Capt' Tom

July 2009 Pier 60 Fishing Report

July has been a fabulous time to fish at Pier 60.

In the heat of summertime, the fishing starts early, with Spanish Mackerel showing up just after first light. The Mackerel like live shrimp, plugs, spoons, or best of all, a lively minnow brought up on a Sabiki rig. The largest Mackerel have been caught early in the day.

As the day heats up, the fishing generally slows, but the Mackerel show up again from time to time throughout the day.

A few large Bluefish have been taken early in the day with one going over 26 inches.

Schools of Jacks also arrive, often with a feeding frenzy that might last a few minutes. At these times, the Jack Crevalle will take almost any offering, but baits that mimic the local whitebait usually get the most attention. Not known a good table fare, the battling brutes are fun to catch, as they fight like a fish twice their size.

During daylight hours a great variety of fish have been landed, including small Barracuda, Whiting, Black Sea Bass, small Grouper, Key West Grunt, Spadefish, Mangrove Snapper and Sheepshead. More Hogfish were caught in July, a good indicator of the healthy reef system just off the pier.

There have been quite a few Flounder caught recently, including a 19-incher caught by Michael Knapp. Most Flounder go after live shrimp, but the larger ones have been enticed by a smallish lively sardine.

Tandem jigs tipped with a bit of fresh shrimp have also been very effective on the Flounder.

Cobia have been showing up consistently, but only about a third of the fish landed have been keepers of 33 inches or more. Many of the Cobia have been between 24 and 30 inches, and will be legal keepers soon after being released, as they are fast-growers.

Tarpon are still about, and can be seen rolling and gulping air off the ends of the pier in the calm of the morning. Many times the silver kings will bite during the afternoon, taking a live greenback or Pinfish suspended under a float. Most of the fish jump and shake the hook, and other times take off under the pier to wrap around a piling. But there have been some fish successfully caught and released in the 60-pound class.

Dark clouds of small baitfish surround the pier, and attract all the other predators to the area. Working the edges of the bait pods has been a successful technique for many.

Spotted Sea Trout fishing has been very good at night, with schools of Trout cruising around the lights closer to the bait house. Trout have also been caught before sunset, but the best fishing for them is after dark. Live baits work best, but a white grub tail tandem jig has produced many fish too.

Snook fishing has been great during July. The fish usually can be seen feeding or cruising around during the day, with quite a few fish caught and released in the mornings and late afternoon. But the linesiders bite best at night, taking a large Greenback minnow or small Ladyfish. At times, the Snook have even been taken on frozen shrimp on a steel ready-rig leader. It has not been unusual to have a dozen Snook caught during one night alone. Snook season is still closed throughout August, so all Snook must be released.

Please remember that there is a two-rod limit for each fisherman on Pier 60, and cast nets are not allowed to be on, or used here.

New fishing regulations have taken effect in August, with a shore-based permit required for Florida residents. However, when fishing at Pier 60, no license is required for anyone, as we have a blanket fishing permit for all fishermen, residents or not.

Good Luck Fishing!

Capt’ Tom

Kyle of Palm Harbor, a frequent visitor of Peir 60, is quite a fisherman.