The Tampa Bay region said goodbye to Hurricane Irma and welcome to the Autumnal Equinox at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers this past week. For anyone that missed pier updates, both fishing piers are open and welcoming visitors to some great fishing at the mouth of Tampa Bay. In addition, the folks at the Skyway Piers hope for a quick recovery to everyone who continues to be impacted by the massive storm.
Indeed, the arrival of fall fishing patterns seemed a bit early with 90 degree days, but apparently nobody explained this phenomenon to the fish. Sometimes massive weather events impact fish species and either push traditional behavior forwards or backwards. In this case, the arrival of some of the finest Spanish mackerel fishing in many months was a welcome sight to folks weary of dealing with storm-related issues. Limits of mackerel were taken and many of the larger fish typically seen during cooler fall months were taken. Jack crevalle, ladyfish and blue runners were all common catches this past week as well, another signal more common to cooler fall months. Gag grouper also remained on a good bite, and though many fish were too short, several nice legal-sized fish were also bagged. Finally, sharks, catfish and rays of various types entertained visitors new to fishing in the saltwater environment with their willingness to seize just about any freshly cut chunk bait that was offered.
Mud lines created by massive amounts of run-off were rapidly clearing by mid-week, but those that remained provided feeding windows for Spanish mackerel to ambush baits. Mackerel do not favor dirty or low salinity water by any means, but these predators will indeed use these environmental conditions for more effective hunting. Many visitors reported fishing the clean edges of dirty water lines with great success, likely because many schools of scaled sardines were also cruising along the cleaner water just outside of the stained water. Casting Gotcha lures or silver spoons right along these breaks was a very productive method this past week. Spanish mackerel success was found at both fishing piers and the bites were nearly along the entire length at certain times. Free-lining live scaled sardines or cut strips at various parts of the water column was also successful. Your author saw several Spanish mackerel pushing & even exceeding the 24″ size range taken this past week. While these fish were admittedly not the bulk of limit catches of macks, they certainly made for some great fights and happy faces at the piers.
Jack crevalle could be seen boiling the water along the approach sections to the piers this past week. Ladyfish and blue runners seemed to be close behind these ravenous schools, perhaps picking-up the wounded baitfish the larger jacks left behind. It is unfortunate that some anglers frown upon the sporting, baiting or even culinary qualities of these species. First off, all are spectacular fighters and many anglers consider jack crevalle to rank among the hardest-fighting pound-for-pound fish in nearly any aquatic environment. Ladyfish jump & pull like miniature tarpon and are just as escapable. All three fish can be great bait – whether fished live or used as cut baits. Finally, jack crevalle and blue runners are great in a variety of fish cookery methods, especially when bled upon bagging and the removal of the red lateral line. Ladyfish are the favorite for fish patties made by short-term freezing, filleting and then scraping the flesh from the fillet with a spoon for mixing with various bread crumbs & spices.
On the larger fish side, gag grouper, goliath grouper and sharks were the main target for anglers looking for an arm-busting battle. Gags were prevalent once again this past week, with diving plugs, free-lined live baits and cut baits all having success. Many fish were taken in the 16″ – 22″ range, but there were also plenty of legal fish (and even several fish over 30″) reported this past week. Anglers also did battle with goliath grouper in the areas of the bait shops and near the very end of each fishing pier. These fish continue to be prohibited from all harvest, but anglers often enjoy the incredible fight and getting a quick surface picture of these monstrous bay inhabitants. Finally, sharks of all sizes have continued to be active at both piers, ranging from light tackle fun fish all the way to 8 – 10 footers.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
