After Dark on the Skyway Pier: A Late-Night Fishing Adventure
On this day, I decided to head to the Skyway Bridge Fishing Pier for some night fishing with my buddy Kenny. The pier sits just south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which spans Tampa Bay and leads out toward the Gulf Coast. With clear skies and calm seas, we didn’t have high expectations—just hoping to catch whatever was biting.
We arrived around 7:30 PM and started by catching bait. After about 30 minutes of throwing nets, we managed to pull in a good mix of whitebait, threadfin herring, and pinfish—plenty to last us the night. We also got to enjoy a beautiful sunset, with the sky glowing orange and pink as the day faded.
Once our bait was ready, we cast out our lines, and the bites came fast. Unfortunately, most of the early catches were catfish and undersized trout—not exactly what we were after. So, we decided to try a different spot on the pier. It didn’t take long to feel some aggressive taps. The first few fish we hooked ran straight into the rocks, a reminder of the challenges that come with pier fishing. A few casts later, Kenny managed to reel in some mangrove snapper. Some were undersized, but we kept a few solid fish ranging from 10.5 to 13 inches—a nice haul for the Skyway Bridge Pier.
By around 11:30 PM, the tide had turned against us, so we moved again. At this spot, the bites came almost nonstop, though many fish were finicky and wouldn’t fully commit to the bait. Still, between the two of us, we landed a few more keepers, including mangrove snapper and trout. Kenny also hooked into an Atlantic sharpnose shark, a smaller shark species, which we released safely back into the water.
The night offered more than just fishing. Wildlife was everywhere: massive tarpon rolling through the water, crabs drifting with the tide, sharks swimming near the surface, and dolphins chasing schools of fish. Experiencing all of this activity at night was something special—it gave us a glimpse into the hidden life of the water after dark.
By 3 AM, the bite had shut down, so we packed it in. The fishing may not have been record-breaking, but the memories were worth it: catching fish, watching incredible wildlife, and experiencing my first late-night fishing trip. It’s something I’d definitely do again in the near future.
To see more from this trip, check out the full recap on our Instagram page by clicking the link below!
Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNiNG6QuK4w/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==