Pier 60 Fishing Report

Capt'n Tom Fishing Report

Fishing on Pier 60 in September was full of fun! The weather in September is some of the hottest of the year, and this September it was sweltering in the middle of the day. We didn’t experience any tropical storms, and there were no torrential rains to break the heat wave. There were some late afternoon and evening showers, but little to mar or interfere with fishing on the Pier.
Snook season started off a little slow, with the fish parading about under the lights at night, but taking little notice of the baits offered. Then, usually late at night, the fish began to feed and get hooked. There have been many Snook keepers this season, slot-sized fish from 28 to 33 inches more common than oversize fish. In seasons past we have seen more oversize fish caught and released, but this year there have been plenty of fish taken home. Snook are still biting at night or in the early morning, usually on a greenback minnow or live medium-sized Ladyfish freelined just next to the Pier. Regulars have been very successful with this year’s Snook fishing.

Bill from Plymouth, Devon, UK, displays Spanish Mackerel

Mackerel continue to feed first thing in the morning, taking a variety of lures or live natural baits. The Got-Cha lures have been very good for getting the toothy speedsters to bite. The best baits of all are still the little minnows brought up on a Sabiki lure, then presented under a float for the Spanish Mackerel. The largest fish usually show up early, but continue to feed throughout the day. Average size of the Mackerel has been about 15 inches, but plenty of fish over 20 inches have been taken as well.

A few big King Mackerel have been hooked and seen, usually taking half of a Spanish Mackerel as it is being reeled in. When the Kings have been hooked, it has been one-sided, with a screaming drag and broken line the usual outcome.

Tarpon are still in the area, and the “Silver King” has been a daily visitor at Pier 60. Most every day we get reports of Tarpon hooking up and jumping off here, and most of the bites involve 60 to 80 pound fish. A few Tarpon have been hooked and fought that would go well over 100 pounds, and there have been hooks straightened by fish that would weigh closer to 150 pounds. On a recent night, a big pod of large Tarpon chased a school of large Greenbacks under the pier, then proceeded to chase and gulp down most all of them, and also providing a thrilling but one-sided battle to fishermen just not equipped with heavy enough gear to turn the brutes.

Ryan with caught and released 24 lb. 38.5 inch Redfish.

Some big Redfish have been showing up recently, with fish of 38 to 40 inches caught and released. These fish are strong and fight all the way, giving a great battle to those prepared for it. Redfish will strain your gear and muscles to the limit, and will exploit any weakness to their advantage. Big smiles and shaking limbs from the battle are a sure sign that the Reds are here!

We have seen many Cobia this month, but all have been just shy of the 33-inch minimum. Still, they have provided lots of entertainment and activity during the heat of the day. The bigger keepers have just eluded the anglers, taking advantage of underwater obstacles to wrap around and break off.

Tony from Orlando and Flounder

Flounder have been a welcome and frequent catch this month, with flatties well over the legal minimum of 12 inches common. One big “Doormat” measured out at 20 inches. That’s a fish worth keeping!

We have seen a few Pompano this month, and also a few Bluefish. Undersize Groupers, both Gag and Red Grouper are not uncommon. A few Spadefish, and a few Sheepshead have also been landed.

Plenty of Jack Crevalle have been schooling about the Pier, and have provided lots of strong fight and shredded lines for excited fishermen.
Spotted Sea Trout have been schooling under the lights at night. They seem to be very particular on the bite, though. Most of the fish are keepers, over 15 inches, but the really big ones are waiting for the weather to cool a little bit. We should start to see “Gator” Trout to show up after the first real cold front moves through the area this month.
All in all, it has been great fishing on Pier 60, and it looks to be just as good in the weeks ahead. Remember, fishing hours have changed. As of October 1st, the Pier is open Sunday through Thursday 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM. Fridays and Saturdays we are still open all night for fishing.

Good Luck Fishing!

September 2009 brought great fishing. Catches includeresulted these fine photos of visitors with Snook, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, Redfish, and Snappers.

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

June fishing has been hot at Pier 60.

The June weather pattern has given us lots of onshore winds, some waves, and rainy squalls here and there. But the fishing has been very good, starting first thing in the morning. In the heat of the day fishing usually slows down, picking up again in the late afternoon and into the evening.

Spanish Mackerel have been biting on live shrimp, plugs, or small minnows. Catching has been best in the mornings, but Mackerel can show up throughout the day as well.

Lots of baitfish surround the Pier, and it’s been pretty consistent to be able to catch whitebait on a Sabiki rig.

The occasional 25-pound plus King Mackerel hit large live bait under a float, but as the water warmed up, there have been fewer of them.

The Snook bite has been fantastic at times, with as many as a dozen nice fish caught and released nightly. Some of the Snook were estimated to be over 30 lbs. All were released, as Snook season is closed. One fisherman reports of catching and releasing over 25 Snook this month alone.

Spotted Sea Trout have been reliable at night, feeding on live shrimp or small whitebait. Some Trout have been as large as 22 inches.

There was an occasional catch of Cobia, with a few keepers and many undersize fish released.

Flounder have also shown up in twos or threes, a welcome catch for the persistent or lucky angler.

Mangrove Snapper fishing has been steady, with quite a few chunky fish up to 15 inches taken on shrimp.

Tarpon are still off the end of the pier, and we had some nice fish caught and released in June. Most Tarpon took large live baits under a float, and it is a testament to the fisherman’s abilities to have been able to keep the fish from breaking off around a buoy or piling.

Hogfish, a rarity to catch on hook-and-line, have been taken recently, on more than one occasion. One of the Hogfish measured out at 18 inches, a nice fish!

Sheepshead are around the pilings, and some nice fish have been caught on shrimp or small crabs in the past few days.

Bull Redfish have been seen cruising in twos and threes off the end of the pier. Only a few slot-size fish have been landed, most of the reds are way over the limit, going over 40 inches. One seasoned fisherman told me how his Redfish just wore him flat out, fighting with a tenacity and strength that tested his tackle and his muscles to the limit.

A great variety of species were caught this month, including Pompano, Whiting, Lookdown, Spadefish, Black Sea Bass, Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Jack Crevalle, Bluefish, Blue Runner, Key West Grunt, Ladyfish, Remora, and several species of Shark.

Charles lands his first snook

A special congratulations is in order to 12 year-old Charles Cunningham, for catching his first Snook. The 40-incher took a Mackerel head soaking on the bottom, and tried vainly to escape by charging into the maze of pilings supporting the pier. Charles was nearly railed on more than one occasion, but managed to keep the fish from breaking off. The fish was successfully netted, photographed, and released. We will post his picture soon. Way to go Charles!

Patrick, Billy, Sarah and Jenni cleaning a batch of Spanish Mackerel

Fishing in May on Pier 60 has been very good for a variety of species. As water temperatures reached the high-70’s, the most reliable daytime catch has been spanish mackerel. Some of the fish were up to 23 inches, and many anglers took home a limit of 15 fish. Mangrove snapper action has been spotty, but the few taken have been well over the minimum of 10”. There were a few undersize cobia caught and released. Other species include pompano, jack crevalle, gag grouper, flounder, blue runner, key west grunt and ladyfish.

Schools of tarpon have arrived, and can be seen daisy-chaining off the end of the pier and alongside the bait house in the calm of the early morning. In the late afternoon, 80-100 lb tarpon have been jumped on live pinfish.

Joshua Collins of Hunnington, Indiana with Spotted Sea Trout

Spotted sea trout show up at night, with some nice fish of 18” to 20” taken on live shrimp. Whiting of 12” to 14” have been caught in the evenings as well. Snook have been schooling around the pier, with a few linesiders caught and released. A nice redfish of 27” was caught recently, so look for more in the weeks ahead. The summer weather pattern seems to have arrived a bit early. It is most effective to get out early to catch the morning bite, and then again in the evening to fish for spotted sea trout and snook.

Capt'n Tom

Jesse from Tampa displays his Pampano