written by Evan Anderson

When it comes to finding fish, Florida anglers have a wide variety of locations they can try, many of which are bound to hold fish. One of those options involves the many bridges that span the gaps between islands and channels. According to Tom Rowland, “There are a lot of bridges in the Florida Keys and most of them hold fish.”

On this episode of Saltwater Experience, captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor head to the Bahia Honda State Park Bridge to show us some tricks for fishing these spots. We’ll take a look at the bait they used, their chumming technique, and how you can utilize these same bits of advice to bring in a nice catch at similar spots near you.

TARPON

Before heading to the bridge, Tudor and Rowland start their day early, spending the morning fishing for tarpon in some shallower water near Big Pine. “That area around Big Pine is tarpon central,” says Tudor as they make their way to the fishing grounds in their Yellowfin skiff, “[and] that first hour of the morning is always magical for tarpon.”

“That area around Big Pine is tarpon central.”

— Rich Tudor, Co-Host of Saltwater Experience

It’s a crystal clear morning, the water sits still as glass as the two captains cut through the canal. Using their Nikon Binoculars, available at Bass Pro Shop, Tudor locates tarpon rolling along the shoreline and they begin casting to them.

Due to the clear conditions, Tudor and Rowland kept their distance from the tarpon so as not to spook them and began tossing shrimp to them. “If you have some very picky fish,” explains Rowland, “the shrimp is a bait that you can make land in the water very softly and few tarpon will refuse it.”

“If you have some very picky fish, the shrimp is a bait that you can make land in the water very softly and few tarpon will refuse it.”

— Tom Rowland, Co-Host of Saltwater Experience

Though the shrimp brought moderate success to the two captains, Rowland discovered an issue. “The problem with shrimp is that, unless you have some large ones, you can’t throw them very far or you throw them off the hook,” comments Rowland, “I went to a jerk bait because I can throw that a lot farther.” Rowland’s decision to switch to a jerk bait made a noticeable difference as he started to reel in more tarpon. Bass Pro Shop has a great selection of jerk baits and other lures to help diversify your tackle box and give you options like Tudor and Rowland had on this trip.

YELLOW JACKS AND PILCHARDS

The wind picked up as the morning progressed, making sight-fishing much harder. So Tudor and Rowland decided to move to the Bahia Honda State Park Bridge. Before heading over, however, they need to switch their bait tactics a bit. “On the other side of the road we could see the pelicans diving and knew that there were pilchards over there,” says Rowland, “and with pilchards, we can make something happen where there’s nothing happening. You go to where you know fish hold.”

“Yeah and with that wind picking up, all of a sudden those pilchards became a great option,” comments Tudor.

Arriving at the bridge, Tudor and Rowland immediately begin tossing pilchards into the water, using a technique that Rowland normally would use for offshore fishing. “Live chumming,” he says, “is an offshore technique. You just start putting those pilchards out there and the tuna or whatever is there will come to the surface.” Once those fish are on the surface, now you can sight-fish and throw lures to them, according to Rowland.

And that’s exactly what happens. As the pilchards go out, there’s a flurry of activity in the water as the yellow jacks, known to be plentiful around the Bahia Honda bridge, come to the surface to the delight of the two anglers. “Not only are yellow jacks fun to fight, but they’re great to eat,” says an excited Tudor as he reels one in, “No shortage of action when you’ve got a well full of pilchards!”

Using Rowland’s live chumming technique, they manage to get the yellow jacks so worked up that they start eating jigs that Rowland throws to them, which is very unusual for jacks. “I’ve never seen them eat a jig like this,” says Rowland in disbelief.

Check out the full episode below and see these tips in action on Saltwater Experience S15:E6. Follow @saltwater_experience, @tom_rowland, @rich_tudor1, and @waypointtv on Instagram if you want more Saltwater Experience content. You can also subscribe to The Tom Rowland Podcast for 5 shows a week including interviews with icons, and how to episodes.