North Skyway Fishing Pier Dec.'07

I checked the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers message board today, www.skywaypiers.com/discus/ , to see how the fishing is at the piers. Spanish mackerel are thick at both piers and will hit Got-Cha Plugs, small silver spoons, and Kandlefish Lures. A few king mackerel are being caught. Drift a large greenback, blue runner, or hardtail away from the bridge to catch the kings. Use about 6" of wire leader and a stinger rig tied to 6' of 40lb mono leader to improve your chances of landing a king. Grouper and lane snapper are being caught around the rock piles. Pinfish and greenbacks are good baits for the grouper. Sheepshead have moved in around the pylons. Sand flees, fiddler crabs, live shrimp, bloodworm's, and green mussels are the best baits. Use 6' of 25lb - 30lb fluorocarbon leader and size 1, J hooks to increase your odds of catching some of these striped bandits. Also, drop your bait to the bottom, or at least underneath the fish you see. Sheepshead up in the water column usually will not bite. Wait untill you feel a light tap on your line, and set the hook hard on the second tap.