Florida Fishing

One of my spare time activities is fishing. I no longer own my boat, so I am left with going on other peoples boats or fishing off the piers or shore. Incidentally, they say that the two happiest days of a boat owner are: The day they buy the boat, and the day they get rid of it!!

On Friday of last week, my wife and I plus another friend of ours went fishing off of the St. Petersburg Pier, late Last Friday evening.
This was the best time for us as the tide was coming in and that means as long as the water is moving, the fish will be biting.

Everyone around us was catching fish.
There were Tarpon ( bony and not that great to eat ), smaller species of Shark ( No JAWS sizes ), Puffer Fish ( when they need to protect themselves the balloon up ), and of course Pinfish ( Bait ).

Check out how Louan likes to fish.
She is really only there for the atmosphere. After I have rigged up her pole and baited the hook, this is how she fishes. Louan faces away from the water so she doesn't miss the opportunity to start a conversation with anyone that passes by. Mind you, there quite a few people that are there every night. 11:00pm is the best time to start. That is when the valet parking for the Pier closes. You can park right where you are going to fish.

Not soon after we had a laugh about this particular fishing technique Louan got a bite!
Not just a bite, but an "ooh, ooh I think I got a fish!" bite.Not knowing where to go from there Louan handed me the pole. Wow did Louan get a fish. It is not easy landing a fish when you are twelve feet above the water. With plenty of help from all the other people fishing on the pier, I managed to land the fish for her, A twenty nine inch Tarpon. What a fight.

So who says you need to have a boat!
There are plenty of places to throw in a line. You don't have to have a boat to enjoy this sport. Besides, you do not need to have a Florida fishing license when you fish from a pier, bridge, or shore.

Give it a try!
This will definitely grow on you. There is great camaraderie among everyone that is fishing in any particular area. Remember, Pinellas County is surrounded on three sides by water. Most of the bait and tackle shops have their finger on the pulse of the local fishing. I have found that they can teach anyone a thing or two about fishing this area.

Here is another quote from a sport Legend.

"Sports is the toy department of human life."
- Howard Cosell