Spanish mackerel bucked the conditions this past week as pockets of cloudy water & daytime heat could not stop these fish from settling in for a very strong bite at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers. Limits of fish were not uncommon and many visitors had some long & fat fish to anchor their coolers. Gag grouper were going strong as well with lots of action and a few very nice legal fish taken this past week. Mangrove snapper and Key West grunts are also going strong on the artificial reefs that line the piers. Sharks and rays remained desired targets for many anglers and some massive schools of cownose rays have been spotted cruising the pier spans. Pompano action has also been reported along the approach sections and anglers targeting what many folks consider one of the finest-eating fish in Tampa Bay were also rewarded with lots of action from jack crevalle, blue runners and ladyfish. Finally, tarpon remain along both piers in good numbers and will likely remain until the first serious cold fronts arrive that force them to take refuge in coastal rivers.
Spanish mackerel were the main attraction at both fishing piers this past week and many anglers are welcoming an early fall run of these popular pelagic fish. Gotcha lures, spoons, jigs and larger sabiki-style baitfish rigs were the baits of choice because schools would move along the pier span and artificial lures allow for quicker movement from spot to spot. Live or freshly frozen scaled sardines, threadfin herring and shrimp were also very productive baits this past week – especially when the mackerel remained in one area long enough to place several set rods. One great approach is to have some rods rigged with artificial lures and some rods rigged for bait fishing. Once fish are located, set a bait rod or two alongside yourself as you continue to fish lures. A medium-light spinning reel on a slower action rod set at medium drag will hook many fish before you even pick up the rod. A slower action (meaning the rod loads up midsection) versus a fast action (meaning the rod loads up just below the tip) is more effective for set rods because often fast traveling mackerel will rip baits from a fast action rod because pressure is immediate. In essence, the slower action just provides an extra second for the fish to get the natural bait offering fully inside the mouth before pressure is felt and the hook sets.
It is common in many fall mackerel runs at the piers that fish often feed very close to the surface. Of course jacks are easiest to spot on top because of how they boil the water around baitfish schools, but mackerel are very often just underneath these same schools picking-off wounded prey. Mackerel – all the way from Spanish to kings – often can be spotted surface feeding because they will become airborne for a second or two as they attack baitfish or try to feed using larger waves. While many anglers consider standard floats & popping corks devices used only for presenting natural baits, that notion does not apply to surface feeding mackerel at the piers. The float is simply a device in this scenario – not for bite detection – but instead to allow you to present a lure closer to the surface. Many mackerel die-hards call this ‘water-walking’ as a Gotcha lure, spoon or jig darts about 5 feet behind a float that is both agitating the surface and also attracting the attention of predators. Remember – it might look silly – but it is deadly effective.
The artificial reefs that line both fishing piers have remained good options for Key West grunts, mangrove snapper and gag grouper. Mangrove snapper were very active on freshly cut scaled sardines, threadfin herring and shrimp. Anglers did report having to sort through lots of short mangos to reach a full limit of fish, but many were able to do so in an outing. Gag grouper have also been active – especially for anglers using large diving plugs on an outgoing tide. There were plenty of reports of numbers of shorter gags, but also some very nice fish confirmed (either by viewing or photo) that ranged from 26″ to 32″ taken in recent days. If you are working plugs along the reef, you can also set a bottom rod with a lively pinfish, blue runner or even a whole squid. Sometimes a fish that misses on a plug will be taken shortly thereafter on a bottom bait. Most of the nicer nice grunts were taken by fishing cut strips of squid or whole shrimp along the same reef lines as the snapper & grouper.
Pompano have been reported along the approach sections to each fishing pier – going up to and just past the first parking areas. Numbers of pompano were not high and many fish were short of the required length, but enough visitors enjoy both pursuing & cooking this species that it merits a discussion. Fish were taken on both incoming & outgoing tides and oftentimes a passing school of cownose rays was a precursor to a decent bite window. Banana-style swim jigs ranging from 3/8 oz. to 3/4 oz. (depending on the tide) were most effective. Chartreuse, pink, white and yellow were all popular colors and many anglers used a teaser fly – either at the jig or on a dropper line above the jig. Anglers who so enjoy pompano jigging were happy to take only a few keepers home because other species kept action interesting on the jigs. Jack crevalle, ladyfish, blue runners and even mackerel were all taken by anglers as they pursued their favorite target in Tampa Bay – the Florida pompano.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
