The Skyway Report, 10/21/2016

The first serious cold front of the fall is scheduled to arrive in the Tampa Bay region this weekend, but this will likely lead to even hotter bites from pelagic species at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers.  Indeed, a mixture of both pelagic and resident species were already gathered near the piers over the past week.  Spanish and king mackerel were the main migratory visitors, but they were also joined by a few cobia that were spotted by observant guests.  Tarpon action remained very strong this past week, and the level of the cool-down shown on the thermometer will likely determine silver king activity going forward.  Gag grouper, mangrove snapper and grunts provided action for bottom diggers, and look for gags to fire-up with cooler water temperatures in the coming months.  Finally, pompano, jacks, ladyfish and blue runners provided solid action for many anglers who enjoy jig fishing at the piers.

Gag grouper started to exhibit a higher level of aggression over the past week, and many gags of various sizes were taken along the artificial reefs.  When gags are aggressive at the piers, often the most effective presentation is to send large diving plugs out past the artificial reefs with the tide.  The plugs are then retrieved directly over the reefs and occasionally bounced into the structure.  The strike and initial battle are severe, but once the fish is away from the reef, it should be hauled in as fast as possible to avoid interference by dolphins.  Gags were also taking freshly cut chunks of scaled sardines or threadfin herring deployed by anglers targeting mangrove snapper.  It is difficult to land the largest gags with ‘snapper’ tackle, but a good number of  grouper bites (and even landing short fish) certainly adds to the entertainment level of fishing the reefs at the Skyway Piers.

Baitfish schools kept both Spanish & king mackerel around the piers.  There were numbers of Spanish mackerel right above & below the minimum length limit, but there were also plenty of fish over 20″ taken.  Despite the high level of baitfish activity, most anglers were throwing Gotcha lures, silver spoons behind a trolling weight or a variety of white jigs & poppers for these species.  Live or cut baits free-lined on long shank hooks and fluorocarbon leader material was another good choice to target mackerel this past week.  Popping corks and split-shot sinkers can be used for depth control for both natural and artificial bait presentations.  Whether fishing natural or artificial, adding weights when mackerel are deep or switching to a float in front of your offering when they are at the surface can mean more fish added to the cooler.

King mackerel have been taken for several weeks now, but the numbers of kings were not very high this past week.  The impending weekend cold front might just be the triggering factor to spark higher numbers of kings at the Skyway Piers.  Kings seem to like both wind & cooler weather systems for hunting, and both could be in store over the upcoming weekend.  Early arriving fish are very susceptible to free-lined baitfish like large scaled sardines or threadfin herring.  The rig for these fish can be quite simple.  Indeed, even long shank hooks and fluorocarbon leader material in the 30 lb. range can suffice for newly arriving kings that are most often in the 12 lb. – 18 lb. range.  When fish begin to push into upper weight classes, a short length of hard wire might help to land more fish.  The point is that anchor rod / trolley systems and multi-hook quick strike rigs are not necessary to give visitors a shot at landing a king at the piers.  Indeed, several hundred yards of fresh line testing in the 12 lb. – 15 lb. range might be even more important than the actual choice of terminal tackle or outfit.

Fall jig fishing at the piers can be one of the most entertaining angling choices available on Florida’s gulf coast.  The reason for this is the incredible variety of both migratory and resident fish species susceptible to this presentation at the piers.  Pompano continued to appear at the piers over the past week – especially during the early morning hours.  Jack crevalle of various sizes joined the pompano, as did some ladyfish and blue runners.  Most anglers throw swim jigs in the 1/2 oz. – 3/4 oz. range with some variety of a fly teaser.  Nylon hair jigs in these same weight classes are also an excellent choice, as are basic jigging balls with a simple chain attached to a teaser fly.  The approach sections are the best place to start when jig fishing the piers for multiple species, but do not hesitate to move along the piers in search of the best bite.