Finding the Perfect Pier Spot Under the Lights

[mmontelongo]

Finding the Perfect Pier Spot Under the Lights


At this stage in my life, I mostly target speckled trout, and one of my favorite ways to chase them is under the pier lights at night. It’s like clockwork – the baitfish gather around those lights for safety, the same way humans once huddled around a fire to keep an eye out for predators. But just because there’s a light in the water doesn’t mean it’s holding fish.


Here’s how I find my spot:

1. Listen for Pops
First and most obvious: popping. If you’ve never heard a speckled trout pop, cup your hand and smack your belly button – that hollow thump is almost identical. The noise comes from trout rapidly opening their large mouths to create suction and inhale baitfish near the surface, creating that signature pop. When I hear this, I know trout are actively feeding right there.

2. Look for Bubble Rings
They aren’t always making noise, especially when it’s windy and loud on the pier, so I look for bubble rings. Tiny bubbles scattered are good, but a ring pattern of small bubbles on the surface tells me a trout just popped there. That’s a visual confirmation I can cast into with confidence.

3. Watch for Crabs
Lastly, I always throw to areas crawling with crabs. Crabs are the bay’s janitors – if trout or other predators are eating and leaving scraps, the crabs are cleaning it up. Where there are crabs, there’s a buffet happening nearby.

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Next time you’re pier fishing at night, take a second to scout each light before settling down. Listen, watch, and read the signs nature is giving you – it’ll save you hours of casting into dead water.


Call to action:
What signs do you look for before setting up under a pier light? Drop your tactics below – let’s keep learning from each other out here.

 

[mrm videos]

very good advice thanks

 

[RenStarr]

All good advice. I would add, listen for a porpoise in the area. You’ll generally hear them surfacing for air before you see them. If they come around, there’s trout around. Only thing is, when they come thru the trout will temporarily disappear. But they’ll come back.

 

[Daniel]

All good advice. I would add, listen for a porpoise in the area. You’ll generally hear them surfacing for air before you see them. If they come around, there’s trout around. Only thing is, when they come thru the trout will temporarily disappear. But they’ll come back.

Interesting because my father always told me similar info about when we would see a porpoise. Back in the days when it was all word of mouth.

 

[RenStarr]

Interesting because my father always told me similar info about when we would see a porpoise. Back in the days when it was all word of mouth.

The trout come in for the bait fish. The porpoise(s) come in for the trout. There’s been multiple times fishing on the pier at Goose Island SP where my wife and grandkids would take an undersized trout we’d catch, and throw it to a porpoise. Those trout never hit the water.

 

[Daniel]

The trout come in for the bait fish. The porpoise(s) come in for the trout. There’s been multiple times fishing on the pier at Goose Island SP where my wife and grandkids would take an undersized trout we’d catch, and throw it to a porpoise. Those trout never hit the water.

Wow I bet that is a sight to see them come out of the water to catch it.