This same week last year (I think?) I was on the County Pier and off in the distance I could see this very large group of fish coming towards the pier, angling towards the shore. I watched them for maybe 30 seconds and about that time the "pros" on the end of the pier noticed them and they stampeded down the pier to get close enough to cast to them. Turns out they were 20+ pound Jacks, and all of a sudden it looked like a place the size of a football field literally exploded like a volcano!!!! Only one of the fishermen hooked up, and holy crap it took him 10-15 minutes to get that fish close to the pier. They ultimately got it up and they said it was "about 25 pounds"....I'd say it was 3' long. I've caught hundreds of small Jacks while flats fishing further south, and as strong/violent as those little ones are, I couldn't imagine hooking one that big!!!!!!!

I typically just take three or four of my stouter bass rods and normal reels/line. I'll catch tons of fish every day, but they're mostly Spanish/Blues/Ladies in the "normal" size you catch off the pier. I did hook a nice King last year off the end of the pier on a MegaBass swimbait ( I know, I know), and even managed to mostly whip the fish...I thought I was gonna get it, one of the other guys had a grapple on a rope ready, but right at the pier it finally broke my line (30# braid w/ a 20# flouro leader). It looked like I had the fish foul hooked under the chin. Another time I had a dadgum HUGE tarpon inhale a big 8" flutter spoon, I never even felt that fish, just instant break! Two young Japanese-looking guys saw it happen and they laughed (in a smart@$$ way). I didn't even know tarpon got around the pier.

This has been the worst May I have ever seen off our Gulf Coast piers. They have been filling up coolers of Spanish Mackerel at Navarre pier but that's about it. County Pier in PC started turning on in late April and early May but that slowed down quickly. You should try fighting a 100lb tarpon and going through all the Asians with their sabike rigs.

Come on Peach, you know how to deal with that. Get just past the first bar and hook a big bonita or jack up and get him pointed in the right direction, loosen your drag up and let him run straight up the pier burning off or tangling up every line you touch. Once he clears the end, tighten down on him and pop him off. Give it 10 min and repeat again and again. Those Asians are not about having to replace gear cause that costs $$. They will get mad, pack up and leave, at least they used to back when I pier fished a bunch. For the $0.75 total cost for 4 BO hooks, you can really lessen the pressure and clean things up. It's an azzhole move but it does work and will generally get rid of the 30 people in a single 1200 SF house, not here legally, "I'm gonna keep and clean, every single fish I catch, down to the smallest cigar minnow, and I dont care who I inconvenience doing it", crowd.

I used to fish Crystal Beach Pier down from Destin years ago. We had a "dock jock" walking on the rail, would run over yer ass up on the rail. Old fella slapped him off the rail one day and into the water. LOL

Watched another fella pop a 4oz pyramid sinker off a long spinning rod towards a 35 ft sport fisher that tried to troll right off the end of the pier and cut everybody off. Damn sinker knocked a hole in the boats side/bow. The boat didn't make another pass.