Summer is a particularly good time for fishing in Southern Florida as the fish are very active this time of year. The summer’s afternoon rain showers also provide good action in the waters. Snapper Creek Canal is located in central Miami-Dade County and runs right by the Dadeland apartment rentals at AMLI Dadeland. If you love fishing or you’ve always wanted to try, the Snapper Creek Canal is a great place to check out. Grab your fishing rod and some bait, let’s go fishing on the Snapper Creek Canal.
Accessing Snapper Creek Canal
The canal begins near the intersection of Hwy 836 and the Turnpike Extension and runs southeast to the salinity control structure near Parrot Jungle. The main stretch of the canal is 12.3 miles long, averaging 12 feet in depth and ranges from 50 to over 100 feet in width. Snapper Creek Canal also hooks up with Tamiami Canal which provides even more fishing opportunities for over 43 miles.
Boat ramp access is centrally located on the canal. Just head West for 2.6 miles past the Dadeland Mall and arrive at SW 97th Court and N. Snapper Creek Drive. This boat launch is on a paved driveway and also has ample parking on the grass nearby.
Snapper Creek fish
Snapper Creek is a pretty popular South Florida fishing spot. This canal used to be home to lots of large mouth bass and butterfly peacock, but populations have fluctuated in the last few decades between low and high numbers. Regardless, they’re still some of the best fish to catch in the canal. Both species average 13.5 inches and about 1.4 pounds in size. The local conservation authority recommends you catch and release of butterfly peacock year-round to keep the population steady and the sport alive and well for fellow anglers.
Other fish you might find in these waters are bluegill, redear sunfish, jaguar guapote, spotted tilapia, oscar and Mayan cichlid.
Best bait
The easiest way to catch largemouth bass in the canal is to hit the water in the early morning or the late afternoon. Try a few top-water lures. If you’re fishing in the day, it’s probably best to cast with a rubber worm under trees or bridges, generally anywhere shady. Taking it slow with your casts is the name of the game during the day.
For other fish in the Miami-Dade area, including of the many others above, simply using worms or crickets and a bobber works just fine, and it’s a fun way to get the kids involved. Small beetle spin and rooster tail lures also are good to string onto your line.
There are plenty of bait shops around the area where you can find everything you need for a successful day on the water. Swing bylocated at 9402 S. Dixie Highway.
More about the canal
Check out areas of the canal where there are fallen trees, bends, dead ends and places where the canal meets other waterways. These are usually the best places to cast a line. As we mentioned before, check out the shady spots under bridges and long the shore for some of the best fishing this canal has to offer.
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