The Skyway Piers have been producing for those anglers who are not afraid of the heat. Way too hot for June.

We've seen more action early in the morning and through the night with the snapper bite, using live shrimp.

Speckled trout in the 19-22" range have been caught on the South Pier using Greenbacks for bait. Remember, the slot is 15"-20", and you are allowed to keep only one over 20".



The Spanish Mackerel are abundant on incoming and outgoing tides. On the outgoing tide, try 25 Lb Fluorocarbon leader with a "fresh-dead" Greenback (cut off the head and tail). Use a long shank hook and a split shot. I would avoid the swivel, the macks tend to go after it and cut you off.

Remember how to identify the Spanish Mackerel from juvenile Kings. The Spanish Mackerel have a black dorsal fin toward the head, and the Kings have a curved lateral line and a light colored dorsal fin. Juvenile Kings can have spots too, so don't look for that.

For Spanish Mackerel on an incoming tide, use a Gotcha plug, Clark Spoon or a shiny silver or gold spoon with a torpedo lead. If you see a lot of bait on the top of the water, skip the lead use a spoon with a float about 2 or 3 feet up the leader.

I am proud to say that Jason, of the South Pier Crew , caught a 60" Cobia today on the South Pier. He tossed a pinfish in to see if he could get a response, to his surprise, he got a good fight which followed in a lesson on steaking cobia.

A lot of sharks have been seen swimming around both piers. A 12-13 foot Lemon Shark has been spotted off the South Pier this week, and for the late night shark anglers, some other sharks have been landed, mostly in the 4-7" range. There are scores of Bonnet Heads swimming around, which most novice anglers confuse with Hammerheads.

As usual, we're getting a lot of small Gags. Some large ones have been brought in, mostly by free-lining a pinfish out to the rock piles and using a lot of patience. Remember 22" is the magic number on Gags. 20" on Red Grouper, which we do catch, but not as often.

The Tarpon roll is still on, remember you need a $50 tag from FWC if you are going to try to land one.

With the new regulation on licensing for pier and beach fishing, YOU DO NOT NEED LICENSE TO FISH THE SKYWAY PIERS. We purchase a pier license, which covers our guests.

Good luck to all anglers, and please remember to drive slowly while on the piers. Be ocean minded, learn the regulations before you drop a line in the water.

Recommended links: go to www.myfwc.com and for new park rates www.floridastateparks.org and your latest pier photos www.skywaypiers.com

Hope to see everyone at the Skyway!

Jamie M. Foster
Pier Associates, Inc.
Manager, Skyway Fishing Piers
727.865.0668

Teach a kid to fish!

Pier Fishing Guide