea is to get the pinfish to stay down near the bottom where the Snook are.

[@striper8311]

@@RadReelingFishing got ya

[@abfernandez5604]

I fish the skyways a lot, but any areas around Tampa you can point me to please and tks.

[@dannypeace9053]

Hard not to set the hook on the initial hit isn't it? I still make that mistake. Especially with big baits, gotta let them eat. Good job,JC.

[@RadReelingFishing]

So true man, so true...

[@christopheribanez7005]

Can I ask why u open your bale here and there while your line in in the water?

[@RadReelingFishing]

I'm free lining live bait. The additional line allows the pinfish to move around.

[@josephfalzone4722]

I noticed that when you got caught up in the rocks and you got it out you were able to save your hook. But why didn't you check your hook ? It could have gotten full pulling through the rocks. Not judging you by any means it's obvious that you know way more about fishing than I do. Just wondering why you didn't check your hook.

[@scotarmstrong6192]

Thanks for sharing. 2 Questions - do you ever use bronze instead of nickel hooks? have you tried the same method from the beach away from the rocks? just curious if that works as well, too.

[@RadReelingFishing]

I'd rather use silver, but do use bronze at times. Please let me know how it goes when you are fishing the beach. I don't fish the beach. Thanks for watching and I hope you have subscribed.

[@yoni9829]

Would frozen pinfish work? Or maybe soft plastics or swimbaits?

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for watching. Why use frozen when they are easy to catch? Any lure that looks some sort of fish will work. I like to use live bait for snook.

[@nelsonn7506]

Did you have a lot of slack on the line? I saw that you reeled like three seconds and then the hook set up. How did you know a fish got your bait this way?

[@RadReelingFishing]

I try to let the pinfish swim around a bit. I didn't look at the footage to see if I had slack, but chance are I did. I can generally see the line move, jerk or feel the fish when I get a hit. Thanks for watching.

[@abfernandez5604]

Hello Rad. Can you tell me where is this Jetty at please?

[@poopyman12320]

I know exactly where that jetty is, but it is kind of rude to tell anyone someone elses fishing spot (proper anglers etiquette)

[@patrickblenker6286]

In Tera Ceia and Miguel bay has no red tide in it

[@jamesferguson1666]

What size hook do you use when using the pin fish live?

[@RadReelingFishing]

It depends on the size of the pinfish.

[@jamesferguson1666]

@@RadReelingFishing I'm guessing 4/0- 7/0 roughly then. thanks as always.

[@caseyalexander2244]

That could be anywhere in Florida, but is that Ft. Pierce inlet?

[@RadReelingFishing]

You are right. Probably all jetty inlets in south Fl. hold Snook during the summer. Most of my videos are from the west coast. When I fish with Jettie Rocks, Mike D. I'm usually on the east side of the state. Thanks for commenting.

[@kevinc8963]

Nice video 👍👍👍

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for commenting Kevin, glad you liked it.

[@jayjohnsonthegr8]

Is that new Smyrna jetty

[@cooperdavis4303]

No

[@Jredding352]

What pound leader were you using and was it fluro or mono

[@RadReelingFishing]

80 lb Mono

[@williamkyle8500]

Why are you trying to rip the lips off of them with circle hooks?

[@RadReelingFishing]

I haven't watched the video again to see what you are talking about. I do believe that I caught fish in this video doing what ever it is that you are referring to. So, I'm guessing that what I did worked. The only time I've ever reeled in lips from a fish, literally, is when I was reeling in a Spanish Mackerel and a Dolphin grabbed it. I laughed pretty hard when there were lips on the hook when I reeled it in. I hope the video helps you catch more fish and thanks for watching.

[@robthetimekeeper2423]

1:06 Manny look at this pelican fly. Come on pelican!

[@RadReelingFishing]

I never really thought about how many have seen the pelican fly in this video. Good observation.

[@robthetimekeeper2423]

No mang, it's from Scarface. Google Scarface pelican.

[@beardedyaker9767]

Pinfish in the troth over here in Cocoa beach is the only way to do it lol Must freeline it though. #5 circle hook, please peeps

[@sc300seen]

Where did you get the pinfish

[@RadReelingFishing]

I generally just cast around in different spots until I find them. Once you catch one they are generally stacked up in that spot.

[@RadReelingFishing]

Here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2LWYZ6DZ7hpiJY

[@miamiwax5504]

do you ever fish on the east coast?

[@RadReelingFishing]

A couple of times a year I get over there. Thanks for asking.

[@frankharris1290]

Great vid Jc. What pound leader were you using?

[@RadReelingFishing]

80 lb Andee mono.

[@weekendfishbite5968]

What rod and specs are you using?

[@RadReelingFishing]

I mostly fish with Ugly Stiks. I have a 7' Bigwater. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6emY4yLmMqCe6s

[@roelgarcia4249]

Nice video would love to catch a snook

[@RadReelingFishing]

They are a lot of fun to catch especially when they get to be 30" and over. Thanks for watching.

[@ljelect]

JC just clip the tail fins and skip the split shot...

[@RadReelingFishing]

Great tip John. That pinfish would be working extra hard and there would be less chance of getting the split shot hung between rocks...Awesome sharing man!

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for sharing about the injured bait. I have filters on my channel for locations. Feel free to repost if you'd like.

[@ljelect]

I watch all your stuff buddy. I fish daily in my boat and frequent many of the same places you do.

[@ArcherFish]

good stuff!

[@diamond7022]

what type of reel

[@RadReelingFishing]

Penn Pursuit

[@patrickblenker6286]

To douse not getting stuck in the rocks I would cut the tail of the pin fish the snook go even more crazy about it

[@RadReelingFishing]

I've never done that before. People have made that suggestion several times. I'll have to try that someday if the red tide ever gets the heck out of here. Thanks for watching and for commenting.

[@vinfish4697]

reason why you didn't put a float on

[@RadReelingFishing]

Hmnnn, interesting question. Thanks for asking. The method I was using works. I'm guessing it's important for the live bait fish to stay near the bottom.

[@user-lb4vu4cq3x]

What inlet ?

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for asking. I don't reveal locations on this channel 99% of the time.

[@johnbfishing]

JC - Try trimming off the dorsal spines. I feel like the snook are less likely to spit them out and it increases the “injured fish action” of the bait. The tails can also be trimmed. This is especially helpful with the larger size pinfish.

[@RadReelingFishing]

That makes sense. Those pinfish are so spiny. I need to start using a glove when I catch them would be much easier.

[@judechitobaclig7642]

Have u considered cutting the spiny fins, removing it defensive mechanism?

[@RadReelingFishing]

Great suggestion. No. Thanks for commenting.

[@Darthstone01]

Great stuff JC! I’ve been meaning to do some jetty fishing out there with live bait (won’t say where that is for privacy, but that jetty is a great spot). How long do you think it’ll be until back to primo fishing due to Alberto?

[@RadReelingFishing]

Not long, the day after Erma came through I was catching snook againts the seawall. That video is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmi7aKGwlJVpia8

[@gregrichburg1561]

Awesome

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for commenting Greg. It was a fun snook fishing adventure for sure.

[@gregrichburg1561]

Rad Reeling Fishing we need to meet up sometime I just moved to the west coast a few months back..I Fish daily! Little different fishing here compared to Sebastian

[@bbqman3906]

Try a balloon or bobber. Pin fish tend to dive down into the rocks.

[@RadReelingFishing]

Yeah, the thing about the big snook though is they like to hang out on the bottom for some reason. I've been thinking about using a bobber to see if I can get a tarpon to hit though. I've been seeing small pods of them periodically passing through before just before sunset.

[@mikedobro2838]

Time to skip the Skyway and get back to the Jetty.

[@rrgH20polo]

Please follow that mamma

[@RadReelingFishing]

Too funny, so tempting.

[@fernandosalas8589]

The Hearing Dock I lost my concentration on that part of video kept think of mom on bikinis 👙 not sexy snooks on jetties.

[@guntastic264]

nice ass shot !!!!!!

[@dommitchell6123]

Here's a tip small pin fish don't dig as hard into the rocks big pins =snags and re rigging

[@RadReelingFishing]

Awesome tip for sure. Thanks for sharing.

[@robfordyce4012]

bro ur setting the hook on a circle hook thats why ur missing them

[@frostizz2072]

So do you just reel in the line and the hook will hook on

[@atmako1]

Nice video...just recently sub.

[@Zone-mc2tp]

Been there wont say the jetty 🙂

[@letsgetit2962]

There was some REAL talent out on those rocks & NO offense but it was NOT you my friend...

[@frankharris1290]

Thanks man

[@RadReelingFishing]

Sure Frank!

[@OrigamiILY]

dude u need stronger line

[@RadReelingFishing]

I agree!

[@makenitrogreatagain977]

Sa-she-me. Not sa-sha-me

[@RadReelingFishing]

Ha, ha...potato, patato, thanks for helping me out.

[@patrickblenker6286]

Don’t try setting the hook.just let him eat the bait for 2min or so and then tighten the Line

[@RadReelingFishing]

Thanks for the tip. Are you a Snook fisherman?

[@patrickblenker6286]

Yah I’m on a junior fishing team and we do off shore and in shore but we win a lot of tournaments down here in Tampa bay

[@patrickblenker6286]

I am 12 but my biggest snook is a 54” snook and a 36”red

[@patrickblenker6286]

I would get a different reel like a fin not or a kastking

[@patrickblenker6286]

To get a bait out of rock do the bow and arrow it works amazing