Mangrove snapper action continued to improve for visitors to the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers this past week.  One of Tampa Bay’s favorite summer fish species and dinner selections continued to make pier anglers happy as both mango size and aggressiveness remained on an uptick.  Some nice Key West grunts and even a few spotted seatrout joined in the action for bottom-fishing anglers.  Anglers scouting gag grouper for the rapidly-approaching regional opener had plenty of fun releasing both short and (soon-to-be) legal gags.  Sharks remained on a strong bite as well, with plenty of newbie saltwater anglers catching their first toothy-critter!  Tarpon remain on almost every piling and the flush of both blue & pass crabs is good during strong outgoing tides.  Some shrimp & squid also started to show in the lights for netters during the overnight hours.

Visitors reported some mangrove snapper limits and fish gaining in both length & girth measurements over the past week.  Freshly caught and iced scaled sardines & threadfin herring took most of the fish, but live or freshly-frozen shrimp performed well in areas where pinfish could be avoided.  Sardines & herring are easy to catch at the piers using either a cast net or sabiki-style baitfish rig in sizes #8, #10 or #12.  These baitfish are easily kept on ice in a plastic zipper bag and each decent-sized bait can give you between 3 – 6 cut bait chunks.  The smallest sardines are also excellent and can be threaded onto the hook whole.  Some anglers also praise cut bits of pinfish or ladyfish, and it seems that if you keep your bait fresh and in the 1″ square size, that all of these options can produce nice snapper.  Always remember that shrimp can be excellent as well – just be willing to move immediately if pinfish are stealing your bait before snapper can even reach the offering.

Fishing the artificial reefs, pier pilings and main bridge pilings for mangrove snapper at the piers certainly does not mean that is all the species you will encounter…  Cut chunks of sardines or herring can produce nice lane snapper, grunts, trout, snook, grouper, flounder, sea bass, porgies and even smaller sharks & tarpon.  Outgoing tides at the piers make reef fishing easiest, but incoming tides can be very effective for targeting pilings.  Underneath the bridge bait-bouncing can be performed on either tidal cycle.  If you encounter numbers of nice-sized grunts and enjoy eating these fish as much as your author, consider a switch to freshly cut squid strips in order to cash in on some of these tasty morsels!

Scouting for gag grouper may sound like a waste of time during closed season, but for many anglers who know the habits & proclivities of this species, it makes perfect sense just a few weeks ahead of the opener for the Tampa Bay region.  Gags not only gather in packs of several fish along the best structure, they have also been shown to return to that same structural element when released in the same area.  Free-lining pinfish on conventional tackle is one deadly method at the piers, but perhaps diving plugs are even better for fish-scouting because they often reveal the most aggressive fish in that area.  When scouting for gags, move along to your next structural option after only a few bites and/or landings.  Successful live bait drifts or plug retrieves need not even involve a landed fish – a very ‘nervous’ baitfish or missed strike are likely enough evidence.  You can return with a high degree of confidence that some fish will remain in that area.  Although the artificial reefs are the most popularly fished grouper habitat at the piers, do not ignore pier or main bridge pilings or a simple change in bottom content.  Remember that there are not only more artificial reefs past the closed pier spans, but also that the removed sections hold some pilings that did not break-off evenly when removed.  All of these non-traditional areas will hold gags – sometimes even the largest fish caught each season.

Anglers dip-netting the outgoing tides – mostly in the overnight hours – were rewarded with a few bonus catches this past week!  Blue crabs are the obvious dipping targets – especially on the North Pier during hill tides.  However, enough anglers this past week reported plenty of pass crabs, shrimp and even some nice squid during overnight flushes.  Pass crabs are primarily caught as bait for species like tarpon, cobia and permit, but a visitor this past week explained they can make very good soup or gumbo stock.  You are primarily seeking flavor – since this diminutive crab yields so little actual fleshly meat.  Nice shrimp and squid also joined the party in the lights.  When shrimp or squid are present, a smaller mesh net and a quicker eye are both required, but both can be taken readily from the piers when present.  If squid start to show in greater numbers, they can also be taken by using squid jigs that catch their tentacles.  Fresh shrimp & squid from the piers are great options as both the finest bait available and/or freshest seafood cookery options in the Tampa Bay area.

Paul Bristow
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