The first week of May saw a strange mixture of fishing patterns at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers, and anglers willing to pursue the best bites found success with certain species.  May began quite warm on the weather pattern front, but some cooler water species are still hanging around the piers.  Bluefish have been good all season, but some very large fish were taken over the past week.  Blue runners and ladyfish also joined in the catch for anglers targeting bluefish.  Spanish mackerel were difficult to pattern this past week, with some fish being taken intermittently while larger schools of fish were seemingly absent.  Mangrove snapper numbers were good, but fish size was small and larger fish were taken only by the most avid mango hunters.  Plenty of cobia were both spotted & hooked this past week, with at least two very large fish being lost at the rail as a crowd of visitors gathered to watch.  Tarpon, sharks and goliath grouper are all available for anglers seeking to do battle with a sea monster.  Finally, both large & small gag grouper were landed in decent numbers, and many folks are eagerly awaiting the open season in the Tampa Bay region.

Schools of bluefish might normally be considering a northward migration at this point in the calendar season, but apparently nobody informed the bluefish that they were on a timeline.  Blues are the perfect adversary for light tackle casting with artificial lures because of their propensity to strike & kill anything that appears like a potential meal in their sight.  Gotcha lures, silver spoons and jigs are all great options for both bluefish and Spanish mackerel, but taking bluefish on a surface walking or popping plug is perhaps the most entertaining.  Bluefish will feed all day long, but it seems that the most consistent bites and largest fish taken generally occur at the piers after sundown.  On some nights, you can literally hear bluefish & ladyfish hitting baits on the surface, only interrupted by the occasional tarpon taking a shot at one of these species the ‘Silver King’ views as dinner…

It seems that bluefish size in the Tampa Bay region has been slowly increasing for nearly a decade, but some of the fish taken this season have exceeded even that trend.  Your author witnessed several blues in coolers this past week that would easily measure 24″ and had reports of even larger bluefish (pushing the 30″ range) being landed.  Bluefish have a firm & flavorful flesh that can be excellent for the table if the fish is cared for and prepared properly.  Bluefish should be bled immediately upon catching and then placed on ice a few minutes thereafter.  Bleeding fish at the piers could not be simpler – just fill a 5-gallon bucket by lowering it over the rail on a rope and bleed the fish in the bucket of water.  Fish can be bled by making a small cut or tear inside each side of gills with a knife, pliers or bait scissors.  The fish will bleed out almost immediately and can then be placed on ice.  Bluefish can be filleted like any other fish, but the darkest park of the lateral line should be removed unless the fish is being used in a soup or chowder that calls for a rich fish-based flavor.  Once the lateral line is removed, the fish can be used in literally any method of fish cookery and is known for its propensity to hold firm even in methods like grilling, sautéing and broiling.

One popular method of fishing at the piers is very common during the daytime, but all too often ignored after sundown.  Floating strip & belly baits of scaled sardines or threadfin herring ranks among the top methods to take Spanish mackerel at the Skyway Piers.  Perhaps because Spanish mackerel are primarily a daytime feeder, many folks simply abandon this method after dark.  The same method of hooking a long & slender strip or belly bait at one end on a long shank hook with only a split-shot sinker and 25 lb. fluorocarbon leader material is also deadly for a cornucopia of species at night.  Bluefish, ladyfish, snapper, trout, grouper, jacks, tarpon, sharks and even Spanish mackerel will take these baits floated out with either tidal cycle in the summer nights at the piers.  Over this past week, bluefish and ladyfish were the primary catches, but a few snapper and trout were also reported.

Anglers seeking sore arms and sandpapered hands found their calling this past week.  Once again, tarpon numbers were outstanding, and at times multiple anglers in the same vicinity were hooked-up simultaneously.  Free-lining pinfish, scaled sardines, large shrimp or small ladyfish took some of the action away from what had been a spectacular jig bite, but jigs still accounted for plenty of fish.  Catch-and-release goliath & gag grouper provided plenty of action around the artificial reefs and pilings.  Plenty of sharks crossing multiple species & size ranges were also eager to feed for visitors setting a series of rods with cut baits on the bottom.

Paul Bristow
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