Happy New Year from all the folks at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers!  The Tampa Bay region ushered in 2018 with a blast of cold weather like the area has not seen in many years, but there are cold water species that will always fall for the proper presentations at the Skyway Piers.  Sheepshead will almost always cooperate in the coldest of temperatures, and many nice fish were taken during the roughest weather of the week.  Silver and spotted seatrout are other pier mainstays that do not mind a dropping thermometer, and reports of quality fish of both types also came in from both fishing piers.  Whiting are yet another winter visitor that frequent the mouth of Tampa Bay and began to appear in catches this past week.  Black sea bass and flounder do not mind cooler waters and are worth targeting at this time of year.  Finally, reef fish like Key West grunts and spot tail pinfish remained active on the artificial reefs and provided good ‘fish fry’ catches for visiting anglers.

The first question of many pier patrons following a strong cold front is whether the baitfish have remained in the area of the piers.  Your author can report that as of Friday afternoon, baitfish were still showing strong amongst the pier pilings.  On clear & cold days with plenty of sunshine, the pier structure itself warms up and thereby acts as a radiator to surrounding waters.  As a result, sometimes baitfish (and their pursuing predators) hang closer to pier pilings than during warmer weather.  The baitfish schools will also hang much deeper if there is a temperature break that better suits their metabolism.  What anglers can take from these behaviors is that slowly bouncing baits alongside pier pilings can be a very effective fishing method during the winter months.  A plain jig in the 1/4 to 3/8 oz. range (depending on the tide) with a shrimp or strip of squid as the only dressing will take a wide variety of species at this time of year.  Whenever baitfish remain around the piers, there will always be something following them seeking an easy meal.

The Skyway Piers offer a wide range of porgies to target, but the clear favorite of visiting anglers is the sheepshead.  This species offers it all from a fishing standpoint.  The fish are easy to spot from above, yet a challenge to catch because of how quickly they bite and then expel bait offerings.  Sheepshead prefer shrimp, crustaceans, and various mussels.  Their jaw structure allows them to crush a bait and ingest the fleshy portion while expelling the shell in just a matter of seconds.  These fish love to nibble on the barnacles that cover the piers pilings because they get the added value of catching other small creatures that hide amongst their clusters.  The restroom, bait shop, and old crossover areas at the Skyway Piers contain the most pilings, and these are often the best areas to scout for sheepshead.  However, nearly any piling (and even the artificial reefs that line the piers) can contain these porgies, so do not limit yourself to one certain area.  Use the lightest leaders, hooks, and weights that the tide or structure will allow and be prepared to lose a few fish.  Put your offering right in front of feeding fish and get ready for a tussle.  These fish are excellent eating and the action should only continue to improve over the next few months.

Silver and spotted seatrout seem to take up residence around the end sections and bait shop areas of both piers each winter, and that pattern was holding true this past week.  There are many more silver trout than spotted, but some nice specks were reported in recent days.  Both species are actually members of the Drum Family of Fishes, and are occasionally joined by other drums like sand seatrout, spots, and whiting during the winter months in the Tampa Bay Estuary.  Whiting is a regional name for what is truly a Gulf kingfish, but the name kingfish at the piers is generally reserved for our pelagic mackerel speedsters that visit each spring & fall.  Names aside, the fact remains that all of these drums are accustomed to cool water temperatures and accessible with the most basic of pier fishing approaches.  In addition, all can be excellent on the table.  Slowly bouncing the bottom with a tandem jig rig or larger sabiki-style baitfish rig is deadly.  Even better – tip the hook(s) with a small piece of shrimp or strip of squid.  Maintain bottom contact, but lift your chosen rig at least a foot or two at times in case some fish have suspended.

Anglers fishing the artificial reefs this past week were still taking catch-and-release gag grouper, but there are plenty of reef species still open to harvest that can be taken during the winter months.  Anglers this past week were able to take a wide variety of species for the table.  Key West grunts and spot tail pinfish were taken on squid and shrimp along the reefs this past week.  These two species like to stay very tight to the structure.  Black sea bass and flounder were taken in the sandy areas right near the reefs where they prefer to feed.  It is easy to feel the artificial reefs on your line when you bounce over them or snag on the structure.  It is important to remember that some species are right on the structure and some prefer to simply be nearby.  All of these winter reef species are similar to the drums mentioned above in that they are fine fish choices for the kitchen table.

Paul Bristow
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