Easter Weekend 2014 in Florida

[WCFLA]

Hey Everyone,

Here are some photos from my short Easter weekend trip to Florida. The photos are from Fort Desoto Park, St. Pete. I used the Penn SSV4500 on a Penn Allegiance 15-30lbs rod. I used 40lbs Powerpro and 50lbs Mono leader.

Here is a small shark (I think that it's a Sharpnose Shark) that took a live Pinfish.


Here are a few Crevalle Jacks that I caught. These guys fight harder pound-for-pound than any other fish around.





I thought that this mailbox was badass.



Regards,
Danny

[Shark Hunter]

Yea, That's a Sharpie. I Dig that Mailbox too!

[Keta]

Looks femail to me.

[fsrmn]

  I LOVE Ft. Desoto. I will be there next week. It has the best fishing around.  It's the only place I know with a bay pier, a gulf pier, a deep channel, flats and mangroves in one place. There is such a variety of fish to choose from. I have even caught grouper at the bridge by the boat ramp. Last stay we caught over 15 4' black tip sharks from our campsite. We stay at the campground and park the boat at the campsite. Great kayaking also.

[WCFLA]

fsrmn,

You are right about that! It's funny because I told someone else that same exact thing the other day! I love that place so much that I made a map of the area. It's so cool that someone is familiar with my favorite area!

[Alto Mare]

Nice Danny, I really enjoyed your pictures...Thanks for sharing.
Sal

[floating doc]

Grew up there, know it well.

I almost landed an enormous sting ray fishing from the bay side pier. I don't know how big it was, but it dwarfed the 155 pound halibut I caught when in Alaska. I got cut off on a piling, which was probably lucky, since my buddy was laying on his chest trying to reach it with my eight foot pole gaff!  If he would have been successful in getting the hook into that ray I think he would have ended up in the water with it. Not a good place to be!

We used to catch a lot of spanish mackerel off that pier. It's an interesting presentation: a size 0 or 1 clark spoon on an eight foot 20 pound leader, with a sliding 1/2 to one ounce egg sinker on the 12 pound main line. Cast as far as you can, reel back as fast as you can.

I've walked out on that pier before sunrise when the glass minnows around it were so thick it looked like you could walk on them...sigh....

Miss it. Thanks for sharing!

[fsrmn]

  I'm going to try that "spoon on a sinker" rig when I go next week Doc. It sounds like a winner. I will let you know how it works.

[WCFLA]

Floating Doc,

I have done and witnessed exactly what you just posted, with the exception of the giant ray. I have an older post around here somewhere with a nice Spanish Mack that I caught on the Gulf Pier. I will be back there early September to visit relatives and FISH.

Regards,
Danny

[floating doc]

  I'm going to try that "spoon on a sinker" rig when I go next week Doc. It sounds like a winner. I will let you know how it works.

Yeah, it's a cheap rig, too. No wire needed; I've never been cut off at the spoon. Just make sure that you use a black swivel between your main line and the leader. I always used a bead on the main line between the sinker and the swivel. I don't know why I never got hit on that bead, but it never happened.

I don't know if the culture of that pier is the same; I've been gone from the area since 1992. Back then, there would usually be some retirement-age men that would out fish everyone else two or three to one while throwing those spoons. Since it's a simple crank and reel presentation, that was pretty frustrating for the rest of us!

I did better when I started using light leader (maybe as low as 12 pound, but really, twenty should be fine), but I also started to lose some fish when the leader got frayed up. It also helped to make sure you didn't fish too short of a leader. If it got to less than five feet, I would re-tie. I don't remember if I was using Fluorocarbon leader back then, but I bet it would help.

Another good thing to use on that pier is to fish for bait on number 14 or 16 gold hooks, tied on droppers like a Sabiki with a weight at the bottom and slowly/gently jigged straight up and down next to pier. No bait on the hooks, just bare gold hooks. I would usually tie one bait fly (sabiki type) at the bottom, which was good for picking up the small jacks (that's what I caught the sting ray on).

Occasionally a mackerel would hit one of the gold hooks. Surprisingly, we would often land them; they would typically be hooked right in the middle of the lower jaw.

Toothy critter on a #16 hook with 6 lb test and no leader!

Some big snook and trout hang around that pier. The trout love a live shrimp under a popping cork. The trick with the snook is keeping them out of the pilings!

Have fun!

[Dominick]

Danny:  Great report and photos.  It's funny how no matter where you fish someone on the site will have been there.  Another reason I love this site.  Dominick