# Skyway Outing



## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

I live in Orlando, and usually fish the east coast, but I have been wanting to get over to the west coast and fish the Skyway. I am one of those "boatless" fisherman.

The gameplan is for myself and my neighbor to leave Orlando about 1:00 pm on Friday the 30th, toodle over to the pier and spend the night and early next morning fishing there.

Never having fished the Skyway before, I would appreciate any info, tips, tricks, or warnings that might be helpful.

Thanks in advance for any information!

Mark


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## sandcasting (Jan 25, 2003)

mark--
i've got lots of info for you. but, i just typed it twice and both times after i finished the site incorrectly said i wasn't logged in. i think the message is too long and my session timed out or something like that. i'll try again later this evening.


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## kapoc (Oct 3, 2003)

hey if u got decent long distance pm me and i'll give you my #'s and we will get u strait

mike


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## sandcasting (Jan 25, 2003)

*info, tips and a warning, no tricks here*

mark--
first off a little warning - both the north and south piers of the skyway are well known zoos on any weekend, and i suspect that friday's full moon will bring all of the yahoos out in full force. the piers are fairly expensive too. i think you pay by the car as well as per person.
secondly some info - there are bait houses at both piers which should have both live and fresh bait. although because it is at the pier, it will be more expensive. bring a cast net or some sabiki rigs to catch some bait of your own. the piers generally hold huge amounts of whitebait and pinfish. watch the whole pier if you can, because often time the fish will be running in certain lanes, meaning you could be in the wrong spot and catch nothing while others are filling coolers. the area between the baithouse and the Y, is a good area to try and start. in case you weren't aware, you drive onto the pier and park wherever, and are basically fishing next to your car.
now for a tip - when the old bridge was destroyed, the resulting debris was used to create numerous artifical reefs around the pier. the reefs are on the gulf (west) side of both piers. the reefs begin 150 feet out from the pier and extend some 300 feet towards the gulf. each reef is approx. 40 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet high. locating the reefs is tricky. you need to look at the structural supports that hold up the piers. the engineers that placed the reefs used the structural supports to somewhat evenly place the rubble. the vertical support pilings have no reef. I I I I I I - no reef. look for the supports that aren't vertical, but support the pier from an angle. \ / \ / \ / - bullseye. something similar to that, hopefully you get the idea. you should probably try to see this before going on the pier, or at leas ask the attendant at the baithouse. on the outgoing tide, and there should be a strong hill tide, associated with the full moon, drift some bait out towards the reef about 8 feet beneath a cork. recently, folks are jumping tarpon, and catching trout, pompano, spanish mackeral, grouper, ladyfish, etc. the grouper are mainly shorts, but i have seen plenty of photos of keepers throughout the year on local forums. try a live pinfish for the grouper near the reefs. while you are there at night, rig up for some big shark and get kozlow jealous.
if you hook a fish, and it out-muscles you and digs itself into the reef, don't try to overpower it and break your line. give the fish plenty of slack, and wait a little while, at least 5 minutes, maybe even 10. the fish will no longer feel the pressure and eventually has to come out of the hole in the reef. then, after waiting a little, reel in the slack and hopefully surprise the fish that is no longer in the hole in the reef, resulting in a nice grouper for you. maybe this is a trick.
i highly recommend a trip to ft desoto state park while you are in the area. there are two free piers, fish the gulf pier. also there is lots of wadable grassflats and mangrove shorelines, along with a pass (inlet) and lots of sandy beach. there are two tolls to get there, a combined total of 85 cents. this is an excellent area, very close to the skyway. 
check the fishing reports and landbase forums at http://www.capmel.com before you head this way. you can read billy t's weekly south skyway report and get the tidal info and the telephone numbers for the baithouses at both the north and south skyway fishing piers. there are a number of skyway fishermen who regularly post on that site. if i can think of anything else i'll post before friday, too much typing for now.


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## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

SC,

Thanks for all the great info!

I visited the pier once, but didn't do any fishing. I noticed that the north span, which is shorter, looked to be more crowded than the southern span. (I went on a Sunday once)

I may have to rethink the trip until next month. I'll have Tuesday thru Thursday off in August, and hopefully the piers will be a little less crowded during the week.

Thanks again!

Mark


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## sandcasting (Jan 25, 2003)

mark--
by no means was i trying to discourage you from fishing the skyway this weekend, but since orlando to st. pete is a decent hike, i wanted to be sure you knew what you were in for. the fishing could be excellent, with the full moon to keep the fish feeding all night. the outgoing tide should be really strong, so the tarpon will be there for sure, slurping the pass crabs. let me know if you are coming this way. the heat should help ease the crowds as well.


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## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

SC,

Not a problem. I try to be flexible with my fishing plans. Besides, I don't know if my neighbor got permission from his wife yet!


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