Fall was in the air as some cooler days with lower humidity entered the Tampa Bay region. Outside of a little breeziness, this set up a week of nearly perfect weather, and a wide variety of aquatic species agreed to help visitors enjoy their Florida vacation at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers. Spanish mackerel started the week sluggish, but the action was picking-up as dramatically as the winds were increasing by mid-week. Many king mackerel were taken, and a few visitors even bagged multiple fish. Anglers can expect kingfish numbers to get even better with each passing day. Mangrove snapper are still being taken, and have been joined by flounder, snook and spotted seatrout as common bycatches along the approach sections of the piers. Small to medium-sized sharks of many species were very active, and tarpon were so aggressive that fish were even hitting cut squid strips fished on the bottom.
Spanish mackerel were spotty when the week began, but became much more consistent and aggressive as the week (and wind) progressed. Windy and wavy weather seems to turn on the ‘aggression switch’ in both Spanish and king mackerel at the piers, perhaps because baitfish are both corralled & confused by waves, making them much easier targets for these speedy predators. Most of the larger Spanish mackerel taken this past week were hitting Gotcha lures fished close to the surface. Some very nice fish were also taken on surface poppers and cut strip belly baits placed behind a popping cork. Indeed, both methods are effective to provoke mackerel attacks whenever fish are feeding high in the water column.
King mackerel joined Spanish mackerel this past week, and many kings were hooked and/or taken by visitors seeking the smaller of these two siblings. A few visitors had their reels emptied by kings as they were working baitfish schools. King mackerel have been around for several weeks now in smaller numbers, but catches late this week suggest the Tampa Bay region might be seeing the first serious push of these pelagic fish as they migrate along the gulf coast. Many times, the earliest kings will just as readily hit artificial lures as they will live baits. Most of these early-arriving fish are in the 15 lb. range, but larger fish have already been taken this fall. Simply adding a small leader or bit of hard wire in front of Gotcha lures, silver spoons or white jigs can be the difference between hooking and landing an early-season king. Free-lining scaled sardines or threadfin herring is an another early season tactic. As we push deeper into fall, these faster tactics will be replaced by deploying larger baits secured by an anchor weight on a pulley system. This tactic will be more fully discussed in upcoming reports.
Small to medium-sized sharks provided not only great action, but also great steaks for grilling for many new visitors to the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers. Blacktip, sharpnose and bonnethead sharks were active on both piers this past week. Visitors making their first trip to a saltwater environment often think that specialized tackle in necessary for shark fishing, but nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, basic light wire leaders and freshly cut bait fished on what many folks consider freshwater bass & catfish tackle will suffice for many species of sharks at the piers. Of course, monster sharks require a much more serious approach, but novice anglers can have plenty of fun and take some fresh fish home for grilling with very simple tackle.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
