redington long pier

noelg11892

has any one heard good reports from the pier? Im staying next door all next week and was hoping to hook up into tarpon or really anything else. Also would regular tarpon spinning set ups work? Or would i need a conventional with a ton of line because i have a old senator i could put 400 yards of 30 mono on and zipline it out, if i can i wanna avoid that but if i need to ill do it.

Reel Gator 2

I watched that pier being built in the mid 1960s from another pier nearby, pier kahiki..which was a great fishing venue for youngsters until it was destroyed by storm in 1977.

Redington was bought by Ernie Torok a few years after being built and was an awesome place because of really great coral and structure back then. I caught many snook, kings and tarpon off of it. Unfortunately...after Ernie passed away in the 1990s the pier was eventually sold to Muslim family who thought it was a convenience store and operated as though it was. Awful ownership is putting it mildly...they chased away all the regulars who used to fish there with extremely HIGH prices. I would not fish there and you will find the end of the pier isn't a place for newbies to squeeze in....you would need to know how to outrig there with two poles first of all and how to do tiedowns..etc and how to use clothespin rigs.

Go to Skyway piers at night and the spinning gear with 30lb is ok...cause you aren't going to fight a tarpon long before they spit the hook and stick their tongue out at you. I would freeline pinfish, threadfins or best- pass crabs that you could catch if you invested in a hoop net and dip the crabs up as they go through the pier lights, good luck

johnD

I grew up fishing that pier , now you couldn't pay me to go on it...yeah , it's that bad.

Like Reel Gator said , go to the skyway if you wanna pier fish. If you are out there to jump tarpon , use a hook light enough you can pull it when you're done playing.

GratefulEd

Was on a recon trip recently under the Skyway, right where it begins and ends. I'm no structural engineer or nothing but seeing the amount of rusted rebar and spalling concrete under there, I can say without doubt that those piers days are numbered. Use em while you can.

Reel Gator 2

There is already a ton of artificial reef material running east-west within long casts off the pier and if wrecking ball comes to the piers the structure material will be insane. Way too hot in day time this time of year...night time has a lot of tarpon cruising around without scorching your body..

Mackeral Snatcher

Reel Gator 2 wrote: »

I watched that pier being built in the mid 1960s from another pier nearby, pier kahiki..which was a great fishing venue for youngsters until it was destroyed by storm in 1977.

Redington was bought by Ernie Torok a few years after being built and was an awesome place because of really great coral and structure back then. I caught many snook, kings and tarpon off of it. Unfortunately...after Ernie passed away in the 1990s the pier was eventually sold to Muslim family who thought it was a convenience store and operated as though it was. Awful ownership is putting it mildly...they chased away all the regulars who used to fish there with extremely HIGH prices. I would not fish there and you will find the end of the pier isn't a place for newbies to squeeze in....you would need to know how to outrig there with two poles first of all and how to do tiedowns..etc and how to use clothespin rigs.

Go to Skyway piers at night and the spinning gear with 30lb is ok...cause you aren't going to fight a tarpon long before they spit the hook and stick their tongue out at you. I would freeline pinfish, threadfins or best- pass crabs that you could catch if you invested in a hoop net and dip the crabs up as they go through the pier lights, good luck

Absolutely 100% spot on.