Gag grouper season opened in the Tampa Bay region this week and the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers might be one of the best places anywhere to catch a fiery & fine-tasting gag from shore. Many keeper grouper have already been taken at this young point in the season and plenty of short fish are providing action in between the bites of the real hogs. Mangrove snapper continued on a solid bite at night with some limits of fish all over 12″ in length taken in the past few days. Large Key West grunts and some nice spotted seatrout continue to join the bite for anglers targeting snapper. Beautiful lane snapper were yet another species taken by anglers targeting mangroves. After quite an absence, pompano finally made a showing along the shallow approach sections this past week. Large shrimp were on a good night flush, some cobia were cruising the pilings and sharks (ranging from pups to monsters) stayed very active for visitors.
Gag grouper have been both active and numerous all year at the Skyway Piers and these wily predators kept the feed bag on despite the arrival of the open season. Numerous fish in the 25″ to 28″ range have been seen by your author and rumors of even larger fish are circulating. The coloration of gags often varies by the habitat from which a particular fish was taken, ranging from a very plain brownish-grey to incredibly brilliant & splotchy clusters of markings on the body of the fish. Gag habitat is so vast and varied at the piers that anglers might land a very plain looking fish or one more suited for a marine life painting. It is safe to say that gag grouper around the Skyway Piers will literally use any bit of structure where they can hold and feed. This means that while most anglers fish only the artificial reefs, plenty of big gags are taken elsewhere on the piers.
Gags taken this past week favored the simplest of the many presentations deployed for this species at the piers. Live and freshly procured dead baits fished on the bottom near the edges of the reefs outperformed free-lined live baits and plugs over the first two days of the season. All three of these presentations are utilized by the most effective grouper anglers at the piers, but the overwhelming success of bottom-fishing could suggest that gags were either less-aggressive or holding tight to structure. This might be related to water conditions, baitfish activity or even the presence of predators (like dolphins) which was very high this week. Bottom rigs for grouper are simple – using just a 50 lb. – 80 lb. fluorocarbon or monofilament leader, sinker, swivel and quality hook sized appropriately for the chosen bait. Some anglers like to ‘anchor’ a lively bait to the bottom so the struggling attracts fish while others prefer a dead bait to draw fish in by the use of scent. In both circumstances, baits should be fished close to the front or side of the reef (or other structure) so that gags can react to the bait. Live and dead baits fished on the bottom for grouper can vary tremendously – ranging all the way from a live pinfish or pigfish to a dead herring or whole squid.
Plenty of gags were also taken this past week by free-lining live baits and fishing diving plugs. As discussed above, it seemed that many more undersized fish were taken by these methods than by bottom fishing. One plug angler reported a dozen short fish in just about two hours of fishing. Perhaps smaller fish were simply more aggressive this past week – as chasing live baits & plugs takes more effort than picking a bait off of the bottom. If history holds true, look for free-lining and plugging to recover quickly in the taking of big gags. While obviously not all legal gags are reported & not all fish stories are accurate, your author will do his best to keep anglers updated on what is being seen as far as the chosen grouper presentation and bait versus the success rate.
Pompano made a showing at the piers this past week after what has seemed to be a few seasons of tougher-than-average fishing. Admittedly short fish far-outnumbered legal fish at a rate of about 5 to 1, but many pompano pursuers were happy to catch plenty to these feisty fish they had to release because their absence had been so pronounced. Amidst the releases of short fish, plenty of very nice fish were taken, and many anglers caught several pompano for their coolers. Banana-shaped pompano jigs in the 3/8 oz. to 3/4 oz. range shined with weights simply being adjusted to hold bottom based upon the tidal flow. Most anglers used teaser flies that contrasted their jig color in either a loop knot, tandem rig style or both. Pompano seemed to hold tight to the pilings and anglers did note that when schools crossed the pier spans they could often see fish flashing.
Other pier options this past week were numerous – with angling ranging from dipping & netting blue crabs, shrimp and squid all the way to fighting big sharks. Look for some of the finest dipping & netting to occur in the June to early July period during the overnight hours. Long handled nets and portable lights are all that is needed, but use smaller mesh for shrimp & squid and larger mesh for blue crabs. The North Pier is the best location for this action, but the South Pier also holds a few gems in this game. Although you will not see as many shrimp & crabs as on the North Pier, the South Pier is much less crowded and even allows for some fishing while you are awaiting a tasty morsel to show itself in the light. Float a fresh ladyfish, stingray or bonito out with the tide and anchor your rod. Commence dipping and listen for the clicker… You are now pursuing both the largest & smallest marine animals that frequent the piers at the same time.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
