never fished the skyway bridge, need some advice

[fishin4life]

i have been pier fishing before and live in palm harbor but i have only fished shallow water piers and nothing like this before. Me and my dad are going to head up to the skyway on the night of December 17th at about 4 pm and fish until the next morning around 12

what pier should i fish?
where on the pier should i fish?
what species of fish would i catch, how to catch them, and the bait used and also the rig (esp for grouper and mackerel)

just hoping to have a fun time and catch some dinner with my father
also, are there alot of snags when you are throwing a cast net?

[montylfl]

WOW. How much time do you have? There are some who prefer the South Pier and other the North Pier. So you will need to decide. What is it you would like to fish for? The Skyway has many options.

I suggest you take a look at this link and read the threads It will answer most of your questions above. Once you check out the thread we can answer more specific questions you have.

skywaypiers.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1701

I hope I do not come off as a jerk. It is not my attention. The thread has some really great info.

[fishin4life]

i have about 15-18 hours to fish. i would love to catch some grouper, snapper, and also mackrel. i already have a few spoons for the mackerel, but one of them is 3.5 inches long. is that too big?
and also i have checked those threads and gathered some information about fishing the skyway but i just wanted some more input on fishing them during the winter becuase those threads did not include very much about seasonal fishing. i was also wondering what grouper and snapper were in season for the time that i will be fishing. i am sort of confused about the diffrence between a fish finder rig and a knocker rig and it would be nice to have someone explain the diffrence between them or how to make the fish finder rig.
do you need to bring a pier gaff with you? and if so, how long should it be? becuase all i have is a small 3 ft boat gaff and i was going to put it on a 10ft pvc pip and hope that works.
i have also checked out the arial pictures of the piers and have decided to fish the ssp on the gulf side, but i was wondering what rockpiles in specific are good for grouper if there are any.
and one more thing. i would like to know how to catch a bonito becuase i have heard that they are in the tuna family and would personally like to catch one and try it on my dinner plate. thanks

[no1painter]

Fishin4life, forget about eating the Bonita, they are members of the tuna family but not the tasty part of the family. Most people use them for cut bait or fishing for sharks. I will have to say that catching one esp. a larger one would be a lot of fun as they are like jets in the water. You can catch mackeral with white bait sardines, greenback minnows as cut bait under a bobber or sometimes livelineing them on the outgoing tide. The greenbacks can be caught when around with a small cast net. If the bite is hot and heavy a silverspoon to match the bait size cast out w/ 3-4 oz. sinker and about a 4ft. leader retrieved at a good speed, that will vary. Gag Grouper are still closed season check this link. Good Luck www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/regulations/groupers/gulf-grouper/

[fishin4life]

thanks for the mackerel info! hopefully i will be able to catch some, I haven't caught any for a few years now because i haven't been out on a boat. I have found out to use a small knocker rig or a fish finder rig for snapper and a large knocker rig for grouper. when fishing for grouper should i use circle hooks or j hooks? and should i hold the rod or just leave it and watch it? again i really need to know if I am going to have to bring a pier gaff with me and if so how long should it be?

[havetofish]

Welcome aboard...
By law you are supposed to use circle hooks for grouper and snapper. Use 5/0 and up. Gag grouper are out of season and Red Grouper are rare at the Skyway and if you do find one they are always undersized. Never, I say Never leave your rod unattended. We have all seen many a rod fly over the rail either from a grouper strike or the many pelicans, seagulls or flipper tacking your bait. There are many posts for different types of rod holders if you have to set it down to do something.
As far as the Gaff goes..either a pier net or a pier gaff is best. If your using heavy enough tackle then you should be able to flip one over the rail.

[fishin4life]

alright thanks, man. but now most of the time when i fish piers i use conventional style reels and leave the clicker on and the drag disengaged. are you saying i should stand there and hold my rod and leave the drag engaged? and if i were to leave my rod for some reason should i keep the drag engaged or let the fish take some line out? I perfer to use the clicker as like an alarm when i am fishing at shallower piers. And would you happen to know how tall the pier is becuase i need to make a homemade gaff and i need to know how long the pole has to be. thanks for all this helpful information, hopefully i will have a great day fishing.

[havetofish]

You might be safe with the drag disengaged or the clicker on, but if your fishing for grouper at the Skyway and you give him an inch he will rock you. By the time you get to your rod, its usually too late. We all do it sometimes, just know that it happens fast and lessens your chances. They hang out in the rock piles unless you happen to catch one out in the open. Grouper fishing at the Skyway is one of the most challenging things you can do.

The pier is about 12 ft off the water, depending on the tide. To be safe I would say 15 ft long. If your using conventional tackle you should be able to hand line him up anyway. You don't want to gaff a short grouper.

I hate to keep bringing it up, but unless you want to just catch and release grouper, your trying to catch something out of season.
Good Luck

[fishin4life]

yea i know the gag grouper is out of season but the red grouper and black grouper are still up for grabs and im hoping that ill just get one good legal grouper. thanks for tellin me how high the pier is so now i can make my gaff. this info has been really helpful to me and im glad that there are nice people like you out there willing to teach a kid how to fish.

[festeroo031985]

I believe there is a thread that mentions the pier being 18' above the water level! I could be wrong but check around a bit! Good luck keep us posted!