The Skyway, Paul Bristow

December in the Tampa Bay region started cool and then turned into warmer than average on the temperature scale.  These conditions caused a mixture of both cool and warm water bites to occur at the piers.  Winter staples like sheepshead, black sea bass and silver trout are appearing at both piers in catchable numbers.  Gag grouper remained on a great bite, and the average size of gags is making many catches measurable for bagging.  Spanish mackerel had a slower bite this past week as baitfish schools looked to reestablish themselves along the piers.  The baitfish presence was getting much stronger just prior to this report, so a mackerel return in the upcoming warmer days can be anticipated.  Ladyfish and bluefish were crashing the surface after sundown along the approach sections, and even a few snook were spotted along the rock retaining walls in the early morning hours.  Sheepshead continue improving in both numbers and size, and smaller shark species remained cooperative for anglers in search of toothy targets.

Gag grouper remained perhaps the strongest bite at both fishing piers, and many nice fish were both bagged and released over the past week.  Diving plugs remained the best search bait for gags.  Pinfish were the top choice for free-lining, but small grunts and even lizardfish produced some nice catches with this method.  Anglers fishing freshly cut (or caught) whole squid on the bottom near the reefs took some nice gags as well.  Frozen squid is available in both bait shops and live squid tend to appear at the fishing piers during the overnight hours at this time of year.  While there is not a large presence of live squid at this time, enough of the cephalopods were present for some anglers to procure them as bait.  If sighted in the pier lights, they can be taken with an ordinary cast or dip net.  Squid jigs fished below the lights also take plenty of these interesting creatures that are just as good on the table as they are for grouper bait.

Black sea bass are a prized bottom-dwelling fish species that are commonly caught during winter visits to the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers.  Indeed, over the past week your author was asked twice to identify the species of these strange-looking & toothy Tampa Bay critters.  Sea bass prefer clear water and areas of hard bottom – which the piers offer up in abundance each winter season.  The species does not grow very large in the Tampa Bay region, but some fish over 12″ are taken each season.  Sea bass can be targeted with a wide variety of angling methods – ranging from swim jigging to anchoring natural baits.  Sea bass will often gather in schools and boast incredible culinary qualities.  Many seasoned anglers rank the fish amongst their top options for a variety of fish cookery methods.

Snook are closed to harvest in the Tampa Bay region, but that does not mean that these catch-and-release adversaries should be discounted.  This species is among the most fun fish to catch in a saltwater estuary environment because of their propensity to make screaming runs and leap from the water with rattling head shakes.  The rock retaining walls that secure the approach sections of both fishing piers acts as radiators for heat to warm the sub-tropical water temperature preferring snook.  These fish gather each winter at the piers, along with some spotted seatrout and flounder, to stay warm and feed on sardines & shrimp as they lazily flush through the piers.  Free-lining shrimp or sardines is great, but do not ignore soft plastic lures or hard-bodied plugs, especially after sunset.

Silver trout are yet another common winter resident at the piers, and reports of silvers being taken are increasing.  Anglers can pursue species like silver trout & whiting at the same time by bouncing larger sabiki-style baitfish rigs near the bait shop & end sections of both fishing piers.  Look for rigs where the hook is in the #4 – 1/0 size range to prevent bite-offs from toothy residents and allow for tipping with bait if fish are not very aggressive.  Lift-and-drop the rig in the tidal flow and you will be on board with a winter tactic that outperforms most during the cool water period.  This simple technique also can also take bluefish, flounder, jacks and many other pier species.

The question of the week just might have been “are you open on Christmas Day?”  Of course!  The Skyway Piers and bait shops are open 24 hours a day and 365 days per year, so they make an ideal location for kids to test that new rod & reel received over the holiday season!  If you are considering an enjoyable and economical family outing in the Tampa Bay region, the Sunshine Skyway Fishing piers are located along I-275 on both sides of the mouth of Tampa Bay.   Restroom facilities and picnic areas are available on each fishing pier and there is access for people with disabilities.