By Paul Bristow
Windy conditions clouded the waters early in the week at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers, but waters were clearing & baitfish returning by mid-week, just in time for greatly improved weekend fishing conditions. Spanish mackerel were taken by anglers who found the cleanest & clearest water. Several very large king mackerel have been landed on the North Pier, and many look for king action to return as water conditions improve. Mangrove snapper have continued on a solid early-season bite, and many visitors reported catches of juvenile gag & red grouper joining in for fast reef fishing action! Pompano activity has been up & down, with some days producing several nice fish and other days being more difficult. Tarpon have already been spotted along the light line in the overnight hours, and a good shark bite continues.
Some very nice Spanish mackerel in the 20″ – 26″ range were taken over the past week at both fishing piers, but cloudy water made fishing slower than is typical for this time of year. Silver spoons fished behind a trolling sinker were one great choice, and many anglers switched their spoon color to gold or white if the water was cloudy. The trolling sinker / spoon rig is deadly at the piers and is usually fished quite fast. Cloudy water conditions dictate slowing the retrieve and even using a pulling / jigging motion at times to keep the spoon in the strike zone. Gotcha lures & white nylon jigs can also be fished in a similar manner and both are effective in cloudy water. Perhaps one of the finest presentations for cloudy water is a strip belly bait from a scaled sardine or threadfin herring free-lined with only the use of a split-shot sinker.
Reef fishing has been excellent at both piers – especially for this early point in the season. Mangrove snapper are ahead of schedule, and several limits of nice fish were taken once again this past week. Some nice black sea bass joined in the action to the delight of anglers who cherish the culinary qualities of this bottom dweller. Many species of grouper gave reef anglers some excitement with their raw pulling power, and provided great entertainment despite the fact that most fish were either short or in a seasonal closure. Finally, porgies of many varieties added to the bottom fishing excitement and helped to provide fillets for the skillet.
Ladyfish, jacks, bluefish and even some Spanish mackerel are taking live & cut sardines after dark on the pier approach sections. Baits are free-lined on long-shank hooks with the tide and allowed to either swim or flutter along the shadow line created by overhead pier lights. This is a multi-species fishing method where the angler has no idea what will take the bait. From small sharks & snapper to monster tarpon & trout, fishing live or cut bait at the edge of the light in the shallows of both fishing piers is a simple and effective way to get the drags singing.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
