Chapter 11 - Piper, Bridge And Jetty Fishing

With the popularity of salt-water fishing increasing, one big problem is how to accommodate the growing army of anglers. With more and more hotels, apartments, bathing beaches and private homes being built along our shores, fishing space is at a premium. One way this problem is being solved is by building fishing piers into bays, sounds and the ocean. This is being done on a grand scale in some states, such as North Carolina and Florida.

But in other states—mostly in the New England and Middle Atlantic area—fishing piers are scarce. New York State, for example, has only one pier along its long ocean front on Long Island—that one at Coney Island. But along the rest of the 100 or so miles to Montauk Point there isn't a single pier running out into the ocean.

There are so many advantages in pier fishing that it is a wonder that more aren't built to accommodate salt-water anglers. Pier fishing provides fun for everyone. It is also a poor man's sport and a family pastime, for you can fish daily at small cost: most fishing piers are free, while others charge a small fee ranging from twenty-five cents to a dollar or so. You can fish at your own convenience, for you can arrive and leave whenever you please. No time is wasted running out to the fishing grounds and back in a boat. You don't have to worry about rough water, strong winds or seasickness. Many piers are open twenty-four hours a day.

Piers are usually made from wood, but some are constructed from steel or concrete. Some are low and close to the water while others are high. Most of them run only a few hundred feet in length but some run 1,000 feet or more. Some piers have benches, rest rooms, restaurants and faucets with running water for cleaning fish. Still others have tackle stores where you can buy bait or tackle or rent a rod and reel. It all adds up to safe, comfortable fishing, appealing to all ages and both sexes.

Of course, not all piers offer equally good fishing. The best ones are built over grounds which attract fish from time to time. The location of a pier is very important, so if you have a choice choose the pier which has produced fish in past years. Pier fishing is generally best when fish are schooled up and feeding or migrating. This usually occurs during the spring and fall months. But some areas also provide good fishing during the summer and even during the winter months.

Almost any kind of fishing tackle can be used for pier fishing, but boat rods and heavier spinning rods are preferred. Surf outfits are also good if you have to cast any distance. Light spinning rods are used by those casting with lures for the smaller species, but no matter which outfit you use, it should be strong enough to handle sinkers up to 6 or 8 oz. for bottom fishing. It should be able to handle the fish being sought, and it should be strong enough to haul in smaller species without breaking the line.

Pier fishermen use many of the same rigs for bottom fishing as those described in Chapter 4. Another popular rig is a float or bobber attached anywhere from 4 to 10 feet above the hook. A clincher sinker is attached to the leader between the float and the hook, which is baited with a live bait fish, sea worm, crab, shrimp, piece of squid or other salt-water bait and is drifted out with the current. The advantage of this rig is that the tide can carry it out some distance and you cover more territory.

Pier fishing is popular with everybody, especially youngsters, who often catch more fish than the older anglers. Almost every large coastal city in Florida has one or more fishing piers.

Many fish, such as striped bass, porgies, blackfish or tautog, croakers, sheep’s head , snappers, grunt and groupers will be found right under the pier among the piles. They come to feed on the mussels, barnacles, seaweed, crabs and other marine life found there. But even game fish may swim by and stop to feed on the smaller fish which take refuge under a pier.
Certain species, such as striped bass, channel bass, blue-fish, weakfish and sea trout, will often be found in the shallow water near shore or in the surf. Other species prefer the deeper water near the end of the pier.

If the fish aren't biting directly under the pier try casting away from the structure into deeper water at the point. Or do the same thing along the sides. If you know of a deep hole, a rocky bottom, or a mussel or oyster bar near the pier try to reach that with your bait or lure.

Pier fishing is often good at night and then it's a good idea to fish near a light. You not only see what you are doing but the light attracts smaller bait fish and they in turn attract the larger game fish. Some anglers bring their own lights and suspend them under the pier. Another good approach to bridge fishing is to chum from the pier by tossing out crushed clams, mussels, crabs or pieces of fish, squid and shrimp. You can also fill a chum pot or mesh bag with such stuff and lower it on a string to the bottom under the pier.

One problem in pier fishing is landing a fish from the greater height. With small fish it's not much of a job—you just reel them in or haul them in hand over hand if the line is strong enough. With bigger fish you may need a long-handled gaff. This can be used from piers which are close to the water. From higher piers you can sometimes walk a fish up to shore and than gaff or beach it. Another device for landing fish is a grappling hook with several prongs on it.

This is lowered on a strong line and is used to snag a fish in the mouth or gills. Some piers also have large scoop nets with a wide wire hoop which can be lowered under a big fish.

But despite the difficulties, many large fish, such as tarpon, cobia, channel bass, striped bass, grouper and sharks, are landed from piers from time to time.

Somewhat similar to pier fishing is bridge fishing. There are many bridges running over salt-water bays, rivers and inlets which can be fished. Others are dangerous because of heavy auto traffic and lack of space for anglers to stand. Florida, no doubt, has more bridges where fishing is done than any other state. But almost every coastal state has a few bridges which can be fished.

Bridges, of course, cross from one point of land to another and in so doing cover all the different depths of the body of water they cross. Bridges vary in length and construction and height above the water. Some are low and close to the water while others are high. Those that are high above the water are best suited to fishing with bait, while the lower ones can often be worked with artificial lures.

Fishing under a bridge will naturally vary with the location and the type of water which flows under it. Like piers, bridges also attract fish because of the growth of mussels and barnacles on their supports. But bridges also help create strong currents and tidal rips since they often interfere with the flow of the water. As a result many game fish lurk alongside or behind the bridge supports waiting for smaller fish to swim by or get trapped in the swirling currents.

When fishing a strange bridge it's a good idea to walk along the rails on both sides and study the currents and depths. Try to spot fish breaking or feeding below. Look for concentrations of small bait fish. The stage of the tide often plays an important part when you are fishing from a bridge. The fishing may be good on one side during the incoming tide and on the opposite side on the outgoing tide. The change of the tide is often a trigger which starts fish feeding. Try to be on the bridge just before this happens.

Bridge fishermen can use the same tackle as that used from piers: boat rods, spinning rods and surf rods. The length and weight of the rod, the strength of the line and the size of the reel will depend on the fish you are going after. If you are seeking striped bass, snook, or tarpon you can use medium tackle. But if you go after sharks or jewfish you need heavy stuff.

The same goes for the rigs, hooks, sinkers and baits used. Again, these will depend on the fish you are seeking at the time. For bottom fishing the high-leader rig described in Chapter 4 is often good for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish, channel bass and other species. With a second smaller hook attached lower you can also catch blackfish or tautog, porgies, sea bass, flounders, croakers and eels.

One good way to fish from a bridge is to bounce the sinker along the bottom, letting the rig drift farther and farther away from the bridge. In order to do this you need a sinker just heavy enough to hit bottom and stay there for awhile but light enough to move when the rod tip is lifted.

You can also cast out to a spot where you think the fish may be present. Here, too, mussel beds, rocky patches, oyster beds and deep holes and channels are usually most productive.

Or you can try using a float or bobber above a hook without a sinker and let it drift out away from the bridge in the tide. This method can be used for fish such as striped bass, weakfish, sea trout, snook, tarpon and sharks. For the latter three fish a live bait fish often works best.

Many anglers also use artificial lures such as jigs, spoons, metal squids and plugs from a bridge. You can cast these and reel them in by keeping the rod tip down. Jigs can be lowered under the bridge to the bottom and worked up and down alongside the piles.

A popular method on some bridges, such as those found at the Florida Keys is to "walk" lures like the jig or plug alongside the bridge. Here you should let out enough line to get the lure down to the proper depth, then start walking slowly to "make the lure work.

When you hook a fish from a bridge you have to be careful in fighting it because many fish, such as snook and striped bass, will try to foul your line around the bridge supports. They must be kept from doing this since the rough concrete or mussels will quickly cut your line.

You will have the same problems in landing fish from a bridge as from a pier. Most bridges are too high above the water to allow the use of a gaff, so you have to resort to grapple hooks and hoop nets which can be lowered under the fish. Or you can try to tow a big fish toward one end of the bridge and then beach him. Small fish, of course, can be hauled in quickly by simply reeling them in.

Finally there are various jetties and breakwaters which can be fished by salt-water anglers. Thousands of jetties and breakwaters have been built along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to protect inlets and beaches from erosion. Most of the jetties are short, running out a few hundred feet or so. But some of the larger breakwaters may extend a mile or two into the ocean. These are usually flat and can be navigated easily. Some of the breakwaters along the Gulf Coast are concrete-capped and offer fairly safe and comfortable fishing platforms.

Jetties and breakwaters offer fishing platforms which, while not always safe and comfortable, are often very productive.

Jetties are usually made of big granite boulders, which soon attract mussels and barnacles, crabs, shrimp, small fish and other marine life. These in turn attract the larger game fish which lurk around the rocks and wait for an easy meal.
 
The tidal rips and breaking waves tend to wash this food out from among the rocks and offer easy pickings.

The list of fish caught from jetties and breakwaters in northern waters includes striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, fluke or summer flounder, winter flounder, blackfish or tau-tog, mackerel, kingfish or northern whiting and porgies.

In southern waters you can catch tarpon, snook, bluefish, channel bass or redfish, sea trout, Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, pompano, barracuda, ladyfish, snappers, croakers, grunts, sheep’s head  grouper, jewfish, sharks and many others.

Many of these fish will be found right near the rocks of the jetty or breakwater and long casts are not needed too often when jetty fishing. However, there are times when fish will feed in deeper water offshore and then a long cast from the end of a jetty may reach them.

When studying a jetty or breakwater for good fishing spots watch the action of the waves. Striped bass will usually be found near the end or along the sides of the jetty where the water turns white. Look for sand bars or deep holes near the jetty which can be reached with a cast. The rips and swirling currents near the end of a jetty are always worth a try since small bait fish get trapped in such waters.

Breakwaters or jetties which are situated in front of inlets are very good spots to fish, especially on the outgoing tide. Here the fast water creates a rip and small fish are often helpless in the turmoil so that large game fish find them easy to catch.

The best tackle to use from a jetty is usually a surf spinning or conventional surf rod. With these you can cast way out and reel in the lure or rig over the edge of the rocks without getting fouled up. With a shorter rod you will have more trouble clearing the rocks.

Jetties can be fished with bait or artificial lures. Usually daybreak and dusk are the best times to use jigs, spoons, metal squids and plugs. At night you can use rigged eels for striped bass. Plugs are also good for striped bass, weakfish, tarpon and snook at night from jetties.

When bait fishing with a sinker and bottom rig it's best to walk out on the jetty or breakwater and cast out into the deeper water past the breakers.

Fighting a big game fish from a jetty can be dangerous if you don't watch your step. The rocks can be mossy and slippery, especially when their surfaces are at an angle. One wrong step and you can go sliding into the water or hit your head on another rock. A long-handled gaff is a big help in landing a fish near the rocks. Two men are better than one for gaffing fish on a jetty. Ice creepers or other attachments on your feet which help hold on mossy rocks are also a must on slippery jetties.

It's true that jetty or breakwater fishing can be dangerous when the water is rough and the rocks are slippery. But it offers a challenge which many salt-water anglers can't resist. There's never a dull moment and if you land several small fish or a big one from such rockpiles you can be proud of your achievement.

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