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Creatures of the night stir in Pier 60 shadows

By RICK FRAZIER
Published October 6, 2006

Singha Mahapirom knows fish. He works with them daily at his family's restaurant, preparing fresh sushi from tuna, salmon, grouper, snapper and amberjack. And not only does he like to prepare fish, he loves to catch them as well.

As a 12-year-old boy in Bangkok, Thailand, Mahapirom fished for freshwater catfish and another fish he describes as similar to largemouth bass.

When his family moved to the United States in 1998, they first settled in Orlando. But after two years the family decided to move to St. Petersburg. And one of the reasons was the fishing.

Now, you'll find Mahapirom on the Skyway piers. You'll see him at the Pass-a-Grille jetty. Or you might even find him and his fishing buddy, Niki, on Clearwater's Pier 60 searching for snook. And, if you were there a couple of weeks ago, you might have even seen him landing his first keeper snook.

It's no secret that Pier 60 is noted for its snook fishing. It's mainly a nighttime fishery, and one of the reasons Pier 60 is so popular among snook chasers is the pier's many lights.

Lights are a natural fish attractant. They draw in small baitfish, which in turn draw game fish, especially snook. Not just any old snook, but big snook. It's not uncommon for 20-pounders to be hauled over Pier 60's rails on most nights.

In order to land snook of this caliber, hefty gear is essential. Minimum 20-pound tackle is in order. Most serious snookers use conventional gear over spinners mainly because spinners don't have the beefy drags that conventionals do. That's not to say you can't catch a nice snook on a spinner, because you can. Mahapirom did.

As the saying goes among anglers, it's best to match the hatch. Meaning catch and use the bait that's available where you're fishing. So most pier regulars, or "rats" as they call themselves, catch their own bait right off the pier using multihook bait-catching rigs called Sabiki rigs. These rigs are easy to use, extremely effective and won't damage the baitfish like a cast net can. And, for your information, cast nets are not permitted on Pier 60.

Mahapirom says his snook ate a live pinfish. In fact, it was the first bait he threw into the water. Talk about beginners' luck.

Not all of us have Mahapirom's luck, so it's best to find a spot on the pier with the darkest shadows. Like any other predator, snook live to lurk in the dark shadows waiting to ambush prey. Such was the case for Mahapirom. His 34-incher was hiding in the shadows between two lights.

Free-lining live bait is the best technique from the pier because it allows the bait to swim effortlessly, creating a natural presentation. Any weight at all will drag the bait down and make it ineffective.

The pier's best fishing is from late spring to early fall. It's hard to pinpoint an exact time when it will be best.

But you can bet if you see two guys hauling up monster linesiders it's a good time to go.

Rick Frazier runs Lucky Dawg Charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at 727 510-4376. If you've had a great day fishing from land and want to share it with readers, contact the lubberline at (727) 893-8775 or e-mail captainrick@luckydawg.com.

[Last modified October 6, 2006, 06:47:49]