Pier Fishing using artificials

Eddyc01 · March 2013

I was fishing the public piers at Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Sanibel. One thing I notice was everyone was using real bait; shrimp, squid, crabs and fish.
Does anyone use artificials and if so, which ones are productive?

DragScreamer · March 2013

i use sabikis gotcha plugs and squid spoons ...also some pompano jigs

Germ · March 2013

it can be hard to work a lure correctly at a pier just because of being so high off the water. And most ppl that goto the pier go just to do something

Master Blaster · March 2013

I've used gotchas, bubble rigs, and rattle traps/Cordell spots.

Calusa · March 2013

Eddyc01 wrote: »

I was fishing the public piers at Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Sanibel. One thing I notice was everyone was using real bait; shrimp, squid, crabs and fish.
Does anyone use artificials and if so, which ones are productive?

Do yourself a favor and buy a couple of packs of 1/2 oz DOA shrimp, near-clear. Toss 'em near the rocks at the beginning of the pier or around pilings. If the snook are there, and I am sure they are, you'll catch 'em non-stop.

DragScreamer · March 2013

Calusa wrote: »

Do yourself a favor and buy a couple of packs of 1/2 oz DOA shrimp, near-clear. Toss 'em near the rocks at the beginning of the pier or around pilings. If the snook are there, and I am sure they are, you'll catch 'em non-stop.

sweet deal. I think I'll try that next time!

congoman775 · March 2013

Calusa wrote: »

Do yourself a favor and buy a couple of packs of 1/2 oz DOA shrimp, near-clear. Toss 'em near the rocks at the beginning of the pier or around pilings. If the snook are there, and I am sure they are, you'll catch 'em non-stop.

I can confirm, this isn't always true.

Edit: to contribute, grab some tube jigs or gotchas. You can sweeten the tube jigs with live shrimp if they're selling them on the pier.

MH79 · March 2013

Sabiki's are always effective when bait is swimming around the peir. I've seen huge cobia caught off of the peir in Juno beach off of bucktail jigs tipped with squid. The artificial of choice at Juno believe it or not are crappy jigs. I'm not a peir fisherman... I'll go up there a couple times a year if the seas are too rough to take the boat out and the locals on the peir swear by those crappy jigs for spanish macks, bluefish, snook, permit, runners, ect.

DragScreamer · April 2013

yeah small bucktail have produced some serious fish!

Pescatoral Pursuit · April 2013

Just to clarify, and I may be wrong: You mean Crappie jigs, not crappy jigs, right? Not saying that under the right circumstances that crappy jigs wont catch fish. But Crappie jigs do seem to have a sort of universal appeal to predator size baitfish, fresh or saltwater.

The Cat's Eye · April 2013

I caught a 19 inch Pompano and half of these mackerel on crappie jigs a few days ago.

Eddyc01 · April 2013

Pescatoral Pursuit wrote: »

Just to clarify, and I may be wrong: You mean Crappie jigs, not crappy jigs, right? Not saying that under the right circumstances that crappy jigs wont catch fish. But Crappie jigs do seem to have a sort of universal appeal to predator size baitfish, fresh or saltwater.

Aren't Crappie jigs a bit small for what's out there?
The Crappie jigs I've used are usually about 1-1.5" long and 1/16-1/8 oz in weight.

Germ · April 2013

ive seen guys use them like a sabiki rig. They rig up 4-5 in a row and tear up mackerel. End the line with a pyramid sinker to help it get down faster then just bounce it along, even works for pomps

Calusa · April 2013

I guy I work with just slayed the hell out of Spanish this past weekend at Ft DeSoto using white crappie jigs. A Spanish Mackerel will hit just about anything that moves nearby.

johnD · April 2013

gotcha plug in gold and chartreuse will catch a variety of fish off piers.

Reelinrudy · April 2013

It's already been said, but gotcha's are a must-have for any pier fishing. Anything with a lead head or plenty of weight. Lures with a lip (x-raps come to mind) can be worked effectively from a pier as well.

MH79 · April 2013

Pescatoral Pursuit wrote: »

Just to clarify, and I may be wrong: You mean Crappie jigs, not crappy jigs, right? Not saying that under the right circumstances that crappy jigs wont catch fish. But Crappie jigs do seem to have a sort of universal appeal to predator size baitfish, fresh or saltwater.

Lol! Yes I stand corrected...meant to say crappie jigs. Very effective from what I understand, although I initially thought the hooks on those jigs would be a bit flimsy for saltwater duty.

DragScreamer · April 2013

guys, how do you work those light weight jigs in the water? I tried it and i could not feel a thing, and with the current it always rid to the upper water column

ZimmerNole · April 2013

DragScreamer wrote: »

guys, how do you work those light weight jigs in the water? I tried it and i could not feel a thing, and with the current it always rid to the upper water column

A friend of mine will rig 3 of them using dropper loops (think chicken rigs for bottom fishing snapper/grunt ) then he ties on a snap swivel to a pyramid sinker...as someone posted before.

It's almost like a sabiki, he casts it far out thanks to the weight of the sinker and then slowly reels it in while "popping" or jigging the rod. Essentially he has 3 white crappie jigs bobbing up and down in the water column which mimics a school of tiny baitfish. Be sure you have a decent combo for this, as when the macs are thick he has had triple hookups which lead to some shenanigans, line twists, jig loss etc. I believe he uses 30lb mono for the rig to protect from teeth and anything else that may decide to eat your crappie jigs. Bluefish are quite fond of them.

It's already been said, but gotcha's are a must-have for any pier fishing. Anything with a lead head or plenty of weight. Lures with a lip (x-raps come to mind) can be worked effectively from a pier as well.

This x2 I also like the white body/chart tail and Silver body/white+red tail gotchas.

A good 'ole fashioned crocodile spoon is very effective on the pier, get a nice big 'ole heavy one. Stand on the T and wing that thing as far as your rod will take it, macs, blues, jacks, triggers, ...even a snook will hit a well placed spoon.

Pier Fishing using artificials

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