New To Fishing, line to use? | Skyway Piers (2024)

I am New to fishing. my grandpa took me and my cousins freshwater fishing sometimes as a kid with cane poles but that's really my only experience. and I don't remember it very well. nobody in my Family fishes. I live in Lakeland (as the name implies, plenty of lakes for freshwater fishing), but everyone I have gone fishing with seems to want to driver an hour and a half to the skyway to fish saltwater. so thats were I go. and truth be told I like going. but as many times as I have been with other people that also don't know how to fish over the last year. I have literally never brought a fish home. on a good day, I catch some pin fish for bait but that's about it.

I have purchased most of the main gear I need over the last year. mainly cheap Yard sale rod and reels. I have a a bait bucket (the kind you toss in the water with a rope, red and white bucket), a Cooler I turned into an aerator to keep bait in I catch (the red and white bucket is all I have bothered to take lately, originally I used both, one for the live shrimp I was buy and the other for what I catch). and a tackle box with various items I have purchased.

most recently is a a Couple Skeet Reese rod and reels (Victory Spinning reels, 3500 and 2500 sizes) I purchased new on sale at 50% off or buy one get one or something. I had them a while and finally used them yesterday. I took them to a tackle shop, told them what I wanted to use them for (Saltwater with the option of freshwater) and they suggested 15lb braided line for both with mono backing. so that's what I got and they loaded them on the reels for me.

as every other trip, i came home hours later with nothing more then empty pockets.

I have been looking on this site, lots of stuff I want to try after reading to see if it helps. but one thing I notest is a lot of guys using 20lb braided line, or higher. starting to wonder if the guy was right in suggesting 15lb on both. (the rod and reels are different sizes from each other). I would hate to go spend money on new line when I JUST got this. but don't want to be setup for failure if I actually get something on the line.

any advise? with the 15 work fine for most things I may catch at the skyway? or do I just need to drop the money on more line for the bigger reel and consider it a learning experience?

any other advise is also welcome, as I am literally catching NOTHING and its starting to be no fun. I have even tried mimicking people at the pier ( time before last there was a guy next to us literally pulling them one 1 after the other, I watched and observed. I'm a shy person but I worked up the ability to talk to him and he gave me a spare lure he had of what he was using, I tried to copy what he was doing with it and everything. nothing, he left not long after and I moved to his spot as he cought fish right up to the point he packed up... still, nothing).

I have read around and will get some sabikis rigs to help with catching bait fish. ( was using live shrimp but last few trips I just got frozen shrimp or squid) but still a bit lost past that. also, I fish at night, as I am usually at work or something during the morning. even on days off, there's always something that needs doing.

Welcome to the boards, Gibson.

Don't be shy around this group. Ask away. I know your frustration, been there. Most of the time I'm still there...

Read Mackerelman's sticky notes on Spanish and Cero mackerel. I'm not familiar with your poles, how many feet? Definitely use a gotcha plug, clark or squidspoon with a 2 or 3 oz weight. I'd rather have 15 or 20lb monofilament as a mainline but definitely start off with what you have.

Read MMs posts, wealth of info if you want to catch macks. I drive 2 hours one way and it's lousy to come home empty.

Like I said, don't be shy. Come out and fish with us. This group doesn't talk down to you. Most of us would rather you start bringing them in successfully too.
BTW, don't worry about cheap equipment when you start out. After you start catching a few, you'll step it up. I'm still using my 9ft Shakespeare Big Waters I bought for 49.99 with the reel included! They're falling apart but after learning to catch the mackerels, I got my $ worth out if it.

D

TO ALL USERS & NEWBIES HERE ON THE SITE !

Never be shy about askingANY Questions pertaining to Fishing here on this. If I do not know the Answer, I am sure that someone will step up to the Plate & Give You the Correct Answer.

FISH ON & FILL YOUR BUCKETS & COOLERS !

Hi There,

First post and a novice at the Skyway pier.

I fish the piers and Beaches further south in around Lee County. For main lines fishing from the higher piers I would go with a braid 20 to 30lb on Spinners up to 4000 size (I use spinners from 2000 size to 8000) depending on the target fish and I have a couple of medium size Conventional's for Bigger fish. On my larger spinner reels I've 40lb and conventionals I use 50lb and 100lb braid.

I find that the abrasive resistance of braid is perfect for fishing around structures. The down side is there is almost no stretch, for hard biting fish using a Mono leader will help (or spooling with Mono, it's a lot cheaper), the down side of mono is you don't get as much line on the spool compared to Braid.

I'll typically use a Fluorocarbon leader around 15lb to 50lb. If it's Sheepshead or Snapper I'll go to 15lb or 20lb leader. Fluorocarbon almost disappears in water, it's denser than Mono and also has beater abrasion resistance, down side is it bites the wallet harder than the fish would.

My favorite hooks are the Mustard demon circle hooks size 1 to 2/0, I'll go smaller for sheepshead and Snapper if the bite is light. The great thing about the circle hooks are you don't need to strike, the fish pretty much hook themselves.

As far as Rods and reels go, build up, I've got an arsenal of different rods and reels for different fish, I prefer longer (7ft plus) rods, Medium heavy, fast action. Look at garage sales and craigslists, you don't have to spend a fortune, but if you become as hooked as I have you will spend a ton of cash regardless.

A decent cast net is worth it's weight in gold, I've only fished the Skyway pier a couple of times but the amount of bait fish I witnessed there is mind blowing.

A Drop net is also a good investment, I got one from amazon, Frabill Bridge/Pier Net, 36-Inch. Nothing worse than hooking a fish you can't land on the pier.

I've been keeping an eye on the Mackerelmans fishing reports and I can't thank him and other here enough for doing the reports. I'll be at the south pier this Sunday, hunting the Pompano and Mackerel and if I'm lucky a nice big Snook.

The last two trips I made to the South Skyway Pier the Dolphins jacked our bait? It made for a frustrating night, the second of our trips I actually hooked a Dolphin on a shark rig, it almost spooled me, but managed to snagged it's self free, it's wearing a 14/0 hook as jewellery.

I'll be there this Sunday (13th March),I'll be in a Grey Toyota Mini van if anyone's interested in saying hello.

Thanks for the Welcome MM,

I'm looking forward to this weekend, I live on Pine Island and the shore fishing has been terrible for the past couple of months due to the Lake O freshwater release. My fishing capt buddies have said this has been the slowest Feb/March since the freeze a few years ago.

I can't wait for the Kings to come to the Skyway, you'll have to share your techniques on how to hook them.

Hi, Gibson! Welcome the the Asylum. We have the nicest inmates!

First off, I'd say you'll be fine with 15lb braid; often the actual breaking strength is significantly higher than the rating on the label. Also, the thinness of braid will aid in distance casting, if you should need that.

One thing about braid, after every cast, when you flip the bail back over give the line a tug above the reel to assure you have no loops on the spool; the loops will generally cause a wind-knot on the next cast, and they can be very frustrating to remove. I was having a lot of trouble with wind knots before hearing that tip.

If you are having any trouble tying on a mono or fluro leader, you might want to watch the youtube vid about the RP knot; there's also a number of variants but that's a very clear video how-to. The Crazy Alberto knot is another good one...

RP Knot:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRah3aNKpYw

Crazy Alberto knot:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J56O3CZVu7M
www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/alberto-knot/

Of course, if you're using a swivel, just disregard the above.

Which species are you targeting? Perhaps your techniques could be tweaked a bit... or your cologne is the wrong type!

Thanks a ton guys! I have looks at some of the links but will look more at them when I get home. I don't have a computer that works very well at home so I post at work (and read some when slow), then read the rest at home. lol.

so far I have not had issues with wind knots with the braid but last Saturday was my first time using braid (all my other reels have just mono) and I may have got lucky, I will probably go ahead and take the advise before I learn the hard way. I have a good amount of gear for someone that doesn't catch anything. other then my first rod and reel (cheap Shakespeare and ugly stik combo at Wal-Mart for $40) and my two Wright and McGill Skeet Reese Combo's, all of my rigs are from yard sales and pawn shops. I have them in various sizes including two large Penn's (an old 65 long beach and a 209 Level wind) on some pretty hefty rods I may one day learn to use.

I actually have a gotcha plug I picked up a while back but didn't know if it was alright in the salt water. as its made of some kind of metal. but just yesterday I read someone's instructions on this site on using it at the pier

next on my list is to try the sabikis, I do plan to get a net eventually, but I have no idea how to cast it or figure out where to cast it. figure I need to stick with learning to catch something before moving onwards. lol.

as for what fish I am targeting... anyfish... ha! ok, bad joke. I take my bait and try to catch pinfish or something. then I use that to see what bites... not an effective method so far. I have triedhooking them in their lower backside so they swim down, I have tried using them for cut bait, and a couple other ways too.... guess that's why I'm here. :-)

again, thanks so far guys! mackerelmans posts and threads have been helpful so far, and can't wait for my next trip out (might go night fishing this weekend with the wife per her request).

Hi Gibson,

Pin fish are some of the best bait live bait, I've caught keeper+ Snook and Reds on them, I've not tried it but I read that trimming the dorsal fins makes them more attractive to hit. Sabikis are are great, I'm investing in a sabiki rod this week as the sabiki rigs are a pain to deal with and as the sabiki rods are hollow you just wind the sabiki rig into the rod. I'll let you know how I get on with the Sabiki rod.

I try different depths when presenting bait, water temp, air temp tides and salinity can affect where the fish are, I don't spend more than a 20 mins when trying before changing the depth again depending on what I'm trying to catch. I also figure that once you catch the bait fish, the bigger fish can't be too far.

Live shrimp, grunts, ladyfish, greenbacks/whitebait, pin fish, lizard fish, sugar trout and mullet are the bait's I love to use. Live Shrimp will get hit by pretty much most fish, I've caught Tarpon on a 2 inch shrimp, it blew my mind!

SnookNinja,

I was looking at the Sabiki rod online yesterday. definitely want to hear your results. were are you getting the sabiki's from? I notest a lot of brands ranging from $1.50 to $8 a pack. I was at Walmart for something else yesterday and decided to take a look just to see what they had. all they had was the mustad brand and they didn't look anything like what I see people using. they looked pretty cheap with hardly any thing but string and hook. they may still work but I didn't get any until I could ask around. I would rather spend a few bucks on something that works then a couple bucks on something that doesnt.

I have seen online a few guys using gatorade bottles or water bottles to store them in after use. they cut a notch in the lid and put the weighted end in the bottle first. they leave the other end out the bottle.

Gibson:

I've used the Matzuo and Hayabusa sabikis, I picked up a few on sale from bass pro but I can't remember what brand they were. Amazon sell bulk packs pretty cheap. I'll give them a try.

I like your tip on the gatorade bottles, hopefully getting a sabiki rod will nullify the need for that.

Sabiki's are the easiest thing in the world to use; usually just drop down, or swing under the bridge a bit, let it hit bottom and then jig slowly... reel up bait. (Ok, not always, but usually.)

I've been getting my Sabikis at BassPro whenever they have a sale, which is regularly. I've got plenty now for the duration. It costs me about 1 sabiki rig per trip, on average, as they do tangle when you try to take them off to store after the trip and I pretty much just replace them. The Gatoraid bottle idea is definitely worth a try! I do see a sabiki rod in my future, too; next year maybe.

I also make bait rigs myself, for larger pinfish and grunts. It's a double or triple drop loop rig with #6 or #8 hooks, a loop at the bottom for the weight, and loop at the top to clip to the main line. A bit of shrimp or even better, squid on each hook, drop down and get some!

Good choice on the old Penn equipment; there's a reason it's classic. Still have parts available, if it has been used but not abused it can be 50 years old and still be perfectly functional.

I will try bass pro next time i am there and see what brand(s) they sell. and will look for those other to brands as well. I cant afford to use a new one every trip. lol. it already costs too dang much, 145 miles round trip (Fuel) plus the cost to get on the pier and everything else... Im gonna pinch my pennies were I can. if I like the Sabiki's I will be happy to get the sabiki rod if it helps.

so far those Penn's work great. I dont know there age entirely but I know at least of of them is pretty old. there both made in the USA which, I have been told, they dont make them here anymore (china I think).

Bass Pro usually has them for about $1.50 regular price, and about a buck or so on sale.

I totally understand about saving money.

Good luck on your next trip!

Thanks tristan!

Do you know the specific brand/type thats working for you? or maybe have a pic of it laying around? on there sight they have tons of different kinds. if there only $1.50 a piece I will grab a couple next visit.

do they go on sale often?