An approaching strong, early-season cold front; high and moving water; fresh northeast or southwest winds; a barometer reading between 30.00 and 30.10; the three or four days before and after a new or full moon; or a quick warming up of water temperatures on the heels of a southeast wind flow -- these are all factors that stimulate a snook bite.

But in my opinion, it takes a combination of at least two or three of these elements happening at once to create a true snook feeding frenzy, a type of feeding we see only a few times each fall. Then, schools of snook are literally jumping out of the water, grabbing any bait within reach.

After spending a lifetime paying homage to snook, I can honestly tell you that Florida’s east-coast snook fishery is the best I’ve ever seen, hands down. September and October is a time of year when you can catch linesides from so many different habitats. For instance, you can target snook year ‘round in the central and north Indian River Lagoon.

In much of this area, it can be very difficult to locate the fish when water temperatures push to and below 68 degrees. But by late summer, so many snook are hanging under docks, mangrove points and bridges in these areas, you’d think they had invaded from some other salty planet. In the fall, they’re everywhere -- as long as the water temperatures stay warm.

One way to catch trophy snook is to learn the art of jig casting. From Jensen Beach and St. Lucie Inlet to Fort Pierce and Sebastian Inlet, you can find a loyal gang of anglers who don’t use anything but bucktails or synthetic jigs to catch snook.

Usually these anglers are using a medium-heavy 8-foot spinning rod with a reel that can hold a few hundred yards of either 20-pound monofilament or braided line. Most of these snookers fishing from shore try to reach the outer edge of the inlet’s cut channels with a 1 1/2-ounce jig. This way, they can fish the channel’s ledges where the larger snook hold, out of the inlet’s moving water, while preying on passing baitfish being pulled by the current. The majority of this fishing is done at night and is a very effective method for catching snook from shore.

Other anglers use a boat to drift the inlet’s channel as they free-line live baits like croakers, threadfin herring, mullet and pin- or pigfish. While drifting these baits, it’s not unusual for these boaters to encounter large redfish, jack crevalle, ladyfish and tarpon. Many anglers seem to prefer drifting though these areas during an outgoing tide. But I’ve found that high tide also can be productive for this type of angling, especially near the tide changes.

The current can really get running fast inside these ocean inlets, especially as you get closer to the Atlantic. Fishing from a boat under these conditions can be quite a challenge. And considering that most snook fishing is done under the cover of darkness, you need to be particularly careful and use common sense while fishing from a boat in these waters. This type of fishing certainly isn’t for the inexperienced.

Other anglers spend their snook-fishing time on the beaches during the fall mullet run. All that’s needed for this is rods and reels, beach chairs and a bucket full of fresh, lively finger mullet. This is a more laid-back style of fishing, but still a very productive method of targeting snook, especially between August and November. The beaches from Port Canaveral to Fort Pierce provide great access for these surf anglers.