Shore Fishing
February 11, 2022 at 1:54 p.m.
Shore Fishing
By Kimball & Les [email protected]
Anglers relate to structure because so many gamefish hang around it. Structure can be anything from a rock pile on an otherwise barren sandy bottom out in the gulf to a PVC pipe that marks a channel or hazard for boaters. Kayak anglers and shore fishermen utilize structure including the pilings of a pier, mangrove roots, oyster bars, and locations like bridges and seawalls.
This confluence of gamefish and anglers around structure is not a coincidence. Baitfish, crabs, shrimp, and other goodies hide in structures to stay alive. The most obvious hiding place around our estuaries is among the roots of the red mangrove. That’s why kayakers, flats skiffs, and wading anglers work their way along mangrove shorelines. The abundance of bait draws snook and redfish on a high tide that allows them into this nursery to feed. As with most structure fishing, the challenge for the angler is getting a hooked fish away from the structure. Most structures around saltwater will have barnacles or other sharp shelled attachments that can cut braid or mono with ease. Keeping a snook out of these roots will test an angler’s tackle as well as their determination.
Wading anglers and kayakers can approach crab traps, old docks, and seawalls that attract bait and gamefish, too. A word of caution though about crab traps, and the floats that mark them. The trap and the float are usually several yards apart, depending on the water depth and current. Do not cast between them or over the rope that connects them. It’s really hard to free a barbed hook from a rope but you should never, under any circumstances, raise or move a trap; that’s a big no-no. The alternative is to cut off the lure or hook and leave it in the rope where it could inflict a severe injury to the crabber when he checks his traps. They hate this. You would, too.
Bridges are popular places for shore anglers that take advantage of the structure involved and the tidal flows produced by the narrow channel under bridges. The deep channel next to the shallow water near the abutment helps,o too. On a rainy day, or a sizzling summer afternoon, under a bridge may be the most comfortable spot to fish. Bridges can be especially productive at night when the fender lights draw baitfish and shrimp to waiting snook, snapper, redfish, ladyfish, and others. Sheepshead hang out at the base of bridge pylons where lines can be easily cut on the attached barnacles. As mentioned above, the issue with fishing structure is getting the fish out of it. Snook, in particular, will utilize any nearby structure to free themselves. A little heavier tackle and an aggressive attitude will be needed to land most bridge fish.
How about that lone PVC pipe stuck on the edge of a flat? The most common reason it’s there is to mark a deeper area or channel for navigation. We think of it as structure, not for just the pipe itself, but more importantly it marks a change in depth and that’s a type of structure. As low tide approaches, predators and baitfish move off the shallow flats that can, in the winter, be dry at low tide. The bigger fish leave first and stage in nearby deep spots. As the water continues to fall, the smaller baitfish head to these same spots and concentrate there which makes for easy pickings for waiting predators. That’s a good spot to be in as an angler. Whether you’re a shore fisherman, a kayak angler, or just wading the flats, structure is productive. Use it.
Kimball and Les Beery, authors of Angler’s Guide to Shore and KAYAK Fishing Southwest Florida, contribute these excerpts from both Waterproof books to promote the excellent fishing available in the Englewood area. They are available locally at Old Florida Gallery on West Dearborn, and for download at www.anglerpocketguides.com and www.amazon.com.