I fished the Skyway before it got knocked down. I caught my first snook there 28 years ago.I wont tell you my spots but it can be very productive. My brother caught 3 keeper trout,flounder,mackerel,and a pompano there Sat morn. BEfore they blew it up we use to ride bikes way out to the bend on the south side and drop lanterns and snook fish. Always did good,also caught a lot of big sharks there when I was in hi school.Keep trying you'll figure it out. My brother fishes there a lot more than I do and he usually catches keeper grouper up to 10 lbs.
Fish the tides..Sometimes being close to shore is better, more rocks there..Also try stopping before you get on the pier and wade..Lots of good wading areas down there..get some wading boots or old tennis shoes, use light tackle, pick up some shrimp or throw a net and get some chubs or greenbacks..The fish are just starting to show, bait fish are followed by big fish..The bait, not grunts or pinfish but whitebait/greenbacks have just showed up in the last week at the piers..Also you can try a sabiki rig off the piers and catch greenbacks/threadfins..they almost always work better then grunts!!!Hope this helps..
Thanks for all the info and any continuing info....
I DID find a hand drawn chart that shows the locations of all the rock piles of the south pier between the 2nd bathroom and the last bathroom. With a note that said "my favorite spots have stars on them". Don't know if he ment for this to be posted online or not... but we'll see thursday night. He's got them drawn out so that you can count the flood lights and individual pilings and has lines showing how far out each rock pile is.
If anyone wants to swing through and say hello my wife and I will be out there around 7:45 thursday eve. South Pier. Look for the gold (filthy) toyota solara.
if you are grouper fishing, i dont think your tackle is overkill. maybe the sinker is, but sometimes the fish out there get you in to the rocks pretty quick and you need some beef to pull them out. the macs you dont need anything near that big to haul them in, i usually throw anything shiny at them and try different depths. for a while i caught a lot of macs with a white crappie jig, they worked great for 3 to 5 fish until they got cut up or bloodied up. if the macs are feeding, they will strike a large variety of baits, so try a few out. the skyways piers can definately take a lot of time and patience to figure out on your own. sounds like you are making a good attempt at it.
I'll share some tips for fishing the the Skyway. I've been fishing that pier for years and have learned a few things. I like fishing the south pier better.
For macks- It's best to fish down closer to the entrance of the piers. People call it the Y. It's where the pier use to split off and you could drive on both sides of the bridge. Now there's a fence up to keep people from driving on that side.
When the macks are running (which should be now or very very soon) you will see a lot of people fishing there. Just get next to them and fish.
Early in the season, people use gotcha lures and spoons. They tie on a torpedo weight and then add a 4-6 foot leader. Then they tie on the spoon. They throw that out there and reel as fast as they can. The macks will catch up to it.
When there's a lot of bait (green backs) I like to cast net some and keep them in a bucket. I like to tie a BLACK swivel on and then about 18 inches of leader. Tie on a long shank hook. If you use a shiny swivel, you will get cutoff cause they will strike at the swivel.
Sometimes I freeline a fresh greenback. If they are not hitting the freelined greenback, then I add a split shot to take it down in the water column.
If they are not hitting the live greenbacks, then I go to my secret tactic. Take the greenback and cut it's head and tail off. Bury your hook inside the body and throw it out there. It's almost gaurenteed. Also, sometimes I will use a cork about 3 feet above my swivel with the splitshot. That seems to work too!
Early morning is one of the best times for mack fishing. Sun up is my favorite time.
For grouper- Find the rock piles. Fish them on a strong outgoing tide. The tide will be the strongest around the new and full moons. Use pinfish, grunts or cut bait. Use a lighter sinker. 3 oz should be fine, or some people freeline pinfish (I've never caught anything freelining pins) but I've seen some keepers caught this way. When the grouper hits, don't yank. Just start reeling and start walking backwards. This will help get the fish outta the rocks.
For snapper- This is my favorite species to target. I love mangrove snapper! Fish for them just like fishing for grouper. Find the rocks and fish on the outgoing tide. I use a spinning rod with 12lb test line. I use a 30lb leader and a size 1 hook. I also use a 1oz weight. If the tide is really ripping through, a 2oz will be needed.
You can use small greenbacks or just use shrimp for bait. When you feel the bite, just start reeling. It'll take some getting use to, but you'll get the hang of it after getting stuck a lot.
Also, bring lots of tackle. I've gone through lots of weights and hooks while fishing for them. They are sneaky fish.
Summer time is the best time for snapper. They don't seem to mind the warm waters of the bay.
If the tide is incoming, you can fish the pilings of the other bridge. Go from piling to piling. Toss your bait as close to the piling as you can and be ready to reel. Try to fish the pilings that look like this /||||\. They'll hold some bigger ones.
I'm sure there's more that I've forgotten, but this should get you going for now. I also sent you a PM.
