text: whats the best bait/lure for catching snook? grouper? fl fish? when the best time/bait/lures for snook/grouper and other fl fish? well, it depends on where your fishing(from a boat or from land).  artificial lures: for snook, your best artificial lures are jigs & "curly-tailed jig bodies" (1/4 to 1/2 oz) in chartreuse, root-beer, or white/natural color's. also, try any "soft-plastic stick bait" in the aforementioned colors,("senko's", "wave tiki baits", "charlies"). rig them "texas-style" .   make sure you buy some "menhaden" spray attractant to "sweeten up" any lures or jigs.  of course, "saltwater" rapala's and "yo-zuri" crystal minnows will work too, but they tend to get "hung up" in the mangroves. whatever artificial you throw should be as "weedless" as possible.   baits: the same 1/4 to 1/2 oz, (use a chartreuse jig-head), jig-head rigged with a large "mud-minnow" or shrimp would probably be your "go to" bait of choice. rig the shrimp "hook through tail" and the minnow "through the lips". also, a great bait are "pogey's". cast-net some pogey's and use them as chum and under a "popping cork rig". the cork combo works great around jetty's and open-water situation's. rig the pogey "in the back", and the shrimp "right behind the eyes".   you can fish on the bottom with cut-bait or dead shrimp but your odds on catching anything good (this is a  "trash-fish" rig) are slim. unless, of course, you plan on going "off-shore" ,whereas ,cut-bait, and a "bottom-rig" will work great on grouper. go to floridasportsman.com for further info.  if your fishing from a dock a "float rig" with "live shrimp" or "pogey" will work ,(and everything else i've mentioned too).   if your at a ocean pier, use a pyrimid sinker #2-3, a "sinker-slide", a fluorocarbon leader 12 lb, and a "circle hook" size 1/0-2/0. if you are at a pier you would be fishing for "whiting", "reds", "sea-trout",sheepheads etc. have one rod rigged with a "pyrimid-rig" and another with some type of artificial: jig, spanish-jig,etc.   some of your best fishing will come in the early morning and late afternoon. the middle of the day is too hot for some fish.   the early bird catches the "worm".  good luck & good fishing!