Pier 60 Fishing Report

Capt'n Tom

Great fishing continued though the month of November at Pier 60. Morning anglers consistently started off with Spanish Mackerel, hitting lures, live baits, and cut bait. On some days the larger fish are caught early, and fished deeper. King Mackerel are also making an appearance, with a few nice fish taken, and many other larger Kings lost.

Dave's flounder

Flounder action has been the best in years. The Flounder have been biting on live fish, live shrimp, and cut bait. Every day we have seen plenty of keepers, and a few fish over 18”.

Cobia are about, and a few fish have been landed, but still undersize. The larger fish have all gotten off, many at the first sight of the pier net. Tarpon were still here in the early part of the month, and we had a few jumps, but no fisherman was able to get more than that first dramatic leap from the Silver King.

Ian with 21 inch grouper caught and released 12/13/09

There have been a variety of other fish caught throughout the month of November. Gag Grouper along with a few Red Grouper were caught and released. A few Mangrove Snapper were brought up, but the larger, legal-sized fish have not shown up yet.

John's Snook

Snook fishing was excellent on Pier 60 in November. Fish moving off the beaches to the passes hang around the Pier at night, and have been hitting live fish free-lined under the lights. On a recent night, a school of BallyHoo took refuge under the lights, and dozens of Snook were lined up, taking pot-shots at them. Long soft plastics worked wonders when fished to mimic the BallyHoo. One fisherman caught two Snook on live baits, and three on artificials. That’s the end of the Snook season here, as Snook are protected during December, January, and February. As the cold fronts have finally started to arrive in earnest, the Snook will all move away from Pier 60, and enter the pass, looking for the warmer backwaters, as weather dictates.

Spotted Sea Trout season is still closed in November and December, but the fish are here, arriving to feed at night under the lights. On a recent night I saw hundreds of nice fish, with a few great big Gator Trout, milling about under the swarms of small baitfish surrounding the pier. It is best to use a circle hook to reduce mortality if you go after Trout this month, as they tend to swallow a J-hook.

Silver Trout and Whiting have arrived with the cooler weather, and are biting a variety of cut baits. The Silvers tend to school in deeper water, while the Whiting tend to the sandy shallower areas. Look for more of these two as temperatures trend lower.

A few nice Redfish and Black Drum have been hooked, fought, and released. This battling duo often swims together here, and powerful fighters they are. These fish are large, going over 40”, and have the muscle to test gear and stamina of experienced fishermen.

Dustin from Michigan with Sheepshead caught on Pier 60

Sheepshead are starting to show up, with a few fish taken off the pilings using small crabs and shrimp. As the water cools, more of these convicts will gather around the pilings to feed. A small hook and small baits will help catch these tasty Sheepies.

Dozens of small sharks can be seen some nights, roaming about, feeding on fish trimmings. These include Bonnethead Sharks, Blacktip Sharks, Bull Sharks, and Lemon Sharks. Some are caught, but we have an all-release shark policy here.

Cold fronts pushing though this month will bring both storms and opportunity for targeting Bluefish, Jacks, and Kingfish. Even Bonita, usually found further offshore, have been seen around the end of the pier. Sheepshead fishing should get better, as those larger fish congregate to feed around structure.

Fishing will vary widely this month, but there will be plenty of opportunities to get some action between cold fronts, as the fish feed heavily before bad weather arrives, and even during the associated rains and storms.

Good Luck Fishing!

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

We are catching Gag Grouper on Pier 60!

Paul DelPizzo proudly displays his flounder, caught this month on Pier 60.

Fishing from Pier 60 in March improved greatly as the weather warmed.

Daytime fishing really heated up as the water cleared and began to climb towards the 70 degree mark.

Schools of baitfish were followed by Spanish Mackerel. At first the Mackerel were small for the most part, but now we have seen many fish over 20 inches taken. They are hitting small minnows, live shrimp, and lures. In addition to the Macks, we have seen many nice Flounder taken on live shrimp. Some of these flatties have been very respectable in size, over 16 inches. We have also seen a great variety of different species, including Gag Grouper, Mangrove Snapper, Pompano, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Sheepshead, Pompano and Cobia.

Butterfish and Whiting were the most popular nighttime catches. Spotted Sea trout were also showing up after dark, and quite a few keepers were taken on small live baits or live shrimp. Some evenings the Trout arrived in schools, with some anglers taking their limits of four fish in a couple of hours.

We can look forward to the rest of March heralding some of the best fishing of the year. Snook have been almost absent so far, with only one undersize fish taken as yet. But warmer conditions will send those larger fish arriving from the inside bay waters into a feeding frenzy off the beaches. Look for more schools of baitfish followed by Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, and the occasional Cobia. King Mackerel “Smokers” will be prowling just off the beach troughs, looking for a large offering to cut in half. Pompano fishing will also improve as waters fill with small baitfish and crabs. If you want to experience some of the best fishing of the year, come out early mornings and late evenings this month.

April first, Pier 60 hours will go back to a 24-hour, 7-day schedule.

Fishing in April is some of the most reliable of the year, with Snook and Trout the stars of the show. The Snook bite best at night, using only a free-lined Greenback minnow on a small stout live bait hook. No extra hardware should be used, or the fish will ignore the bait. Bait nets are not allowed on the Pier, so baitfish must be caught using a Sabiki rig.

Lures are also effective on Snook, with hot pink being the preferred color.

April also means the schools of Tarpon arrive off the beaches and to Pier 60. These acrobatic Silver Kings can be enticed with a live baitfish during the mornings and middle of the day. It is thrilling to see a large hundred-pound Tarpon rise to inhale a lively bait, and then to see him skyrocket and try to throw the hook is a sight you will not soon forget. This is a catch-and release fishery on Pier 60.

Good Luck Fishing!

Alia Rodgers and Adriana Grussing proudly display Whiting and Gag Grouper catches from pier 60.

Alia Rodgers with a nice Whiting

Adriana Grussing of Lakeland, Fl. with a Gag Grouper