Warmer than average weather greeted the Tampa Bay region this past week and summertime patterns were the best way to find success at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers. Spanish mackerel remained on a hot & cold bite that has characterized nearly all of 2017, with catches ranging from multiple limits of fish to only a few, but with some tactics clearly outpacing others. King mackerel remain in the vicinity of the piers, and several very large fish made runs that anglers were unable to stop. Mangrove snapper remained good, but anglers were having to sort through numbers of smaller fish this past week in order to take some nicer fish for the cooler. Sharks size is rapidly approaching some of the monsters seen at the piers every summer, with several fish in the 7 ft. – 8 ft. class fought and released this past week. Tarpon continue on a strong nighttime bite and many anglers new to saltwater fishing have already released their first Silver King at the piers this year.
Baitfish schools stayed deep this past week, with multiple size-classes of both scaled sardines & threadfin herring wanting to hug the bottom structure like it was the winter season. Spanish mackerel anglers who fished deeper, slower and at moderate tidal periods far out-paced others who did not adapt their fishing methods. Silver spoons fished behind a trolling sinker were the best producer this past week. Cut ‘canoe’ belly baits of sardines & herring also took some nice fish – especially when deployed ‘free-line’ style with a long shank hook and 1 or 2 split-shot sinkers well up the line. The weight being sought was just enough to keep the bait down, but still light enough to let it drift and flutter in the tidal pull.
Most seasoned pier spoon anglers use trolling sinkers in the 2 oz. – 4 oz. range and about 6 ft. to 8 ft. of monofilament or fluorocarbon leader material in the 15 lb. – 25 lb. class. Lightweight single hook silver spoons with a split ring or snap are the main choice, but there are times when gold, white, chartreuse or pink can be very productive for both mackerel and bonito. Long rods and spinning reels with a bait-runner feature really help in this spoon throwing game as the long rod helps make the cast easier and the bait-runner feature allows you to intermittently let some line out with the tidal flow. This allows you to maintain the desired depth & retrieve rate even in strong tidal flows. You can also accomplish this by opening the bail on any spinning reel, but the bait feature makes it a much simpler task. Indeed there are plenty of anglers that cast heavier (but smaller profile) spoons like a Hopkins or Little Cleo brand (or copy) with great success. Most would agree that these do not have the wobble of the light spoon & trolling weight combination, but variations in the retrieve can certainly impart plenty of action on these spoon designs to attract mackerel and you can avoid casting the heavy trolling weight.
Mangrove snapper remained on a strong bite for April, but anglers were having to fish through many smaller mangos in order to take some nicer ones home. Visitors this past week reported having to release 4 or 5 fish for each one they were able to place on ice. Obviously catching a bunch if fish is fun for almost anyone, but for anglers looking for larger snapper, certain tactics did produce larger specimens for those willing to adjust. Shrimp took plenty of fish this past week, but cut chunks of sardines & herring seemed to consistently take larger fish. Anglers fishing underneath the pier itself and trying to ‘bounce’ offerings in between two pilings also took larger snapper. Perhaps the largest fish this past week were taken by a few visitors who took the time to catch some very small (silver dollar) pinfish along the approach roads. These anglers also took some nice flounder with their cooler of quality-sized snapper.
As should be expected with the number of both juvenile & adult tarpon congregating around the main Skyway Bridge and fishing piers, catches of large sharks are rapidly on the increase. Bull and lemon sharks were the larger of the species tangled with this past week, and several very nice fish in the 7 ft. – 8 ft. class were fought and either lost or released. Nice spinner sharks have been around as well, and some tarpon anglers fishing live ladyfish were surprised to see the species of fish jumping in the moonlight. Blacktip and spinner sharks have different regulations for harvest and/or non-harvest, so anglers should consult the latest pictures and regulations from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Bull, blacktip and spinner sharks all have “black tips” on their fins at certain periods in their life cycle. Two easy guidelines on the water would be the rounded snout of the bull shark and far-forward eye placement of the spinner shark. Some sharks have no size limit, some have a harvestable size limit and some cannot be harvested at any time. Anglers should simply check the current harvest rules before bagging a shark in the Sunshine State.
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 24, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 17, 2018
- The Skyway, Paul Bristow - August 10, 2018
