A few thoughts about snook with lockjaw.. The first is simply this... if you've spotted a snook (or any other fish up shallow), you were probably seen a moment or two before you spotted that fish... Some fish don't show how aware they are - you simply won't get them to bite.... Give a thought or two to exactly where you were when you spotted the fish (and how close, how clear the water was, what the wind was doing... etc.). All of that contributes to success or failure. At night for instance fish holding in the shadows up under a bridge are very approachable - as long as you're not right in front of them... Those same fish in a docklight are super aware of their surroundings (and if you're on foot your best bet will be not to set foot on the dock that light is attached to...) -if possible... I tell my anglers at night that only the first two or three casts at docklight fish have a good shot at a bite in my area... After that, you could cast until your arm falls off with nothing much to show for it. Many times we'll move away to some other docklight then return an hour or two later to try our luck (if the fish are still there later on in the tide...).
One other trick that can make a real difference... Any time you find snook or tarpon or other prizes feeding... make a note of the exact time... Then when you can compare when they were biting with exactly what the tide was doing that day (or night)... you just might find a pattern (and if they turn on an hour before high tide today (or tonight), maybe, just maybe they'll be there and biting on another occasion - just before high tide (or maybe two hours into the falling tide - whatever it takes). We fish tarpon in rivers a lot and they seem very predictable - once you have some idea of when they like to feed...
