Spanish mackerel continued to be the hottest bite during a scorching week of Tampa Bay temperatures at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers. Anglers caught plenty of mackerel this past week and many were taken by those visitors not even targeting this species. Mangrove snapper remained good as well and limits came to those willing to put in the time after dark. Jack crevalle cruised the piers this past week and many nice fish were taken by anglers fishing for mackerel. Sharks of various sizes endlessly entertained visitors looking for their first shark catch. Tarpon remain around in good numbers by the shadow line after dark and squid continue to be taken in the overnight hours as well.
Spanish mackerel were the main attraction this past week – mostly because this has been a slower-than-average season for these fish in the Tampa Bay Estuary. Typical mackerel seasons in the Tampa Bay region show strong mackerel bites in both spring & fall and decent mackerel fishing throughout the summer months. This year saw only brief periods of strong bites in the spring and last fall also had the same intermittent pattern. The past 10 days have been quite strong for mackerel looking at both historical trends and even trends for this fishing season. Multiple angler limits and lots of accidental / incidental mackerel catches are more typically seen in spring and fall rather that in late July, but this week bucked that trend. Anglers have speculated that the warm spring of this season dictated mackerel migrations & regional bites, but obviously nobody can be certain about how & why each fishing season sets up.
Outside of pontificating about mackerel migrations, now simply throw some artificial lures at them! Silver spoons fished behind a weight or float remained top-notch selection once again this past week, followed closely by Gotcha Lures, white nylon jig rigs and larger sabiki-style bait rigs. Many anglers even reported doing great on various forms of drinking straw lures they had made at home. Baitfish schools were somewhat smaller this past week and smaller lures did seem to perform quite well in this match-the-hatch scenario. Nearly any artificial lure that can be made to dart or dash in the water column can catch aggressive mackerel. Flash is great in clear water and colors are good in stained water. If your mackerel lure choices cover silver, gold and white then you likely have accounted for most of the water conditions found at the Skyway Piers.
Jack crevalle ran the piers this past week and many were very nice-sized fish in the 3 lb. to 5 lb. size range. Jacks most often feed in large schools or smaller packs of fish. Smaller jacks might inhabit schools of hundreds of fish while the largest specimens might hunt in groups of several dozen. Anglers this past week reported seeing schools of a hundred jacks or more working the pier span. Fishing methods for crevalles range all the way from casting to chumming & chunking. Most anglers agree that artificial lures are the most fun method and most fish this past week were taken this way. Jigs and spoons were most effective, but surface poppers and walking-baits were also both productive & exciting options. Strikes by this species are almost always so fierce and determined that they are hooked-up before the angler can react. If one fish misses on the strike, rest assured that a following fish will quickly replace it in the pattern.
Many pier visitors enjoy eating jack crevalle and the fish performs just fine on the table if properly prepared. Immediate bleeding is recommended before being placed on ice and it is also wise to remove the dark lateral lines of the fillets. Bleeding fish could not be any simpler than when visiting the piers because all that is necessary is to fill a 5-gallon bucket by lowering it into the water on some rope, make a cut of the gills and in just seconds you can place the now wholly-dispatched catch on ice in a cooler. Smaller jack specimens are better eating than the largest ones and many are preferred for regional dishes like soups & chowders, or even dried in the air for preservation as a ‘salt jack’ fish jerky.
Night bites at the Skyway Piers are generally good all summer long and this fishing season has been no different. Mangrove snapper might be the main night attractant and the bite was good this past week. Tarpon and sharks are also common nighttime targets and both fish were reported to be around over the past week. Some nice spotted seatrout and snook also joined in the reports in recent days. Finally, targeting shrimp, crabs and squid will remain viable in all of the summer months and some very good squid reports have continued. Many of these squid are smaller and thus do not as readily take squid jigs as their larger counterparts. Cast and dip nets can take plenty of these critters when they dart in the pier lights and shadow lines. Many anglers are hoping that the vast schools of smaller squid will make for a nice squid-jigging season of larger ones this upcoming fall.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
