The night air was still, and the sound of early arriving skimmers pierced the moonlit darkness. It had been the third day of a continuing spring warming trend, and I had the feeling that something might be hungry under the overhanging lights of the bridge. On my third cast, while hopping the 3/4-ounce jig along the bottom and ever closer to the bridge’s shadow line, one such hop was followed immediately by a subtle yet swift tug. Hesitating a second, I set the hook, and the fish dove sharply, taking drag and heading for the safety of the pillars.
After a spirited fight, my flashlight shined the glint of a large weakfish. After some quick maneuvering with a bridge gaff, the weakfish was cooler bound!
Was this an unusual catch? Hardly! Bridge fishing and spring fit like a hand and glove. Bridges are excellent pieces of structure to fish any time of the year. They are truly fish magnets, creating constantly changing eddies and currents which provide an endless bounty for all the bay’s and ocean’s inhabitants.
Bridges are especially good for game fish like weakfish, stripers, and bluefish. However, when most fish around bridges, you seem to catch little or none of these species. Why? The answer is because you aren’t fishing when these predators do the majority of their feeding — at night!
Night fishing tactics may vary for everyone, but if you want to increase (or begin) your score, you need to remember one word: Jig! Night in and night out, jigs will catch you more fish than any other lure or bait, period. Why? Jigs go where the fish are, and in the spring (as well as most times), that’s within the last 3 feet of bottom.
90 percent of the fish will be within 90 percent of the bottom 90 percent of the time! Let’s take a look at what we’ll need and the tactics that produce.
A good jigging rod should be 6-1/2 or 7-feet and have a light to medium action (depending upon your skill level). The rig can be either spinning or conventional, with line ranging from 10 to 17-pound test Before going on, I must admit that I am now a firm believer in the new super braids for bridge fishing. Their strength, sensitivity and generous resistance are a great advantage when bridge fishing.
Power Pro and new braided line works extremely well, and its ability to stand up to the sawing motion of a 22.5-pound striped bass against a barnacle-encrusted concrete bridge piling left me convinced of its ability to withstand bridge elements. You’ll need a reel capable of holding about 150 yards of 15-pound test and a smooth, functional drag.
It’s always a good idea to add a swivel to the end of your line and attach a 30-inch piece of 30 or 40-pound leader, preferably a fluorocarbon leader. So you’ve got the rod and reel for the job, but what about the jigs?
Jigs should be carried in sizes ranging from 3/8 to 1-ounce. Painted jigs are not essential, but corrosion-resistant saltwater hooks are a must. Ball-head jigs with a barbed-collar are okay, but arrowhead and banana-head jigs are even better.
For the best jig material for the area that you fish, check with your local tackle shops. Most will sell unpainted jig heads for between 30 and 50 cents each, making them an affordable lure. We add the plastic bodies to the jig heads, but what plastics should be used?
Plastic bodies come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, which can be quite confusing. Try to keep it simple. Use colors and sizes that match prevalent baitfish and fish bait. In local waters, try black and olive-green (eels), tan or golden yellow (sand eels and rain fish), yellow with silver flake (spearing), dark blue (anchovies) and, believe it or not, pink with silver flake (squid and mantis shrimp).
You don’t need to buy brand-name plastics such as Mister Twister, Bass Assassin, Fin-S and Culprit, but they sure do help. Keep your plastics in the 4 to 6-inch range. Plastic worms and eel imitations can be 7 to 10-inches long. When handling plastics, I like to put a few drops of shrimp oil or other fish attachment on my hands before threading the plastic body onto the jig head (see diagram A). It helps remove foreign smells from my hands, and I believe it helps add more fish to the box!
When fishing with jigs, remember that the jig will be much more productive when fished into the current. After casting, the jig should come back toward your position on the bridge. Use just enough weight to keep the jig nicking the bottom while you try to reel at the same speed as the current. One of the keys to success is being sure that you retrieve at or near current speed.
If your jig is moving too fast, the fish will recognize that it’s not moving naturally and will often reject it. You can’t reel too slowly as you’re fishing with the current, but if you reel too fast, your jig head doesn’t intermittently touch the bottom. If the jig isn’t heavy enough, it won’t reach the bottom, either. Experiment with different weight combinations until you can maintain the proper “feel” when jig-bouncing the bottom.
Be sure to make long casts. Always try to cast directly ahead of you. This will give you less chance of you crossing someone else’s line (there are plenty of night owls) and better control of your jig’s movement. Allow the jig to sink a few seconds, then begin retrieving fast enough so you can catch up to your jig that is beginning to bounce bottom.
If you have the proper amount of weight, you won’t feel your jig bouncing the bottom until it’s 30 to 40 feet up tide of the bridge shadow line. At this point, with the rod held at the 10 o’clock position, begin imparting short, 6-inch “hops” to the lure, using just your rod tip. Don’t stop reeling as you lift. Just maintain lure speed to keep the luring periodically touching bottom.
A fish’s “take” is never violent with a jig; it is simply a sharp tug felt through the line and rod tip. After feeling a tug, resist jerking back. Stop reeling as you slowly lift the rod. Again, be sure that you lift the rod slowly. Count 1, 2, then set the hook! If you are using braided line, simply start reeling. If you don’t feel any tugs, allow the jig to momentarily swing under the bridge, then retrieve all your line and re-cast.
If you’re not getting any action in one spot on the bridge after 15 minutes or so, move around. Without bait on top to give away bait location, the fish could be anywhere. Be sure to prospect. Don’t wait for the fish to find you!
One thing to remember is that the tug of a weakfish or striper, regardless of its size, is basically the same. Bluefish, and to a lesser extent, fluke (yes, fluke) tend to telegraph a series of rapid, continuous jerks through the line. On occasion, sea bass and even oyster crackers have eaten my culprit worms for midnight snacks!
One of the major enemies of the bridge fisherman is the wind. The wind is more of an enemy than boaters simply because you are elevated high above the water. On windy nights, I’ll employ a tandem jig set-up with a 1-ounce jig on the bottom and a 3/8 or 1/2-ounce jig on a dropper loop 18 inches above it. It increases your ability to maintain feel and also opens up the opportunity for doubles.
Two lighter jigs also work better than one heavy jig on certain nights. Again, be sure to observe other anglers. Don’t give up! Many anglers give up too fast instead of trying to find the right combination. If you invest the time on the bridge, you will catch fish!
When you catch fish, you’re probably wondering, “how do I get this fish up here?” There are a few ways to get fish out of the waters under a bridge. Some anglers buy commercial drop nets that are specifically made for bringing fish up. Other anglers use a regular, 4-foot square minnow seine, the kind with four arms. Weighted with rocks, the seine is lowered down into the water, and the fish is swung over it. Still others use a bridge gaff, which is basically an oversize, weighted treble hook attached to a strong cord. By using a large snap, it is clipped onto the main line and slides down into the hooked fish. Ultimately, the cord invariably impales the fish. You’ll also benefit from a strong flashlight so you can see what’s going on below.
Although many bridges are posted against fishing, the toll takers and the local police departments tend to be less stringent in their enforcement of “No Fishing” signs at various times of the year. This is especially true during Spring and again late in the Fall.
Finally, you must remember that bridges transport cars! Anglers need to be aware of their surroundings when stepping back from bridge rails. We need all of you, and cars can kill.
