Macks last weekend NEAR the pier
Mar 19, 2024 14:46:57 GMT -5
Flatsrunner, inoeatfish, and 1 more like this
Post by skywaypa on Mar 19, 2024 14:46:57 GMT -5
Disclaimer: we were on a boat. But we did net our bait from the Skyway, and our Sunday trip was inside the bay close enough to the pier that it should count.
Sunday first... we were looking for sheepshead out in the bay call it a mile or so from the pier. Maybe two? I'm not great at distance over water. Anyway, mid morning in 12-15 fow we had a school of the biggest spanish macks I've ever seen all around the boat. We kept 10 or so before leaving, along with a half dozen releases and countless bit off gear. Average for those fish were 24" and a couple were close to 30". Caught most of them on live whitebait freelined on double hooks. But also a few on a glass minnow jig I had in my kit. Didn't have any spoons with us. Also caught an indecent amount of 8-12" gags. Which would really be some fine eating, if you ever decided to break bad. We threw them all back to grow up to legal size and STILL not be keepers because the season is closed all the time nowadays. SIGH.
Anyway, Saturday we were out in the Gulf (still with a well full of skyway bait) between 5-10 miles. Nice short ride when the water is as flat as it was this weekend. Ended up with a limit of kings freelining small baits on double hooks. That's the way to do it for me. So much fun. We kept 6 fish, one is going on my smoker shortly. Biggest was in the 40" range and we saw some giants skying on baits we threw out. For anyone who hasn't done that fishing, it's worth the cost of a charter.
From the pier I expect those spanish are already doing their thing. Just need to get the right time of day, wind and tide. Kings... maybe still need a few weeks to come in? Never king fished from a pier myself. Too complicated for me.
Good luck out there.
Sunday first... we were looking for sheepshead out in the bay call it a mile or so from the pier. Maybe two? I'm not great at distance over water. Anyway, mid morning in 12-15 fow we had a school of the biggest spanish macks I've ever seen all around the boat. We kept 10 or so before leaving, along with a half dozen releases and countless bit off gear. Average for those fish were 24" and a couple were close to 30". Caught most of them on live whitebait freelined on double hooks. But also a few on a glass minnow jig I had in my kit. Didn't have any spoons with us. Also caught an indecent amount of 8-12" gags. Which would really be some fine eating, if you ever decided to break bad. We threw them all back to grow up to legal size and STILL not be keepers because the season is closed all the time nowadays. SIGH.
Anyway, Saturday we were out in the Gulf (still with a well full of skyway bait) between 5-10 miles. Nice short ride when the water is as flat as it was this weekend. Ended up with a limit of kings freelining small baits on double hooks. That's the way to do it for me. So much fun. We kept 6 fish, one is going on my smoker shortly. Biggest was in the 40" range and we saw some giants skying on baits we threw out. For anyone who hasn't done that fishing, it's worth the cost of a charter.
From the pier I expect those spanish are already doing their thing. Just need to get the right time of day, wind and tide. Kings... maybe still need a few weeks to come in? Never king fished from a pier myself. Too complicated for me.
Good luck out there.
