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Post by fishsci on Aug 9, 2023 21:52:51 GMT -5
After urging others to post results in order to help others (not to help me...as I get there infrequently), I feel obligated to report my experience there this afternoon. Got there about 3:45. Drove out all the way to the end to see if anyone was fishing for mackerel or was catching anything. There were very few fishermen on the pier, and nobody was fishing for mackerel. I stopped at the end, and like reported yesterday, there were big schools of small white bait (more correctly called scaled sardine). I caught a dozen or so, gave a few to a couple of nice guys from Canada, and then I tried fishing for snappers using a half of one on a tiny #6 hook and a tiny 1/8 oz sinker rigged knocker, and threw about a dozen baits under and next to the building and right hand turn at the end. That is a place I have watched Tears cach half a dozen nice keeper snappers in a half hour sometime in the past. The pinfish were thick, and ate most of the meat off of the head or tail piece in a minute or so. I caught only one 6" snapper and gave that up. The tide was moving outgoing moderately -- almost the same as when I saw Tears catch snappers there. I then put one of the smaller live scaled sardines on a longshank hook (only #2) and drifted out on the west side as the outgoing current slowed. After about 45 min of that, I concluded that there were no macks around, or else they would have hit, and probably cut off a small live bait free-lined with no leader. I then drove back down the pier stopping a couple times to ask fishermen if they were having any luck -- nothing. Finally, at around 6:45, I stopped at the start of the pier just closer to the toll both than the wide dumpster area. I fished with a pompano jig/dropper riig for half an hour, casting from the west side into the tide that now was starting to be coming in pretty fast I had only one hit -- a 4-ionch sea robin. It was probably the slowest day I have had on the pier.
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Post by tears143 on Aug 10, 2023 8:24:13 GMT -5
I was also there... well late afternoon after work, probably around 7pm. The tide was incoming and there were small baitfish. Was able to castnet some. Fished until 9pm, so the kid can get some sleep to go to school the next morning. Well I mostly spent most of my time untangle and rig for the kids. They had a blast catching baitfish before school start tomorrow. Was able to get a few big pinfish and a keeper snapper. My friend was able to get 3 keepers. Snapper wasn't at their usual spots but they are around. If I had more time fishing instead of tending the kids, I would probably get a few more like my friend.
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Post by seabird on Aug 10, 2023 10:15:04 GMT -5
Fishsci, With this intense heat and sun I am not surprised you had a very slow day. You were out during hottest period. Maybe try early am or at night.
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Post by tears143 on Aug 10, 2023 10:17:42 GMT -5
Fishsci, With this intense heat and sun I not surprised you had a very slow day. You were out during hottest period. Last week... the afternoon bite was good... I think that's only part of the issue. |
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Post by shot33gun9 on Aug 10, 2023 14:09:59 GMT -5
What's the rest of the issue Tears? Cutting that small bait in half will surely turn the pinfish on, use it whole with a bigger hook and heavier sinker. When those snappers are ready to eat they don't care about any of that. If you're close to a tide change fish the slack, but freeline the bait....and drink more beer
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Post by tears143 on Aug 10, 2023 14:29:40 GMT -5
What's the rest of the issue Tears? Cutting that small bait in half will surely turn the pinfish on, use it whole with a bigger hook and heavier sinker. When those snappers are ready to eat they don't care about any of that. If you're close to a tide change fish the slack, but freeline the bait....and drink more beer Just a theory I have. Not sure if it's correct. I will have to test it some other time. |
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Post by fishsci on Aug 10, 2023 17:57:59 GMT -5
What's the rest of the issue Tears? Cutting that small bait in half will surely turn the pinfish on, use it whole with a bigger hook and heavier sinker. When those snappers are ready to eat they don't care about any of that. If you're close to a tide change fish the slack, but freeline the bait....and drink more beer I did try whole baits. The pinfish quickly ate the eyes and throat of the bait out, and after they finished that, I got no bites on the whole bait. A small hook and small sinker (just enough to keep it on the bottom yet drift with the slowing out going tide) should not have reduced bites. The time I watched Tears catch snappers from under the building at the end of the pier, he was using a very small circle hook (maybe #4 or 6, and just enough split shot weight to get the cut chunk to sink slowly but fast enough to sink to down to the snappers that were below where the pinfish were coming up to chew on the bait. If there is no bite, the small hook size does not matter. I have heard repeatedly that you have to move around to find the snappers. I have no doubt that is true. But by that, does that mean keep moving to different areas of the pier (beginning, middle, end) or just differnt places in the areas? I admit that I have little expertise or success fishing for snapper on the Skyway pier, but much on other piers. On other piers the snapper are caught very close around the pilings. Is that what works on the Skyway best? Or are those who are moving around casting out to the rock piles ...but moving from one rockpile to another? Maybe Tears can answer that question. |
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Post by shot33gun9 on Aug 10, 2023 18:30:32 GMT -5
I admit I won't consider myself a guy with lots of snapper experience and probably not a great source of info, but when I do fish for them I usually get a limit. I don't mess with them during the day, just at night. For me it's a very short window and then everything changes and when they quit....I quit
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Post by fishsci on Aug 10, 2023 21:22:21 GMT -5
I admit I won't consider myself a guy with lots of snapper experience and probably not a great source of info, but when I do fish for them I usually get a limit. I don't mess with them during the day, just at night. For me it's a very short window and then everything changes and when they quit....I quit Agreed -- for snapper sucess it is "night and day". My pier fishing for snapper is that at night, a nice bait, well presented with minimally obtrusive terminal tackle can catch them effectively. However, during the day, they can be almost impossible to catch. Back in the day of my pier fishing, we used to chop up a big handful of bait (small chunks, 1/2 to 1 inch) and throw it down around the pier pilings and see the snapper come up in the gin-clear water and eat every piece of chum -- except the one piece that was exactly like the others, except that it had a very small hook in it, and was drifted down free lined on 8# line along with all the other pieces. |
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Post by carlf on Aug 11, 2023 6:27:30 GMT -5
My experience is mainly out at the Gandy bridge, but not sticking to one spot seems to be key.
Fish a set of piles for 10-15 minutes, if you aren't catching keepers, move on to the next set of piles.
Chumming does help turn the fish on, but even then you have to hit the right set of piles.
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Post by tears143 on Aug 11, 2023 13:14:41 GMT -5
I am not an expert.
Just think of snappers as a human. We like to survive and are very lazy.
structure = home... Always want the nice home. protection from other fish like tarpon and sharks... and to stay safe from dolphin. That's why certain structure holds more snapper than other.
Rather eat food that is handed to me on a sliverplater than having to chase it down. Ofcourse if food look weird I won't eat it.
This is the base of my thinking on any fish... but there are certain behavior that is only for snapper.
Just remember fish and human are both lazy ass. They just want easy food, protection, and make lots of babies.
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Post by shot33gun9 on Aug 11, 2023 16:45:51 GMT -5
Hmmmmm..Hey Tears, do they drink beer? If so is it good beer or skunk beer?
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Post by Flatsrunner on Aug 11, 2023 16:53:32 GMT -5
Hmmmmm..Hey Tears, do they drink beer? If so is it good beer or skunk beer? Landshark? |
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Post by tears143 on Aug 11, 2023 20:27:09 GMT -5
reef donkey beer?
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Post by fishsci on Aug 11, 2023 20:50:28 GMT -5
Nice far-east philosophy, Tears, but I was more hoping from your snapper fishing expertise -- Do you catch most of your snapper fishing around the pilings, and drifting the bait beside and behind them? Or are as many or more caught by casting out to the rock piles? In both cases, the snapper can be hiding from predators and offering an easy meal that drifts by them. |
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Post by tears143 on Aug 11, 2023 21:59:01 GMT -5
Nice far-east philosophy, Tears, but I was more hoping from your snapper fishing expertise -- Do you catch most of your snapper fishing around the pilings, and drifting the bait beside and behind them? Or are as many or more caught by casting out to the rock piles? In both cases, the snapper can be hiding from predators and offering an easy meal that drifts by them. Depends on the tide.. If fast moving tide, I catch more on the rockpile. If slow moving tide I catch more on the piling. If the wind is blowing so hard that you have to focus on staying out of the wind, I would not be eating anything. Once it slow down then I can have time to go hunting for food. The lesser the wind, the farther I can travel to find food. If food is moving by fast, I won't check if it's fishy. Strike first ask question later. If it's slow, I can take my sweet time checking it out to see if there's any string attached to it. |
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Post by stuckintherocks on Aug 13, 2023 10:28:55 GMT -5
Oddly enough I’ve been having more luck with the snapper during the day rather than at night these past couple trips. On Thursday morning we were surprised by no bait stealing pinfish or grunts and had a solid 2 hours where every catch was (mostly undersized) snapper
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Post by stuckintherocks on Aug 13, 2023 10:45:20 GMT -5
Sorry excuse my last post, I meant to say Friday morning. The past few days have blurred together haha
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Post by bluerunner on Aug 13, 2023 21:52:22 GMT -5
Hmmmmm..Hey Tears, do they drink beer? If so is it good beer or skunk beer? They probably more into that sea weed. |
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