Bridge and Pier Tackle

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Written by Capt Fred Everson | 31 March 2009

Capt Fred Everson
Author and guide Captain Fred Everson

Be prepared to Catch and Release a Monster!

Capt Fred Everson guides, builds rods and instructs anglers on all phases of snook and inshore fishing. His next class is on April 25 and is open for booking. Contact Fred at TampaBayFishingGuide.com. Here's an excerpt from Capt Fred's excellent and easy to understand book, 'Catch Snook'. This excerpt describes how to prepare for one of the most challenging of snook hunts- bridge fishing.

There are several ways to approach bridge and pier fishing, but the snook you find around this type of structure are routinely monsters, which are predictably most active at night. And monster fish call for monster tackle.

Spinning outfits should be 30# minimum and as high as 50# Conventional rigs are hardly overkill.

Big fish, big tackle and big baits mean extra large forged hooks. Anglers fishing for monster snook might use a whole mullet or a foot long ladyfish. Artificials would include big lipped plugs and large jigs. Casts are short, so rods can be broomstick stiff. Drags are generally tightened all the way down. Any fish that takes line around a piling is going to win.

Leaders go all the way up to a hundred pounds. With snook over 32 inches (east coast), and 33 inches (west coast) protected, bridge fishing is mostly a catch and release endeavor. But this doesn't deter some anglers from the quest of tangling with the big dogs.

Be Prepared to Catch and Release

  • With snook over 32 inches (east coast), and 33 inches (west coast) protected, bridge fishing is mostly a catch and release endeavor.
  • If you are on a high pier or bridge, have a man on the ground or in the water to handle your release. You'll reduce trauma to the fish and increase her chances of reproducing and fighting another day!
  • Having the right tackle not only increases your odds of hooking up but also lessens your chance of losing the fish and shortens the fight.

Another Take

Capt Dave Justice is known throughout Florida as one of the top snook catchers of all time. Dave has caught more than 400 snook over 30 pounds - his biggest was a 42-pounder caught on a live 'tuna mullet'. For bridge fishing he uses 80 pound mono on a ten foot 'snook pole', a custom build rod with a two foot butt. Dave's three most important knots for snook fishing: The braid to mono weave, the Stren knot, and the non slip mono loop.

Here are some more Fishing Solutions, courtesy of Florida Fishing Weekly