Skyway Report, Paul Bristow 6/3/2016

The month of June hit Florida with a hot & muggy weather pattern at the same time experienced anglers were establishing their own successful patterns at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers.  The gag grouper season opened in the Tampa Bay region this past week and many gags have already been landed.  Mangrove snapper continued on a fine night bite at the piers, and were joined by some chunky spotted seatrout for anglers fishing the reefs and pilings.  Spanish mackerel action improved, and folks willing to fish the right tidal cycles were rewarded with some larger mackerel – along with bonus jacks & ladyfish.  Sharks and tarpon remain very active for anglers seeking screaming drags and sore arms, and jumbo shrimp have joined the crab flush on strong outgoing tides.

Gag grouper season opened with plenty of action at the Skyway Piers, but many anglers have already been stung by the larger size limit that came with the extended season.  Gag grouper most often congregate along the artificial reefs that outline each fishing pier.  Some fish also identify the pilings of the pier itself and main bridge structure as their home.  Outgoing tides are the easiest to fish for gags because of the closed pier span on the Tampa Bay side.  However, some of the very largest groupers come to anglers who free-line underneath the closed span in an attempt to reach the artificial reefs lining the bayside span.  These fish are much less pressured and sometimes more bites can be found by a willingness to lose a few rigs and fish to the structure.

Free-lining live pinfish, pigfish, sardines or herring is one of the simplest & most popular methods to take gag grouper at the Skyway Piers.  Medium conventional reels with a smooth free-spool feature and beefy drag are perhaps the best weapons for this game.  Hook your bait near the anal fin on a 6/0 – 9/0 hook (depending upon the bait) and let your offering swim with the tide towards one of the many artificial reefs.  Your bait will get nervous when arriving at a reef and encountering various predators.  The angler will often notice & feel twitches of the line and/or rod tip.  There will be no mistaking a grouper strike when it comes, so be prepared to set the hook hard and attempt to immediately extract the fish from the reef with all that your tackle can handle.

Mangrove snapper fishing has been excellent and is a great way to spend an evening when the daytime Florida sunshine gets too hot.  Many anglers were able to release 10 ” & 11 ” snapper over the past week in favor of a limit of larger specimens.  Cut scaled sardines or threadfin herring were the most common bait choices, but some anglers fished live sardines and smaller pinfish in an attempt to entice the largest mangos.  Although 25 lb. – 30 lb. monofilament or fluorocarbon leader is generally sufficient at the piers, sometimes larger leaders are needed when snapper begin pushing the 18″ range.  Many nice fish in recent days have been taken on the incoming tide amongst the pilings of the closed (bayside) pier section.  Try to cast or work your bait into current breaks created by the pilings and you should not have to wait long for a take.

Spanish mackerel improved in both size & activity level over the past few days.  Mackerel continue to be best in the late afternoon / early evening time frame, but have been taken on both tides this past week.  Live scaled sardines free-lined on a long shank hook with only a small split-shot sinker were the bait & rig of choice this past week – especially for some of the big 22″+ fish that were taken.  Huge baitfish schools were commonplace and anglers had no problem procuring baits with a cast net or sabiki-style baitfish rig.  White poppers fished behind a water-filled casting float also took some very large Spanish mackerel this past week.

The flush of blue crabs, pass crabs and large shrimp on both late-day & evening hill tides remains excellent.  The North Pier is most productive, but many groups are learning they can get some crabs and shrimp in a more relaxed atmosphere on the South Pier.  Long handle dip nets and headlamps are all that is required for this gathering of Gulf goodies.  Whether visitors are seeking table fare or simply top-notch fishing bait, these flushes often remain strong much of the summer season.