Skyway Report, Paul Bristow 7/1/2016

As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, plenty of bites were popping like fireworks at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers.  The middle weekend of the summer travel season is a fine time for both residents and visitors to the Fishing Capital of the World to spend family time fishing on the waters of Tampa Bay.  Gag grouper season is one month old, and already plenty of keeper gags have been landed from the piers.  Mangrove snapper continue as the best ‘night bite’ at the piers, and are joined by ladyfish, snook and tarpon.  Spanish mackerel are available for folks willing to fish the right tidal cycles during the day, and some mackerel are still being taken after darkness falls.  Sharks of many sizes & species continue to entertain visitors either looking for their first ‘toothy critter’, or those seeking a monster to battle for long hours.

Under new FWC regulations, gag grouper season opened in June (instead of July) for the 2016 fishing season.  It appears that some visitors to the piers were confused as they stated with excitement that they could finally keep a grouper this weekend!  The reality is that gag grouper are caught most every month of the year at the Skyway Piers.  Although many are lost to the artificial reefs and ‘Flipper’ the dolphin, the piers remain one of the finest land-based venues anywhere in the United States to tangle with many species of big grouper.  Gags have been good along the artificial reefs that line each fishing pier, but some fish occasionally relate to pilings of the pier itself or those of the main bridge.  The outgoing tide has been the most productive for gags at this early point in the season, but some of the largest fish taken thus far have come from anglers free-lining through the closed pier span on an incoming tide.

Pinfish, pigfish, blue runners and small jack crevalle have been the most productive gag grouper baits.  Free-lining these live baits is generally the best method to land a keeper gag at the piers, but fishing them with a heavy sinker close to the reefs can also be productive.  Large diving plugs that dig down to the artificial reefs are also a great method of grouper fishing at the piers.  Send the lure out with the tide until it is well past the reef line and then begin the retrieve so that the lip of the lure occasionally bounces the structure.  If the bait hangs up, go to free-spool and let the tide (and bow of the line) pull the lure away from the snag.  Heavy spinning tackle or medium conventional tackle are the best choices for gags at the piers, with spinning slightly preferred for plugging and conventional for free-lining.

Mangrove snapper fishing is one fine way for a vacationing family to spend an evening in the Florida summertime.  Tackle for these tasty members of the Snapper Family of Fishes is easy to assemble.  Gather some 30 lb. monofilament leader, 1/0 – 2/0 hooks, egg sinkers and swivels, and you have all that is necessary for an evening in hot pursuit of mangos.  Cut bait choices, such as small squares of scaled sardines or threadfin herring are a great offering.  Live or freshly frozen shrimp are great as well, just as long as the pinfish are not taking the shrimp before snapper get a look.  Mangrove snapper are equally accessible to pier anglers on both incoming & outgoing tides because they not only gather on the artificial reefs, but also along pier and main bridge pilings.  Anglers should not ignore bouncing baits underneath the pier itself (where they are standing) because some of the largest fish taken this past week were enticed by using just that method.  These fish of the shadows do not receive much angling pressure, and are often greater in both size & attitude.