Cooler water temperatures combined with shorter and windier days seemed to energize the mackerel bite at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers. A mixture of nice Spanish and king mackerel have been taken at the piers over the past week. Spanish mackerel had been somewhat smaller and unpredictable last week, but plenty of larger fish (in excess of 20″) were taken this week. King mackerel blasted-off later in the week – especially at the North Pier – where multiple runs occurred most days and many fish were landed. Mangrove snapper remain around the piers in good enough numbers to bag a limit, and were joined by lane snapper, black sea bass and grunts. Gag grouper seem to be gaining aggression as we reach the mid-fall period. Pompano, bluefish, ladyfish and jack crevalle continue to be taken by anglers jigging the piers. Sharks, tarpon and goliath grouper continue to be targeted by big game anglers.
Baitfish schools of many sizes & species attracted both Spanish and king mackerel to the piers – either by themselves for the Spanish mackerel, or by the food chain they created for the kings. Scaled sardines and threadfin herring were both very common, but the massive schools of young-of-the-year sardines attracted smaller jacks, bluefish and ladyfish to the piers as well. All of these smaller predatory species are actively hunted by king mackerel. Indeed, kings are aggressive enough to eat smaller Spanish mackerel – and even their own species at times!
Spanish mackerel action increased both in intensity and in size when compared to the fishing of last week. Although smaller mackerel were still around, plenty of very nice fish were taken by anglers throwing Gotcha lures, silver spoons and white jigs. Mackerel were also taken by live or cut scaled sardines free-lined on long shank hooks and fluorocarbon leader material. Visitors who kept moving along the piers to find the most favorable baitfish activity, water conditions and tidal flow were most able to take a limit of Spanish mackerel.
King mackerel have been taken for over a month now, but the numbers of kings – most especially on the North Pier – shot up dramatically over the past week. The forecasted weekend cold front might be a huge factor to launch an even stronger kingfish bite in the Tampa Bay region. Most anglers are now employing a trolley-rod system that uses at least two rods. An ‘anchor rod’ simply secures a heavy weight to the bottom and serves no other function. Live baits are then sent out along this anchor line by using clips & releases that will give way when a king strikes. The ‘anchor rod’ is used with various ‘fighting rods’ by employing components like shower curtain clips and clothespins connected together by a short length of line. The shower clip slides along the anchor line and the clothespin serves as the line release for the fighting rod. When a fish strikes the bait, the line pulls free and the fish is only on the fighting rod. Several lines can be set out on this system at various depths using just one anchor rod and multiple fighting rods.
Black sea bass became a more common catch for anglers fishing the artificial reefs at the piers over the past week. These fish seem to congregate at the Skyway Piers whenever water temperatures begin to fall, and that likely led to many sea bass reports in recent days. Black sea bass are a bottom dweller, but do not let that dissuade you from cleaning some for the table! The fish makes for fantastic eating by nearly any culinary preparation method. Sea bass favor hard bottom areas that are so common around both the Skyway Piers and the adjacent artificial reefs. Although this species does not grow very large, they are swift & aggressive strikers that will take a wide variety of jigs and natural baits bounced along the bottom. The bright white fillets this diminutive species can provide are almost unrivaled in the cooking arena.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
