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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 2, 2023 10:37:07 GMT -5
Go get em. Bites been literally nonstop since 7am. Got a limit on Mack’s by 10
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Post by shot33gun9 on Oct 2, 2023 11:37:53 GMT -5
Any size to them?
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 2, 2023 11:57:57 GMT -5
All in that 15-18 range got one probably closer to 20
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Post by fishsci on Oct 2, 2023 20:29:34 GMT -5
It would be a great help if you or anyone could give us some idea where you and others caught those...just generally, if you don't like to give details. It IS a long pier. Yesterday, the post talked about catching the macks at the very end of the SSP. Also, I think that in the morning, when you did so well, the current was flowing out. Did you catch all those macks fishing on the upcurrent E side of the pier or by fishing the west side along with the outgoing current? I ask because I usually only have success by casting into the current instead of casting toward the direction the current is running. Any info you can provide is appreciated by me and many others
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 2, 2023 20:54:14 GMT -5
Well y’all… over 12 hours of casting and retrieving spoons plugs and jigs… what a blast.. one of those days that makes you remember exactly why we all fell in love with the skyway to begin with. Just went up and down whole entire pier today trying everything.. every open spot produced fish. There were extremely large numbers of mackerel blitzing on the second half of the pier for the sunrise bite, from 7-9 I spent that time loading up on those, then from 10-1pm smaller schools of larger fish made passes through, i had already harvested my limit and unfortunately had to throw back or give away most of my larger fish. I would catch one or two at a spot and move on with most spots producing fish. The place was also infested with small jacks and blue runners. Since I already had my mackerel I spent a good portion of the day exploring north side flats and other areas with a couple of dozen live shrimp.. only caught pinfish, lizardfish, grunts , and a small flounder. Found my way back to ssp at the very end and caught one cast into some serious National Geographic sh*t… a blitz that I can’t even describe ensued, giant tarpon, huge bonita, and large mackerel were launching out of the water, exploding left and right. It only lasted about 15 or 20 seconds but it was awesome. I saw two gentlemen catch larger Bonita probably around 10lbs, I got one drag screaming bite (Bonita) but pulled hook. Got one more cast into the blitz which landed me my largest mackerel of the day at 23in to the fork. There was a decently large crowd watching the commotion ensue. I wonder if any witness also lurk this forum ?
My most recent 2 trips to skyway have been some of the most action packed trips I’ve ever seen, it is a breath of fresh air to be reminded exactly why we all fell in love with the place to begin with, as well as be reminded that there’s still some life at those old piers even after all these years. Ended the day splattered with blood, mackerel slime in my ears nose hair and mouth, dirty sticky sunburnt with my noodle arms ready to fall off from another 20 hour skyway session and I couldn’t be happier. Much love and tight lines to all skywayians
On a side note something that ties into what some users are debating on another post; I had a weighted spoon rig, popping cork spoon rig, glass minnow jig, pompano jig all rigged up on separate poles. When the Bonita/tarpon/mack blitz ensued and I pulled hook on the Bonita I also tangled my weighted spoon rig as it popped off, I ran to the car and couldn’t get the float rig out as it was tangled, and grabbed the glass minnow jig.. didn’t get hit. Then the blitz ended. Thought it was funny because one of the earlier posts stated seeing guys miss whole blitzes untangling those rigs. I agree that those rigs can be a real nuisance, but it is undeniable (in my opinion) that those wonky rigs get the most action at skyway. But I definitely feel like I could have capitalized on the situation better if I would have had diamond jigs and yozuri plugs rigged up ready to go.
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Post by Flatsrunner on Oct 2, 2023 21:53:31 GMT -5
Maybe my leader was too long, That rig is new to me, Thanks for the input.
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Post by fishsci on Oct 2, 2023 22:21:27 GMT -5
I can't help but be so happy for your day. It is clear that you put your heart into your fishing, and you deserve to have a day that makes special memories. It is that kind of day that makes it all worth it. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience today with all of us.
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Post by shot33gun9 on Oct 3, 2023 9:46:19 GMT -5
If you fish enough you will have lots of good days, that kind of activity is not a once a year occurance
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Post by albatross on Oct 3, 2023 17:27:18 GMT -5
Go get em. Bites been literally nonstop since 7am. Got a limit on Mack’s by 10
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Post by albatross on Oct 3, 2023 17:28:02 GMT -5
Is the smoke having any bad effect on the fishing?
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Post by conureman on Oct 3, 2023 18:44:28 GMT -5
Is the smoke having any bad effect on the fishing? Just seen some posts of macs and bonita bieng caught so I'd think not
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Post by albatross on Oct 3, 2023 19:12:51 GMT -5
Thanks conureman, I might make the eighty mile trip to the SSP tomorrow, and give a report here after I drive the eighty miles back home.
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Post by conureman on Oct 3, 2023 19:57:52 GMT -5
Thanks conureman, I might make the eighty mile trip to the SSP tomorrow, and give a report here after I drive the eighty miles back home. Good luck out there and be wary of them spoon flingers. I'll be out there Saturday but its gonna be packed.
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Post by justfishin on Oct 3, 2023 20:57:05 GMT -5
Thanks conureman, I might make the eighty mile trip to the SSP tomorrow, and give a report here after I drive the eighty miles back home. Got a question: I'm getting off from work a few hours early tomm., and thinking about going to the south pier around 3 pm. Looking at tides for tomm., at south pier, there are only 2 tides: high tide early in the am and low tide around 10:30 am and that is it. Rest of the day/night will be slack tide. Do you think it is worth giving it a try? Looking to catch macs and what ever else might be biting. I know anytime is a good time to fish, don't want to waste 3-5 hours out there. Thanks for your input.
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 4, 2023 18:36:17 GMT -5
Thanks conureman, I might make the eighty mile trip to the SSP tomorrow, and give a report here after I drive the eighty miles back home. Got a question: I'm getting off from work a few hours early tomm., and thinking about going to the south pier around 3 pm. Looking at tides for tomm., at south pier, there are only 2 tides: high tide early in the am and low tide around 10:30 am and that is it. Rest of the day/night will be slack tide. Do you think it is worth giving it a try? Looking to catch macs and what ever else might be biting. I know anytime is a good time to fish, don't want to waste 3-5 hours out there. Thanks for your input. I would imagine there would still be fish around but probably not as active with the slower tide. Did you make it out there ??
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 4, 2023 18:46:22 GMT -5
It would be a great help if you or anyone could give us some idea where you and others caught those...just generally, if you don't like to give details. It IS a long pier. Yesterday, the post talked about catching the macks at the very end of the SSP. Also, I think that in the morning, when you did so well, the current was flowing out. Did you catch all those macks fishing on the upcurrent E side of the pier or by fishing the west side along with the outgoing current? I ask because I usually only have success by casting into the current instead of casting toward the direction the current is running. Any info you can provide is appreciated by me and many others Sorry I missed this… I do not discriminate when I fish the pier… I pull up to the first open spot I see, cast 10 or 20 times if I get no bites move on to the next open spot. When I’m mackerel fishing with spoons I typically only fish casting to the west obviously because of the ability to cover way more water, that day all fish were caught casting towards the west. Other than that it was pretty textbook stuff man, 2hr rule, peak of water movement, very beginning, very middle, very end of the pier, those are all the pretty typical hotspots and everything held pretty true. Unless im dropping a jig under the pier or straight down I like fishing them flowing with the current, but really on a day like that it didn’t matter where you were as long as you were moving because the schools were just everywhere… when they were there
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 4, 2023 18:51:09 GMT -5
Also as a side note even when the tide switched to incoming I caught all my fish casting west. Also literally every fish caught except maybe 3 were caught on weighted or popping cork spoon rig. I know they are ugly, I know they are inconvenient, I know there are other ways to catch macks. But at skyway pier in particular those methods jus f*kin work, there are some days where they won’t touch a spoon rig and only want other methods, but on a day like that when you’re watching literally hundreds of fish caught you’d have to be a damn fool to waste time with other methods while you’re watching something clearly work more efficiently.
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 4, 2023 18:52:11 GMT -5
And on a side side note; the same applies for the opposite. You’d have to be a damn fool to be casting spoon rigs while everyone else is catching on gotcha plugs or live bait or etc.
Alright that’s all I got see ya next week folks
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Post by Flatsrunner on Oct 4, 2023 19:07:30 GMT -5
Also as a side note even when the tide switched to incoming I caught all my fish casting west. Also literally every fish caught except maybe 3 were caught on weighted or popping cork spoon rig. I know they are ugly, I know they are inconvenient, I know there are other ways to catch macks. But at skyway pier in particular those methods jus f*kin work, there are some days where they won’t touch a spoon rig and only want other methods, but on a day like that when you’re watching literally hundreds of fish caught you’d have to be a damn fool to waste time with other methods while you’re watching something clearly work more efficiently. Well said, fish are everywhere, no secret spot, highly mobile fish (mackerel) got to move to catch them. Thank You.
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Post by albatross on Oct 4, 2023 19:34:27 GMT -5
Also as a side note even when the tide switched to incoming I caught all my fish casting west. Also literally every fish caught except maybe 3 were caught on weighted or popping cork spoon rig. I know they are ugly, I know they are inconvenient, I know there are other ways to catch macks. But at skyway pier in particular those methods jus f*kin work, there are some days where they won’t touch a spoon rig and only want other methods, but on a day like that when you’re watching literally hundreds of fish caught you’d have to be a damn fool to waste time with other methods while you’re watching something clearly work more efficiently. stuckintherocks, could you please tell me how to make one of those weighted popping cork spoon rigs? I saw two guys slaying the macks with them while everyone else was catching next to zero. I have never before seen anyone throw a popping cork and retrieve it, or use it with a spoon.
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 4, 2023 20:27:33 GMT -5
Also as a side note even when the tide switched to incoming I caught all my fish casting west. Also literally every fish caught except maybe 3 were caught on weighted or popping cork spoon rig. I know they are ugly, I know they are inconvenient, I know there are other ways to catch macks. But at skyway pier in particular those methods jus f*kin work, there are some days where they won’t touch a spoon rig and only want other methods, but on a day like that when you’re watching literally hundreds of fish caught you’d have to be a damn fool to waste time with other methods while you’re watching something clearly work more efficiently. stuckintherocks, could you please tell me how to make one of those weighted popping cork spoon rigs? I saw two guys slaying the macks with them while everyone else was catching next to zero. I have never before seen anyone throw a popping cork and retrieve it, or use it with a spoon. Honestly I’m no professional myself, I see most people use heavy spinning setups, and large corks, I use a very basic version of the setup. I use my little 3000 okuma setup with a Cajun thunder popping cork, and I use about 4-6 foot of 20lb mono leader. On that light setup I try to use a 1/2 oz gold or silver spoon, cast and let the spoon flutter down nd quickly retrieve while popping the cork. You want it to look almost like a top water plug. I think that people who use larger corks, on the larger setups, use very small lures at like small bucktail jigs or straws. But I’ve basically just watched the other people on the pier and tried to replicate it with what I got and what I like
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Post by conureman on Oct 4, 2023 21:55:21 GMT -5
Saw someone catch 4 macks on a mackeral tree rig and need help pulling them. Gonna give it a try but may need a bigger rod lol.
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Post by cabowabo on Oct 5, 2023 9:54:50 GMT -5
Also as a side note even when the tide switched to incoming I caught all my fish casting west. Also literally every fish caught except maybe 3 were caught on weighted or popping cork spoon rig. I know they are ugly, I know they are inconvenient, I know there are other ways to catch macks. But at skyway pier in particular those methods jus f*kin work, there are some days where they won’t touch a spoon rig and only want other methods, but on a day like that when you’re watching literally hundreds of fish caught you’d have to be a damn fool to waste time with other methods while you’re watching something clearly work more efficiently. stuckintherocks, could you please tell me how to make one of those weighted popping cork spoon rigs? I saw two guys slaying the macks with them while everyone else was catching next to zero. I have never before seen anyone throw a popping cork and retrieve it, or use it with a spoon. Its a pretty simple rig, maybe i can take a picture later but ill explain it. You need 2 swivels, 2 beads, 1-3oz egg weight, 100lb mono(can go 80 or 100+), and the white float. 1. Take one swivel and tie your heavy mono 12-18" 2.Thread 1 bead on 3.Thread white float 4.Thread 1-3oz egg weight 5.Thread 2nd bead. 6.Tie the 2nd swivel. 7. Then tie off a 3ft leader with a spoon/gotcha plug/whatever lure You should now have a rig that looks like: Swivel--bead-white float--egg weight--bead--swivel---lure I personally prefer to tie off a shorter length line between the swivels because that prevents the float sliding alot during a heavy forceful cast. I try to keep it around 8-9" and with a 2-3oz egg weight and 8'6" rod. I can cast a the rig about 75 yards. Also, you can go without beads but it may beat up your knots after a long day of fishing. I really like this rig because I can use the smallest clark spoons, and white maribou jigs to resemble glass minnows but still cast a mile. Tie on a 1/2oz gotcha and plug it away and it works maybe even better... lastly, tie a small x-rap (size 8) and just fast retrieve. Thats a killer method and you still outcast everyone around you.
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Post by cabowabo on Oct 5, 2023 10:01:41 GMT -5
Until the rule goes into affect.
Homemade or store bought large sabiki rigs are the pretty much the best. Ocean Cat makes the best size 12-14 where they use 50lb mono on their rigs but you need to get them online.
The cheap $1.19 tsunami size 12 at walmart work really good to but i cut them down to where only 3 are being used but i sometimes get cutoff on the first cast because they use only like 30lb mono.
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Post by fishsci on Oct 5, 2023 12:38:14 GMT -5
What a difference a day makes...I fished SSP the day after (Tuesday), and you reported your awesome fishing on Monday. I arrived late (little after 2 PM), expecting to fish the incoming tide. I figured from your report that I did not have to fish all day to catch the half a dozen mackerel that is all I really want and keep. Nobody, even a guy fishing starting early and hard (using a spoon/float rig like you described above) had caught their limit. He said he would have had his limit if he had not thrown back several 12-13" macks early in the day. At just before sunset he was still fishing hard but had not reached his limit. I caught only 3 macks (2 on weighted spoon, and 1 on float/spoon), plus 4 good-sized blue runners. There was only one brief blow-up of runners, ad nothing else exceptional happened. The wind seemed to have shifted more toward ENE, whereas on Monday it had been more NNE or NE at my house. Other fishermen fishing for macks seem to have been able to keep only 3-6 mackerel at the end of the day.
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Post by Flatsrunner on Oct 5, 2023 12:42:19 GMT -5
found some on line they are made by Marathon; heavy duty Sabiki rigs /size 14. branch test 30lbs, main test 50lbs(Iridescent/ green glow head, think they use them up north for larger bait though Fisherman Outfitters. Good Luck..
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Post by albatross on Oct 5, 2023 13:38:30 GMT -5
I arrived at the SSP at 5.40 A.M. on Wednesday. Made a stop at beginning of pier and stayed for five minutes with no success. Stopped after the bait shop.....same thing. I then went to just before the bend and I saw mackerel jumping out of the water. First cast.. 18" mac. I thought: Hey this is going to be the day! I could not understand how all that abundance of fish could disappear so quickly. There were some scattered all over however, and I ended up with four 18 inchers and eight smaller ones. I also got ten nice blue runners. The guys casting those popping cork rigs did really well; I left at 1P.M. The next time I go I will have those rigs ready. I will follow the instructions that stuckintherocks and cabowabo gave me, and somehow I know that I will do better. Thanks guys!
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Post by fishsci on Oct 5, 2023 18:31:50 GMT -5
Also, some of the guys fishing hard for mackerel and doing OK were Latino guys who were catching them on a rig similar to that described above but were essentially more like what are called bubble rigs. However, they used a styrofoam float plus a sinker, and instead of a drinking straw as the lure, they used the bottom 2-1/2" tip of a white plastic pen that was cut off at about a 45-degree angle to make the nose/lip of the rig. Some had tied a little bit of nylon jig tail material onto the hook. Those fishing with that kind of rig seemed to be doing as well as those using a spoon behind a float. This is a very inexpensive rig that could save about $4-$5 compared to a spoon if you get cut off. The added benefit of that kind of rig, at least to me, is that it is more fun because you see the mackerel chase the rig, boiling when they miss or hit the lure.
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Post by tears143 on Oct 5, 2023 19:44:35 GMT -5
Sounds like the mack are focus on smaller bait and schooling them up to attack.
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Post by stuckintherocks on Oct 5, 2023 22:30:00 GMT -5
What a difference a day makes...I fished SSP the day after (Tuesday), and you reported your awesome fishing on Monday. I arrived late (little after 2 PM), expecting to fish the incoming tide. I figured from your report that I did not have to fish all day to catch the half a dozen mackerel that is all I really want and keep. Nobody, even a guy fishing starting early and hard (using a spoon/float rig like you described above) had caught their limit. He said he would have had his limit if he had not thrown back several 12-13" macks early in the day. At just before sunset he was still fishing hard but had not reached his limit. I caught only 3 macks (2 on weighted spoon, and 1 on float/spoon), plus 4 good-sized blue runners. There was only one brief blow-up of runners, ad nothing else exceptional happened. The wind seemed to have shifted more toward ENE, whereas on Monday it had been more NNE or NE at my house. Other fishermen fishing for macks seem to have been able to keep only 3-6 mackerel at the end of the day. Ain’t that something…. With how many fish were around I would have imagined that the next couple days would have still been very active. The shift in winds may have done it, there was also a small storm moving in as I was leaving around 6pm, I don’t know if it hit but Coulda been some shift in pressures causing all the action as well. I’ll be back out there Tuesday with lower expectations hahaha
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