A MASTER CLASS IN BRIDGE FISHING

PILINGS, ROCKS AND CURRENT ADD UP TO GREAT FISHING. JUST DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THE STRUCTURE

- RIC BURNLEY

Wherever you go, the basic equation is structure plus current equals fish. An easy solution is fishing a bridge. Bridge pilings, jetties, channels and flats create an artificial reef hosting the entire food chain. But the same rocks and concrete hiding bait and predators pose an obstacle for anglers. The trick is placing the bait in the structure without getting caught. I fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) for sheepshead, tautog, speckled trout, striped bass and red drum. To improve my skills, I dropped a line to friends across the country who specialize in bridge fishing.

LIGHT-TACKLE BRIDGE BASS

Casting light-tackle lures into the current swirling around pilings is one of the easiest ways to fish a bridge. On the CBBT, a well-placed swimbait such as the Storm Wildeye Swim Shad or Z-Man Herculez definitely leads to hookups. Or cast a lipped plug such as a Berkley Hit Stick Saltwater, MirrOlure MirrOLip, Rapala X-Rap or Yo-Zuri 3DS to score a scrappy striped bass, redfish or speckled trout.

Capt. Ben Florentino, a West Coast tournament champ and inshore guide, laughed when I asked about bridge fishing. "When we fish bridges, we often catch spotted bay bass, calico bass, sand bass and halibut," he says.

Florentino fishes sand flats, rocks and deep holes along bridges in San Diego Harbor. He looks at current as a fourth dimension of structure. "I want some current moving but not ripping," Florentino points out. When the water is flowing at top speed, he imagines the fish hunker down and wait for the current to ease. Fish get tight to structure as ambush locations-surprisingly tight. He suggests working the lower part of the water column, where the fish stage deep, waiting to surprise and attack baitfish.