Also New To The Area

[David from NC]

Hello friends. I have recently moved to the area and like karl88k am also new to the forum. However, I have been reading the posts about a month and very appreciative of the wealth of info recorded. After fishing the Nags Head and Hatteras piers and surf for years in NC, I've quickly realized that there are marked differences in the tactics here so I'm trying to learn all I can. One thing very clear is the emphasis on live bait. I've noticed that a significant percentage get out their cast nets the same time they get out their rods. The majority of pier fisherman in the Tarheel state use static baits like shrimp, squid, and cut mullet. A few will position themselves on the ends of the piers using live bait for Kings and others fish the pilings with minnows for flounder but live bait is not very prevalent on the piers.

I have some back trouble so being able to drive to the spot where I will fish on the Skyway Piers is a real blessing. I've read the history of how the pier evolved from a broken bridge and very thankful for the visionaries that established this valuable resource. Hopefully, I'll get to meet some of you in person. You will likely find my 62 years old santa clause-esque physique and white goatee under a light blue Carolina baseball cap. I'd enjoy talking to fellow rats and pier jockeys.

[gerard1031]

Welcome to the forum and to the Skyway Pier fishing experience! Good fishing!

[redneckrob]

Welcome!

I moved from southern Ohio to Fort Myers. After fishing my backyard (tarpon, bass galore!) I really find this to be the most exciting location within probably an hour of Tampa. I'm always wearing my costa sunglasses (blue costa del mar straps) and camo hat, I'll look for ya sometime!

[David from NC]

Thanks. Perhaps you can enlighten me on what fishing is like during the heat of summer here. Are there still fish around for those who brave the heat and if so what species? In NC, there are some ground fishes (Spots, Croakers, Flounder, and Bluefish) but bottom fishing slows dramatically. Late afternoon can be good for plugging for Spanish however.

[redneckrob]

To be honest I've only been to the skyway a handful of times. I was getting some nice bites mid afternoon from keeper spanish mackerel on a sabiki rig (resembles a baitfish with pink material coming off the back). Besides that, this is my first summer in florida since I moved here so I can't shed any light on the summer fishing.

[jlamberg33]

Welcome aboard. During the summer the bite slows for a lot of species but you can still catch quality fish. Snapper fishing is good around the pilings. Sharks fishing is good at night. There are always some macks around. Tarpon are out there but tough to catch. Jacks and blue runners are caught on the bottom. Can still catch grouper as well. Not as crowded in the heat but a little bit less of a bite. Still a good time. Fish it while you can. Fear it won't be open too much longer.

[gerard1031]

It's fair to say that you can catch pretty much anytime of the day, just depends on what you are looking to target, but my experience has been that through the summer heat, the best times are early morning and late evening. Seems like the hour before sunset, the "bewitching hour" or if you're not catching, the "we bitching hour!"....tends to be a good time for the grouper to hit, and then as you work your way into twilight...the mangrove snappers come to feed. Of course so do the lady fish, catfish and blues...but catching is still catching right?

I know there's a ton of folks that fish through the night, I talk to some pier regulars that fish the night shift and seems like anything can bite through the night with the added benefit of beating the heat.

Interesting there is always a crew that fishes toward the beginning of the bridge...always with the heavy duty rigs out...that fish through the night, I always assume they are fishing for goliaths or sharks.

Just for fun check out the pic sites of the official skyway site, lot of em have date stamps on them and a lot of them are night shots, so always something swimming around out there looking for a meal!

www.skywaypiers.com/south_pier.html
www.skywaypiers.com/north_pier.html

[David from NC]

Thanks for the welcome and insights...much appreciated.

I fished the NSP yesterday from 9 until 2:30 between the east and west roadways. I caught 8 Spanish, all on a Sabiki rig, keeping 3. Also, picked up a Grouper free lining a pinfish. He was too small to keep (19") but still fun and encouraging. My float rig got cut off and I saw two large Kings come through. It was amazing how all the small fish I was catching on a bottom rig instantly disappeared after the Kings showed up.

A fisherman about 20 yards to my right hooked something large on a Gotcha plug but it broke his line before he could get it to the top.

Mother's Day shopping is on the agenda today but will hit the pier again tomorrow. Sure is nice to be able to fish in 20-30 minutes when I had to drive 3 hours before in North Carolina to get to saltwater....enjoying Florida more every day.

[filletnrelease]

Great report and welcome aboard. Looking for another keeper myself. Hope to catch you on the pier some day. Good luck.