Pier 60 Fishing Report

Capt'nTom

The second half of January saw some good fishing on Pier 60. As long as the wind was not howling right before the arrival of the cold fronts, or during some of the torrential rains we had in the past week or so, fishermen were able to do well after sundown. Lots of good-sized Whiting were caught on cut squid, and many nights saw up to 35 fish per angler. Most of the Whiting were over 12 inches in length, and a few nights the fish averaged 16 inches, with a couple of fish measuring 18 inches!
There were also a fair number of Sand Seatrout and Spotted Seatrout taken at night on live shrimp. Small Silver Trout were also caught on cut bait.

Anglers armed with small hooks and cut shrimp or small crabs were able to catch quite a few Sheepshead, but not as many or as large as a few weeks ago.
Small Blacktip Sharks have shown up in the past few days, and a 3-foot Lemon Shark was caught and released.

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

Spanish Mackerel

December was a great month to fish on Pier 60.

On the sunny warm days, the Spanish Mackerel were around, hitting on small Glass Minnows, Shrimp, small live Sardines, and live shrimp. Larger sabiki rigs also induced flurries of action.
A few Gag Grouper were caught and released, but no keepers.

At night, Silver Trout, Whiting, and Sand Seatrout were caught, with some fishermen taking home up to 25 assorted fish.

There were a variety of species, including Lane Snapper, Key West Grunt, Black Seabass, Searobin, Sheepshead, and Jack Crevalle.

The water remained clear most of the time, but when the winds churned the waves into froth, water visibility quickly deteriorated, and it takes a few days of clear calm weather to bring the water visibility back.

It seems that the baitfishes are still around, and on some days the water was dark with schools of fish. The larger predatory fish attacked from below, while the Pelicans and other diving birds feasted from above.

Snook have moved inside the passes into warmer areas, creeks cuts, and deep canals. It will take a sustained stretch of warm weather to entice them back to the Pier area.

A few nice stringers of Sheepshead were taken, and the fish were fat and healthy, averaging about 3 pounds each.

Capt'nTom

November, 2008: Fishing this time of year is hit-or-miss. The key to catching fish in these changing weather conditions is to be adaptable.

On days when the sun is shining and water temperatures approach 70 degrees, Mackerel usually can be found, hitting the little whitebait minnows we catch on sabiki rigs. When the Mackerel are around, so too are the schools of Bluefish and Jack Crevalle. There are also reports of Pompano being seen in the mornings.

As the wind kicks up, and the sun heads for the horizon, fishermen have been having good luck targeting Silver Trout and Whiting, using cut bait, shrimp, or squid.

There are lots of small sharks around, Blacktips, Sand Sharks, and Bonethead Sharks. While we do not allow Shark fishing per se on Pier 60, an incidental shark catch is an interesting event. Small Blacktips are also good table fare.

The pilings around the pier are loaded with nice-sized Sheepshead right now, and little crabs or bits of shrimp work well. The key to hooking Sheepshead is to watch your line quiver when she bites….once you feel a nibble, it is usually too late! Once you get the hang of it, it’s not so hard. I use the smallest circle-hook you can find, and a light line. You have to keep your baits away from the hoardes of Pinfish that will tear into any morsels you send their way.

There are even a few late-season Snook to be found at night, and wil feed on a lively Greenback minnow or even a Ladyfish. Bull Redfish are out and about, and alttho the are likely to be larger than the slot-size allows, they are a hard-fighting bruiser that will test your tackle and your stamina.

After dark, the Spotted Sea Trout move in. It is closed season through December, so it is a good idea to use circle hooks to prevent gut-hooking, and it is also beneficial to the Trout to handle them as little as possible. I use pliars to grab the hook as the fish is reeled up to the pier, and he gets released without any touching at all. A Sea Trout slung up on the pier looses his slime coating, and any handling further decreases his chance of survival. There have been some real “Gator Trout” caught recently, well over 8 lbs.

Good Luck Fishing!