High temperatures and midday thunderstorms often turn many anglers into night creatures searching for their prey. Several advantages come into play; the night brings out the best in tarpon, snook, trout and black drum fishing and some tolerable conditions.
Fishing from shore, Gandy Bridge St. Pete side fishing offers a great location for the whole family to spend several hours on a weekend catching fish. Boaters can launch either at the Courtney Campbell boat ramp or the Salty Sol boat ramp located one mile west of Westshore Blvd. on Gandy Blvd.
Skyway fishing pier offers light, good water movement and a nice family friendly atmosphere plus a large selection of fish species like grouper, flounder and mackerel.
The best fishing trip takes place for about a half hour after sundown through 2 a.m. Free-lined live bait (“meaning no weights are added”) drifted under the lights will draw the attention of trout, snook and tarpon. Products on the market like the Hydro Glow Fish Light are designed to be vertically suspend below the surface of the water radiating a bright green glow in all directions. This design utilizes 100% of the light generated by the light for the designed purpose–attracting fish. The bright fluorescent green light gets it effectiveness by attracting the entire aquatic food chain, from microscopic plankton to various sizes of minnow and to many species of game fish. Boat manufacturers now use products like the Shadow Caster underwater lights that are built into the hull making them even more appealing.
Boaters can also take advantage of canal homes with dock lights following the same pattern. The live bait should be allowed to drift with the current flow from the shadow line into the light and back into the dark. Most important when dock fishing at night is to always respect the owner’s right to privacy and avoid loud noises by using the stealth system. That means being quiet!
Some of my favorite live baits, shad and greenback sardines both can be caught under the bridges at night with a bait cast net. Shrimp are on top of the food chain except for summer months. They tend to be on the small size and are often rejected by the big fish. For tarpon, pass crabs are tops on my list. Black drums and redfish have a hard time passing on fresh cut blue crabs present on the bottom by the bridge pilings.
Remenber to pick a spot with light, or create your own using your boat underwater lights or Hydro Glow light. The light must be strong enough to draw small bait fish; be patient and they will come. Don’t overlook bottom fishing. I have caught snook, cobia and black drum on a bottom rig while catching snook, trout and tarpon on the surface.
Boaters need to anchor under the bridge with the stern of the boat just even with the shadow line (where the light from the bridge casts shadow). Snook and tarpon cruise the dark side and strike the bait fish attracted to the light. The brighter the light you have, the better chances of catching fish.
I recommend medium spinning tackle 15 to 20 test line 30-pound test leader with a 2/0 hook for trout, snook and redfish. Use conventional tackle with 30 to 40-pound test line, a 60-pound test leader and 5/0 hook for the tarpon, black drum, cobia and big redfish.
Black drums are plentiful this month. Their favorite bait is a half of a fresh blue crab, which can be caught along the shoreline or purchased at the local bait and tackle stores.
For more information, you can visit FISHING ADVENTURES FLORIDA on YouTube with weekly local fishing information, and our how-to segment Capt. Sergio Fishing Academy teaching new techniques and tackle to help you catch more fish.