Captain's corner

By BRENT GASKILL

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 17, 2000

The Skyway Bridge has become a popular spot to target silver king, and on weekends it appears to be the only place anyone is fishing.

The guides in Boca Grande publish "rules of the pass" to help control the crowds. We have not gone to that extreme here yet, but following guidelines and using common sense will help everyone achieve success:

Approach the bridge from up-tide.

One boat per slot, unless you are invited to join in.

Use enough chain on your anchor to stick on the first set, and not drag through the fish.

Use tackle stout enough to control fish around structure; 30- to 50-pound test mono or 60- to 80-pound braided line gets the job done. Your 15-pound kingfish rod is not adequate for the bridge.

Reel lines in to let hooked fish come through, and offer assistance if a fish runs under anchor lines.

Be courteous to non-tarpon fishermen. Many families fish the bridge area and are not aware that anchoring down-tide, or too close, may result in 100-plus pounds of tarpon jumping in their boat. Yelling does not help, educating them does.

Look out for fellow tarpon fishermen and respect their anchor buoy. Last year someone stole my anchor while we were out fighting a fish.

When returning to your anchor after fighting a fish, avoid riding through others' lines. Idle back perpendicular to the bridge, in line with your slot.

When leaving for the day, idle up-current at least 100 yards before planing off.

With cooperation from everyone, tarpon fishing at the bridge can be organized chaos at best. Try following this list and enjoy the air show when you get hooked up.

-- Brent Gaskill charters the Summer Vacation. Call (727) 867-1751.

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