The small snapper have invaded St. Pete Beach. I fished Saturday and Sunday on the Merry Pier at 8th Avenue in Pass-A-Grille, and it was impossible to escape the small Mangos that seemed to be everywhere. While this is good news for this Fall, it’s kinda’ a pain today.

Mike joined me Saturday, and we caught at least 5-6 dozen fish between us. Most were… small mangos. Oh, there were a few 10-11 inch specimens, but not very many. Most ranged from 6-9 inches. A real pain. We also caught the usual suspects, a.k.a. pinfish, sand perch, filefish, Atlantic spadefish, etc. The highlight of the day was when a big seahorse swam by the pilings. I did hook 1 snook, but he cut me off in the pilings after a brief fight.

Sunday’s highlight was watching a 23+ inch Gag Grouper being caught on a cut Spanish sardine at around 8 a.m. It was a good sign- it’s been awhile since I’ve seen a keeper landed. Hopefully, there will be more soon. I did see a snook hookup, but, again, the pilings proved decisive.

So, I head down to the Merry Pier in St. Pete Beach bright and early Saturday morning, and to my surprise, I’m greeted by my colleague Mike. He’s already caught a nice snook with a DOA shrimp on the 7th Avenue Pier. We bought several dozen handpicked shrimp, and got to work.

I was quickly broken off by a big snook by the Shell Key Shuttle, then promptly landed a 29″ linesider. Next came a nice Jack Cravelle, which was followed up by a few hundred of his buddies. Time to target the Mango snapper that haunt the dock.

Over the next few hours, Miike and I managed dozens of snapper, topping out at about 14″; grouper to 18″; another snook which was hanging out by the seawall, and various jacks, sand perch, Atlantic Spadefish, pinfish, and other assorted fish. Mike got the award for the weird catch of the day when a green lipped mussel clamped down on his line. I finished with a nice limit of Mangos for the ensuing fishfry. By the way, Mike, I’ve still got your fishing knife…

Sunday, the bait shop at the Merry Pier was out of shrimp by the time I arrived, but since St. Pete Beach is loaded with schools of small greenbacks, I threw a few dozen in the bait bucket, and proceeded to nail mangos to 15″ from the rocks that range from 20 to 50 feet in front of the Merr Pier. A few freelined greenbacks resulted in Spanish Macks up to 20″, along with a few Leather Jacks. If you’re not familiar with the leatherjack, it’s a purely evil fish. They have spines behind the dorsal and caudal fins. If you tocuh them, they’ll sting at first, but over the next few hours, the pain will intensify, and there’s really nothing you can do about it. I’d prefer a bee sting myself. I handle with care, so it’s been a few years since I’ve been nailed. You’ve been warned- watch out.

St. Pete Beach fishing is outstanding right now, with the strong new moon tides and the influx of bait. Get ‘yer gear and give it a shot!

The weekend was too short, and involved WAY too little fishing. My friend Jim was here from Orlando with his wife and kid. We spent a couple of hours on Merry Pier. The tides were sluggish (we’re between moon phases), but we still managed a few decent fish. We used live shrimp to catch a dozen or so Tampa Bay snapper, including two of around a foot, and I nailed a 30″ snook that was hanging out under the dock. But the catch of the day came from Jim’s daughter, Jordan- a nice, healthy grouper, only the second fish she’s ever caught (the first being a miniscule snapper a few minutes before). Way to go!

Spent a few hours on the Merry Pier Wednesday. Turns out there was a problem with the live shrimp delivery… long story short, there were no live shrimp, and I didn’t feel like making the run up to Gulf to Bay Bait and Tackle. So, I bought a box of frozen spanish sardines, just to see if any gag grouper were still lurking by the Pier.

Yup, they were there. I hooked up right away, and lost a big one to the pilings. I proceeded to catch a couple of decent ones (~14″-16″), when I got another huge hit. The fish ran into the pilings, but remained hooked. The seesaw battle continued for a couple of minutes, with a clearly legal grouper visible below. Finally, the line parted, and the fish returned to the depths. When a big grouper is hooked like that, they tend to emit a ‘distress signal’, which shuts down the bite immediately. And that’s exactly what happened.

There were several pods of small tarpon rolling within casting range, so I hurled sardines their way, but no takers, and I wrapped up early. The plan was to go down to the Bon Aire resort to watch the St. Pete Beach fireworks display, but we never quite made it, watching instead from our neighbors balcony. Good thing, too, ’cause there were a couple large explosions during the finale, which actually shook the house. Turns out there was a malfunction, and about a dozen people at Bon Aire received minor injuries. The blast shattered a number of beach facing windows in the motel. Yes, never a dull moment here in St. Pete Beach….

What a weekend. It started Friday, when I hit the Merry Pier in St. Pete Beach between about 6-8 p.m. Rain was falling, and lightning cracked in the distance- but the snook were wide awake. I had at least a dozen hookups, with three landed (28, 30, and 32 inches). Bait was thick, and the snook and jacks were feeding heavily. Lots of fun!

Saturday, I returned to the Pier for some snapper action. Lots of 8-12 inch fish around… but I nailed a 17″ specimen about 4 feet off the end of the dock. And the snook were still going crazy! By the seawall, I was getting a hit on every shrimp I freelined for about half an hour. Landed a bunch, lost a bunch. Snook are very hard on terminal tackle…

Mid-afternoon, I spoke to Cap’t. Dick, and we decided that a full moon snapper trip made perfect sense. We booked the Getaway, with Cap’t Andy at the helm. We both called around, but were unable to get any more fisherman on the boat (you know who you are!). So we headed west at around 7 p.m., with 4 gallons of bait aboard.

We anchored on the Pipeline at around 80 feet, amidst a few other boats, and set up a chumline. I had a bite immediately- but, it was a lowly “mother-in-law fish”. We started pulling up grunts, which were immediately returned to the sea. Then, Cap’t. Dick hooked up to something with a little more fight in it. We were al astonished as he hauled up a live octopus from the depths. It proceded to crawl about the cabin, suctioning itself to various object, until it was gaffed and depositied in the bait cooler (they make great grouper bait).

Soon, we were surrounded by thousands of squid, which would occassionally jet by the transom- and into te boat. Pretty freaky. Next up were boita, with a few nice size fish causing the drags to sing. After that, a few wayward kingfish showed up, and we deposited two in the cooler. Finally, the snapper bite started as the full moon rose.

Over the next few hours, we landed some very fat mangroves- nice fish, running from a few pounds up to around 10. A solitary yellowtail joined the mix (who ever heard of catching a single yellowtail-  they usually hang in very large schools). A big lane snapper added to the variety. Keeping with the solitary theme, one (1!) chicken dolphin showed up in the chum slick. Thought we saw some cobia join the fray, but they turned out to be big remoras. Oh well.

We got back on the dock just before 4 a.m., and, to my surprise, the Pier was buzzing. There was bait everywhere, and snook hitting on the surface, as about a dozen fisherman milled about. Who knew the Merry Pier was busier at 4 a.m. than 4 p.m.?

So, after 17 hours of fishing Saturday, I decided to take a break on Sunday. We threw a small party Sunday eevning, with a new snapper recipe compliments of Cap’t Dick (Place snapper fillets on oiled foil, brush with some more olive oil, sprinkle lightly with Evergaldes seasoning and celery salt, and cover completely with think slices of fresh lemon. I couldn’t resist topping with a little Old Bay. Seal the foil, pop in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, and enjoy! We also blackened some fillets, and these made a nice counterpoint to the baked fish. Yum!

Summer’s here, and dock days are getting hot- both the weather and the fishing. I had the pleasure of meeting Big Mike on the Merry Pier in St. Pete Beach on Saturday. By the time I arrived, Big Mike had already caught and released dozens of mangrove snapper- mostly small, but still fun to catch. And remember- the 8-11 inch snapper of June will be the 13-17 inch snapper of September!

Figured since Big Mike had travelled alll the way from Ohio for a little fishing, I should show off a bit. So… first cast, first shrimp, I promptly nailed a 32″ snook. It was a fun fight, and it was a battle to keep the fish out of the pilings. I thought this would be the start of a great day of snooking, but, alas, that was the only one of the day. I did end up catching about 3 dozen Snaps, keeping 4 foot longs. By 2 p.m., the sun was blazing, the current was slack, and the bar was calling.

On Sunday, I returned to the Merry Pier, joined by my friend Cletus from Tampa. We tore the snapper up, keeping 8 out of… who knows? 100? Most ran small, but there were plenty of 10-12″ fish mixed in. We picked up a nice 20″ redfish on the dock, and I caught a 16″ filefish, of all things. That was a first for me. We wrapped up midday. Sunday evening, we had a crowd over for blackened redfish, snapper & sausage, and grouper nuggest (from the offshore trip last week). There were no leftovers.

 

June 17, 2007- I ventured offshore yesterday aboard the Getaway with friends Matt, his father Tom (Happy Fathers Day!) and Cap’t Dick. We departed the Merry Pier in Pass-A-Grille at 7:30, and headed west.

Conditions were ideal- a light breeze and scattered cloud cover, just enough to keep it from getting too hot. The first stop for bait at the PassAGrille marker proved futile, so we headed out the Egmont Channel, stopping at the Whistler Bouy. Got a few baits with the sabiki rigs, when the Mate hollers- something big and fast had grabbed his blue runner boatside. Switching gears, the sabiki rigs were hauled in, and the heavy tackle was hauled out. A live pinfish was irresistable to the big cobia that had been lurking in the shadows of the bouy. The fight was on!

After 15 minutes of head shakes, bulldog runs, and deep soundings, the cobia was gaffed and in the cooler. A nice healthy 30 pounder. Not bad for a bait stop. Another stop at the end of the ditch produced good bait, and a cuda hookup.

We made a run out to a ‘secret spot’ about thirty miles out. Well, the secret was out, as four other boats worked the wreck. They were pulling up schoolie amberjacks in the 5-10 pound range. Captain James on the GetAway had other ideas, and we drifted away from the pack, fishing deep to hook up the larger fish. We caught and released 3 nice fish, but Matt landed the fish of the day- a 40 pound amberjack, a real brute.

We made a run to a snapper spot in 105 feet, and the fish finder gave a great show, but nothing was biting. After 15 minutes of soaking baits, I had a massive hit on my pinfish. I was thinking ‘big grouper!’, but it was soon apparent that I’d hooked another amberjack. This one went around 30, and joined Matt’s fish in the box.

The final stop was in 150′, about 43 miles offshore. We fired down some baits, and Dick’s rod immediately doubled over. After the ensuing battle, a beautiful 15 pound red grouper found her way into the cooler. She was soon joined by 3 others, so we limited out on reds. Matt brought up a small American Red Snapper, and Dick released a small shark, just to add some variety.

It was an altogether excellent day on the water- beautiful weather, good friend, a professional Captain and Mate, and lots of big fish. I’ll get some photos uploaded in the next day or so. I’m looking forward to getting out on the GetAway again soon.

 

Who: Me!

Where: The Merry Pier in Pass-A-Grille, Florida. More precisely, the North East Corner at the pilings.

What: Snapper. Mangos. Lot’s of ’em. Most about a foot long.

When: Sunday, starting about 7 a.m. High tide was around 8:40, and the bite peaked around 10:30

How: Tossing hand picked live shrimp tail hooked (with the point buried to reduce snags) on a #2 hook WAY upcurrent (despite a 1/2 oz weight). The tide quickly swept the shrimp back to the pilings, where the mangrove snapper were waiting. I used a 2 foot florocarbon leader (30 lb – those barnicals are sharp!) and 15 lb mono. The hooks were from Owner.

Why: Simple. I finished fishing by noon, spent a few hours on the beach, then had some friends over for a fresh snapper dinner. A new recipe:

Spray a glass baking dish with a thin layer of Pam 100% extra virgin olive oil. Layer the botton of the pan with snapper fillets (in a single layer). Add some fresh ground sea salt and pepper. In a seperate dish, combine seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, small cooked bay shrimp, a dash of Paul Prudhomme’s  seafood seasoning, and mayonnaise. Layer this over the snapper fillets, then add a layer of jumbo lump crabmeat. Lots! Finally, top with another layor of snapper fillets, spray on olive oil, add a dash of fresh paprika, and throw it in the oven. Good stuff!

Saturday fishing was a bust, thanks to tropical storm Barry. The lower sections of Merry Pier were literally underwater, as the storm tides peaked in the early afternoon.

Sunday was a different story. My buddy Tim cruised in from Tampa with a bucket of shrimp, and we proceeded to have an excellent afternoon of fishing. Upon arrival at noon, the tides were sluggish, and so were the fish. But as the tides began to recede, the bite picked up.

One thing I will say about Merry Pier- it can offer great variety. We caught:

• Mangrove Snapper
• Grouper
• Redfish
• Whiting
• Pinfish
• Catfish
• Sand Perch

And, we saw a small snook brought up. Dinner consisted of pan fried snapper (including a very nice 15″ fish that Tim bagged) and a 20″ redfish, blackened. Pictures to follow (once I figure out how to post them). We had a couple of monster hits, so there are definately some larger fish lurking around. Heard reports from last week of cobia, blackfin shark, and tarpon in the immediate vicinity.

Now that the water temperature’s in the 80’s, the fishing should continue to improve throughout the summer.

The Merry Pier in Pass-A-Grille provided some great fishing this weekend. Plenty of variety, steady action… and the Pier was surprisingly uncrowded for Memorial Day wwekend.

Snapper- The snaps are back! After a long hiatus, the mangrove snapper are beginning to return to their haunts in the shadows under the Pier. It’s still very early in the season, so they’re running small; but still, out of a couple dozen, there were some foot long specimens. They’ll be joing me for dinner tonight!

Snook- Now that the snook season has shut down, the snook are ready to feed. They key was large, lively shrimp free-lined under the dock as the tides surged outward. The snook tended to be in the shallows, with some literally inches from the seawall. Sizes ranged from about 22″ to over 30″. And, for each snook caught, there were 2-3 that were lost- hey, that’s snook fishing!

Grouper- The grouper bite was slow, but I did manage to pull out a couple of 13-14″ gags from the rocks in the front of the dock. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a legal grouper landed in Pass-A-Grille.

Mackeral- Yeah, there’re still hanging around. Not big schools, but a fish here and a fish there. Seems now that the Macks are running a little bigger than ususal, too. Just wait till the greenbacks come in.

Sheepshead- Yeah, you heard right. Sheepshead. Just when you thought they’d all departed for the summer, I managed to pull a 14″ one from among the Mangos. It was released unharmed.

Trash Fish- Rounding out the mix are the ususal undesireables, including sand perch (aka squirrelfish), pinfish (some actually pretty big), cowfish, etc.

Still too windy for offshore, although the Getaway did go out on a half day and returned with 2 scamp, a gag, and a very healthy mangrove snapper. Maybe later today….