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Pier Pressure

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 23, 2008

There's probably nowhere else in the nation with so many fishing opportunities for the boatless than in the Bay area.

It was pretty good even when there were only a few big piers along the beaches. But these days, thanks to some creative uses of tired old bridges, Tampa Bay offers world-class angling access for thousands.

The Sunshine Skyway Piers, remnants of the original bridge, are reputed to be the longest fishing piers in the nation, with the south pier extending more than a mile into the Bay. They provide a unique access, thanks to the remaining roadway. You literally can drive right up to your fishing spot, stick a rod out the window and wait for the bite.

The Skyway is famed for Spanish mackerel throughout the cooler months, and even now there are plenty of the speedsters hanging around the vast bait schools on the pilings. Tarpon have moved in this month and will remain throughout the summer, and cobia show up most anytime from March through November.

Kingfish, sharks and lots of reef fish also are caught from this popular span, and right now, dozens of anglers line the railings every night with long-handled dip nets to scoop up the jumbo shrimp cruising past in the lights. Restaurants, restrooms and bait shops make the fishing remarkably convenient. Like all pay-to-enter piers, there's no fishing license required, not even for nonresidents. (Resident anglers fishing from shore, pier or bridge don't require a license in saltwater, period.)

For more details on the Skyway, visit www.skywaypiers.com.

Friendly Fishing

Another winning pier created from a dying bridge is the Gandy Friendship Pier. It stretches for several miles across Old Tampa Bay and is a famed spot for pompano (close to the pilings on fiddler crabs or Doc's Goofy Jigs), big snook and trout after dark in late spring, tarpon and sharks along the light line in summer, and jumbo black drum on bottom from March through June. The latter prefer a chunk of fresh blue crab, but sometimes take dark-colored jigs worked slowly on bottom.

The Gandy pier is located adjacent to Gandy Boulevard between Tampa and St. Petersburg. Access is free, but you have to walk to your fishing spot; vehicles are not allowed.

The two piers at Fort DeSoto offer outstanding fishing. The 500-foot-long Bay Pier is a noted spot for mackerel and pompano, as well as sheepshead in winter. The 1,000-foot-long Gulf Pier stretches to the very edge of Egmont Channel and produces kingfish, tarpon, cobia, mackerel, pompano and a bit of everything else. Snook hang around the rock piles near the shoreline after sundown, too. For more, visit www.fortdesoto.com.

The two classic piers - Redington Long Pier in Redington Shores and Big Pier 60 in Clearwater - are as dependable as ever. You'll see plenty of snook under the lights after dark (catch-and-release only from May through August), kingfish and cobia in March and April, and sometimes tarpon within casting range throughout the summer. Mackerel come and go all year, and pompano are frequently caught near the beach and around the pilings. These are pay-entry piers.

The Rod & Reel Pier at Anna Maria is another classic fishing spot. Snook swarm around the lights throughout the warmer months, and at times you can see thousands of Spanish mackerel killing bait within casting range. Tarpon pass close by, too, and if you get tired of fishing on the pier you can walk the beach around toward the Gulf, casting as you go, to hook snook, jacks, pompano, blues and lots more. For more, visit www.rodandreelpier.com.

Net Result Not Always Easy

Pier fishing is not all roses. If you hook a trophy fish, or really anything more than 10 pounds, derricking it up to the rail can be problematic on anything but the stoutest tackle.

Some anglers carry pier nets - hoop-type landing nets on a rope - to hoist their catches. You maneuver the fish over the net, slack the line slightly as you haul up on the rope, and hopefully the fish is captured in the mesh. Bridge gaffs work similarly for fish you intend to kill and eat, such as cobia and kingfish.

Angling tactics are part of the key to success. Simply hanging a weighted dead bait off the downtide rail will catch little but sharks and catfish. Better action is likely for those who bring a sabiki rig, capture some threadfins, and then free-line them in the current. With a half-ounce of weight they might interest tarpon, Spanish or kings. With 4 ounces, you're likely to dredge up a gag grouper, particularly if you fish in areas where artificial reefs have been created close to the piers; the Skyway has vast areas such as this.

Typical bridge gear is 40- to 60-pound tackle for cobia and kings, 20 to 30 for mackerel and blues, and whatever you can lift for tarpon and sharks.

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