# Okaloosa pier



## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

Ive been fishing this area my whole life but had never been to the pier before crazily enough. 

I really wanted some spanish and shalimar bridge hasn't been producing at the times I've been there.

I caught one nice spanish today about 18 In long on a gotcha plug.

80 percent of the people there were using only sabiki rigs and I saw one spanish caught that way but they were all filling their coolers with hardtail. I asked the guy next to me if they were gonna eat it and he said he loves them. Are they worth picking through bones for the meat?

I really enjoyed it out there amd I'm headed back tomorrow morning for the dawn patrol. Hopefuly I catch a few more and I even set up a king rig. We'll see.


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## FishinSpot (Oct 16, 2007)

We used to catch big kings out there years ago. Good luck!


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## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

Not much going on this morning at the pier. Only saw ramora and hardtail by the hundreds neing brought up. I gave away a few hardtail. I'm going back this evening since its 8 buck to fish.

I want to target pomps and whiting in the trough but the draw to catch spanish is too strong!


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## Shark Sugar (May 26, 2015)

You must not have gotten a good pier welcoming from the pier rats on the end yet...cross one of their lines or get within 3 feet of one of them when the kings or tarpon cruise by and see what happens. 

I used to fish that pier years ago when I was stuck fishing land...I went for the first time in years the other morning to catch some bait before going out on the boat and it seemed the same...ppl sleeping on the end from the night before so they can have their spot on the end for the day, pier rats talking trash about everyone else, Old Asian ladies with 100 lbs of hard tails in the cooler with no ice.

I stopped going when I almost lost it on a dude on the end that cast a tarpon spoon with a treble hook out at a dad and his probably 8 year old son on a jet ski near the pier. They were tourists just following the dolphin that cruised by, they didnt know the rules of watercraft near the pier. Instead of maybe calmly informing them to not get so close, he and his buddy immediately started launching spoons and cursing at them. I dont know where those dudes get their attitudes, but its embarrassing when tourists or locals pay to walk their families out and they encounter that type behavior on the end. Many of said pier rats are lucky to have any teeth in their heads after some of the things they have yelled at families and children all because they want to catch a fish. That's the impression of local fisherman that people get when they see the pier rats being pier rats, and it doesn't reflect well on us all.

Anyways, now that my rant is over...the 2nd post as you walk out on the pier (left side, has an amber light) seemed to be a hot spot for big reds after sundown, and pompano when they are running


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## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

Shark Sugar said:


> You must not have gotten a good pier welcoming from the pier rats on the end yet...cross one of their lines or get within 3 feet of one of them when the kings or tarpon cruise by and see what happens.
> 
> I used to fish that pier years ago when I was stuck fishing land...I went for the first time in years the other morning to catch some bait before going out on the boat and it seemed the same...ppl sleeping on the end from the night before so they can have their spot on the end for the day, pier rats talking trash about everyone else, Old Asian ladies with 100 lbs of hard tails in the cooler with no ice.
> 
> ...


Yea the end section there doenst seem to welcoming and its to crowded any way. Ive been standing about 15 yards from the start of the end. Thats where I got the spanish yesterday. Its mostly young guys with super expensive set ups. Oh to be young with no bills so I can spend all my money on a van staal on a custom rod. And one guy was already drinking a beer at 8 o'clock today lol. Even for me that's early

I do like it out there for some reason though.


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## Shark Sugar (May 26, 2015)

Well of course you like it, it's on the water and you're fishin! That's why we are all on this forum haha.

Funny story about expensive stuff...years back during the tarpon run the pier rats were being their usual self and bullying everybody on the end...well a good tarpon pod swam by and EVERYBODY started calling out their numbers and casting, so the tourists on the end had no idea what was going on...anyways, several of the notorious pier rats had hooked up and lost 1 or 2 tarpon apiece, all while yelling at everyone to get back behind the line and telling their buddies "that's how you set a hook"...as the tarpon spit out their $20 lure tied to their $1,500 van Staal reel and custom rod...all the while this teenage kid from Tennessee had a frozen cigar minnow hooked on a black steel leader rig from bass pro on a 6 foot bill dance largemouth special that the pier rats were making fun of...WHAM, the kid hooks up and starts the fight with about a 100 lb tarpon...he let that fish run and battle for a good hour, getting yelled at by the pier rats telling him he's doing it wrong and how he needs to walk the fish up and down the pier the entire time, while they have hooked up and lost numerous fish. This kid just kept battling and ended up winning the fight, got the big silver king to the columns, rolled over on his sides KO'd. The pier rats couldn't believe it...but nobody told the kid to leave the hooled fish in the water and walk it down to the beach to hop in and take a picture with his trophy catch...he high sticked it trying to use his rod to lift the big tarpon out of the water and up the pier, needless to say, his bill dance special rod snapped clean in half and the fish was gone...the kid was upset, but his dad had plenty of pics and video and we all saw the silver king on its side begging for mercy...the kid won the battle. But the pier rats couldn't let him have his moment...they instantly started riding him for not having custom rods and van staals and for breaking his rod and losing the fish...even tho none of them stayed hooked up more than 5 minutes...

Those dudes are low class garbage and may God have mercy on their soul


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*Okaloosa Pier?*

Is this close to where the old Wayside Pier used to be? 

Precious few "Pier Rats" back in the early 60's but lots of fish. One particular pier rat got thrown in a couple of times. Once he did a "Belly buster" and dang near drowned. His dad came out to talk to those who threw his son in. He brought a bunch of beer for the guys. 

That particular pier rat deck handed for me a few times before he got drafted. He was a ground pounder and, unfortunately, he died in Vietnam in 1968 or so.

I'm pretty sure I caught the first Cobia caught off Gulf Shore's pier, way before it opened. Darn near wound up in jail for the offense but I'd do it again for an 84# Cobia.


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## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

Yes sir, what is called the boardwalk now is what used to be called wayside park. I wasn't around back then but that's what some older folks have told me. 


84 pounder congrats sir that's a fish of a lifetime for sure!


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## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

Nothing happening this morning other than one short bonita blitz. Tons of bait everywhere though. Few tarpon seen


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## BJW (Oct 1, 2007)

Years ago I was on the Navarre pier. One of the you pier rats, we called the pierasites, was going off loudly about all the "tourists" fishing. I couldn't take it anymore and told him he should go shake the hand of each tourist. They are the ones who kept his mama and daddy employed so he could live there.


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## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

BJW said:


> Years ago I was on the Navarre pier. One of the you pier rats, we called the pierasites, was going off loudly about all the "tourists" fishing. I couldn't take it anymore and told him he should go shake the hand of each tourist. They are the ones who kept his mama and daddy employed so he could live there.


I dont mind tourists fishing but I do get bothered by people standing right behind you with no clue that you're trying to cast.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

I tarpon fish all summer long at Okaloosa Island Pier. The language around tourists with small kids is the biggest problem I see. I always fish the end. It can be crowded, especially in the afternoons, but most everyone seems to get along pretty well. We actually have a good time out there.


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## Capnmichael (Sep 18, 2015)

reelthrill said:


> I tarpon fish all summer long at Okaloosa Island Pier. The language around tourists with small kids is the biggest problem I see. I always fish the end. It can be crowded, especially in the afternoons, but most everyone seems to get along pretty well. We actually have a good time out there.


Ive been fishing the end the last few times and its a good time out there. Its nice to be with other experienced fisherman compared to the people tangling you with sabiki rigs.

Ill be out there this weekend. Blue hat blue buff. Probably be wearing an unbuttoned collared shirt. Names Travis come say hi


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Capnmichael said:


> Ive been fishing the end the last few times and its a good time out there. Its nice to be with other experienced fisherman compared to the people tangling you with sabiki rigs.
> 
> Ill be out there this weekend. Blue hat blue buff. Probably be wearing an unbuttoned collared shirt. Names Travis come say hi


I fished yesterday. A few tarpon seen and a few kings hung. Lots of bonita. I will probably wait until Monday and see what this weather is doing.


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