# Fort Monroe early Monday a.m. 7/9



## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

Posted a few days ago that I fished the bridge into Ft. Monroe from Mellen St. until the Hampton P.D. started handing out tickets for fishing from the bridge (yes, there's a sign but the fishing was just too good). I hadn't been out there since Mother's Day. Fishing buddy went to court for his ticket, and the judge let everybody off with a warning not to fish on the bridge, but said the strip leading into Ft. Monroe was ok.

Well, my buddy and I arrived around 0030 Monday near high tide. Fished the grassy areas off the strip, and cast out near the bridge. Heard lots of activity in the water around a marshy area. Caught a total of 5 undersized puppy drum (around 10-12 inches and returned to the water), 2 hog fish (also returned) 2 pan-sized croaker, and 2 supersized croaker, one of which was the granddaddy of all croakers! Huge!

After that, the bite just turned completely off, we called it a night and left around 0500. Not as nice as I remembered and the mosquitoes were out in full force, but nice anyway. Word to the wise: Bring a lotta light! Squid, shrimp and week old blood worms were bait of choice. Thanks Guys!


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## Hampton (Apr 9, 2012)

It's weird that they harassed you there, now that I think about it. They tell you to go there as their closing Engineers Pier lol. They say to get off the pier and fish the bridge (the cops).


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

Yes, it is weird. Also, why are they closing the piers? The Engineers (finger) pier, and the little pier across from the ball park have been closed since Irene. The finger pier was showing wear and tear before the hurricane, but that other pier was fine...brick and fencing (at least it looked fine to me). I know the big pier is still open, but only from dawn to dusk which does not suit my purposes because I fish almost exclusively at night.

They also won't let you fish from the rocks near the finger pier. Maybe it's all for safety, but I wish they would give a reason for the closures. I was told it's all being handled by the Hampton P.D. Called the officer in charge of patrols at Ft. Monroe, left 3 messages, and still no reply. Several patrol cars passed as we fished the strip that night and they all passed by with no issues, so I guess what the judge said goes.


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## Hampton (Apr 9, 2012)

Well, they close @ 8pm. Is that what you mean? Why do they close @ night?


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## mytmouse (Jan 24, 2009)

I have fished from this area pictured below from the rocks. There is a wall that you have to climb over, it's not too tall. But I was never bothered when I was fishing there.


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

Hampton said:


> Well, they close @ 8pm. Is that what you mean? Why do they close @ night?


There may be a misunderstanding as to the names of the piers here. I was told that the Engineers Pier was the little pier where we always fished, which is closed now. I guess that was misinformation, and the Engineers Pier is the big one that closes at 8pm. If you drive further down from that pier, across from the moat is a parking lot. If you park facing the water, walk down to your right a little ways, and there is the finger pier which is tiny and wooden. You could maybe get 15 people on it, and you would be elbow to elbow, but that's where we caught the biggest croakers.

Then, there is another pier across from the ball park (also closed). That one was brick, with chain link fencing and shallow water. I used to see a few people crabbing there, but hardly any fishing. Both that pier and the finger pier are taped off with yellow "crime scene-like tape", boards, and no trespassing signs. You could fish these piers all night after the Engineers Pier closed at 8. That's what I'm asking...why have they not reopened and why won't they allow fishing on the rocks anymore ( my buddy was approached by Hampton P.D. when he tried fishing from the rocks.)

Guess I had you confused as to which piers I was referring. My bad :redface:


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

mytmouse said:


> I have fished from this area pictured below from the rocks. There is a wall that you have to climb over, it's not too tall. But I was never bothered when I was fishing there.


Thanks for the info. Not exactly sure where this is, but it looks like sorta behind the Chamberlain Hotel.


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## KEVIN (Feb 26, 2009)

The engineers pier is open from sun up till sun down


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## mytmouse (Jan 24, 2009)

Bayluvnnrse said:


> Thanks for the info. Not exactly sure where this is, but it looks like sorta behind the Chamberlain Hotel.


You got it! I should have circled the pier to give a better idea where it is.


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## rongcon1 (Apr 4, 2009)

I plan to stop by Ft Monroe tomorrow. Where is the Engineer pier? I used crab on the backside floating pier I think. Is that pier still open? 

Thanks.


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

mytmouse said:


> You got it! I should have circled the pier to give a better idea where it is.


I found the pier easily on the aerial map, then just followed it down to what I presumed was the hotel. Gonna try going there this weekend and hope we don't get chased away. Thanks again!


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

rongcon1 said:


> I plan to stop by Ft Monroe tomorrow. Where is the Engineer pier? I used crab on the backside floating pier I think. Is that pier still open?
> 
> Thanks.


The engineer pier is the largest pier on Ft. Monroe. It's the one that's open from sun up to sun down. Look to the far right of the map above at the "T" jutting out into the water. There were 2 other piers that I know of, one being the little "finger pier" and the other was a small brick pier across from the ball park. Both of those are now closed and taped off (or at least they were the last time I checked back in May). Those piers used to be open all night. Maybe someone else here can give you better directions, or may know of even more piers there. Where was the "backside pier"? That might be the brick pier that I used to see people crabbing on.

Don't know about the license covering crabbing, but I have mine handy just in case.


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## rongcon1 (Apr 4, 2009)

The backside pier used to have floating dock attached but hurricane or storm destroyed the floating sections I think. I came by last year and saw ppl fishing and/or crabbing on the cement part and the walk-down section. Is this the backside pier you're referring to? And it's closed off now?

Thanks.


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

Don't know about the floating dock. I only saw this pier a couple times, and I can't remember the name of the street it's on, but it was the long stretch of road behind the police station when the fort was still in operation. It reminded me of a patio, and I used to call it the patio pier. The water was very shallow there as the pier didn't extend very far. I do remember some chain link fencing there too.

When I last checked, it was closed and taped off. The guys at the entrance said that only the engineers pier was in use, and they didn't know if the other two would ever be open again. Sad, because night time action at the finger pier was fierce!


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## Hampton (Apr 9, 2012)

When you go to Engineer's Pier, the center of the top of the "T" will be open, with nobody casting there. The reason for this is that there is something directly in front of the area that you will snag on. Some people know how to cast there with no problems (they say to reel in high and fast) but I would suggest not trying it altogether. I have had fish take my line to whatever it is down there, as well as the current (with 6 oz sinkers in some cases) and I have lost a lot of line casting in that direction.


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## mytmouse (Jan 24, 2009)

That floating pier used to produce some good action for me and my Father-in-law We even fished from the grass there with success. Hampton hit it on the nose about fishing the middle of the T. My father-in-law decided to let me figure that one out on my own... SMH.


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## rongcon1 (Apr 4, 2009)

SKUNKED BIG TIME YESTERDAY....

yeah that floating dock is SHUTDOWN!


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## sutphinda (Feb 9, 2012)

I have a question ... can u still fish on the rock of the bigger bridge leading to the fort monroe gate...


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

mytmouse said:


> That floating pier used to produce some good action for me and my Father-in-law We even fished from the grass there with success. Hampton hit it on the nose about fishing the middle of the T. My father-in-law decided to let me figure that one out on my own... SMH.


Thanks to you and Hampton for the info about the snags at the Engineers Pier. Haven't fished there yet, but planning to this weekend. Gonna check out the area you suggested behind the hotel, and the base of the bridge again to see if things have picked up.


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## Bayluvnnrse (Jun 17, 2012)

sutphinda said:


> I have a question ... can u still fish on the rock of the bigger bridge leading to the fort monroe gate...


According to the judge (see first post above) you cannot fish from the bridges, but he said fishing the base of the bridge at the rocks was ok. But they were cited for fishing the bridge off Mellen St. I don't know about the longer bridge on the other side, but I plan to try it from the rocks there this fall because I heard they catch huge stripers at that bridge.


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## mytmouse (Jan 24, 2009)

Bayluvnnrse said:


> Thanks to you and Hampton for the info about the snags at the Engineers Pier. Haven't fished there yet, but planning to this weekend. Gonna check out the area you suggested behind the hotel, and the base of the bridge again to see if things have picked up.


Definitely let us know! I might have to stop through there next time I go visit my Father-in-law.


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