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LONG PIER TACKLE SHACK
I’ve got a love affair with piers. Ever since I was a child visiting my father’s family down in southern Mississippi and fishing off the long pier in Biloxi (a pier destroyed many hurricanes ago), I’m always thrilled by the sensation of walking way out above deep water. There’s just such an old fashioned pier in Redington Beach. (Redington is one of the many little beach communities on the barrier islands in the Gulf along Pinellas County.)
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LOOKING OUT THE PIER
It used to be called the Redington Long Pier, but is now called the Dubai Long Pier. This Tampa Bay Business Journal article explains why the name change. The pier owner’s attitude appeals to me; it’s independent, colorful, thumb-in-your-eye antiestablishmentarianism at its best!
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BLUE HERON
It is definitely a long pier, extending 1,021 feet out into the Gulf. It’s the old style weathered board pier, popular in my youth. The gray sheen of weathering is as beautiful to me as the many birds that sit on its railings. The fishermen who frequent the Dubai Long Pier are as weathered as the pier itself. One fellow, the day I was there, had not let the need of a walker stop him from his favorite past-time. These were local residents, cordial, welcoming with almost imperceptible nods, all the while not losing their concentration on their tasks.
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PELICANS
It is my understanding that any child under the age of 16, whether or not they are a Florida resident, and all Florida residents, of any age, do NOT need a fishing license for salt water fishing (fresh water is a different story). However, non-Florida residents 16 and older DO need a license unless they are fishing on a charter boat. However, I strongly recommend you read the relevant pages for yourself since I could be in error and regulations might change.
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PELICAN
The Dubai Long Pier charges a $2 fee for walk-on visitors who aren’t fishing. That’s a very fair price for such a simple and peaceful pleasure. There’s a $10 fishing fee for adults and a somewhat cheaper one for kids 10 and under. No tackle? No problem: the tackle shop on the pier has rod rentals for $9.35 and, of course, bait. (And, they take credit cards.)
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BROWN PELICAN
You’ll have some competition for the fish you catch though. The pier has as many birds as fishermen. It’s a great location to get pictures, up close, of these wonderful creatures. The ones that habitually frequent the pier are fearless around humans (although they won’t pester you), which means, if you move slowly, you can get some great pictures.
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GREAT WHITE HERON
When I was in high school, eons ago, I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to go into science or music as a career. I loved, and still do love, scientific ideas (various theories and speculations) and stuff (literally: test tubes, microscopes, slides, telescopes…all the objects that must have filled the mind of Jules Verne, another Florida resident at one time). During a part of that phase of my life I was a (totally nerdy) student member of the National Prairie Chicken Society (my biology teacher was a charter member).
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BLACKBIRDS
Although I have not done any birding since those days, I still love birds. Wouldn’t want one for a pet, but I admire them greatly. There’s a bird that was on the pier, pictured immediately below, that I can’t identify. What is it? If you know, please comment. I’m curious. I suspect it might be a female of the blackbirds pictured above, but I’m not at all certain. Please don’t be shy. If you have an idea, please post it.
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WHAT KIND OF BIRD IS THIS ?????
Large fishing floats (not the little bobbers you remember from your cane line as a kid), can usually be spotted about the pilings. There are Styrofoam ones, plastic ones, round ones, torpedo shaped ones, and even glass ones in heavy twine netting (although I’ve never seen any of the glass ones in actual use). The glass ones are collectibles, but one can also buy them new as decorator items. I remember my sister showing me some that had washed ashore from Japan all the way to Alaska, where she lived at that time. They are remarkable objects. Even the modern plastic ones charm me.
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FISHING FLOATS
Looking back along the pier toward the shore can give you a perspective on the beaches you can’t get any other way. In fact, every direction you look on a pier (back, out, down, up) shifts your usual perspective. Maybe that’s part of what makes the pier such a fun experience. It helps you see things differently.
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LOOKING BACK TOWARD LAND
There are numerous piers along the coast of Florida. I’ve been accumulating photos to do a post on a bunch of them in a single post. In the meantime, I highly recommend you take a short walk on a long pier. (You probably heard the joking command in grade school too: “Take a long walk on a short pier!”) You can do no better than the Dubai Long Pier in Redington Beach (map).
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PIER SIGN ON GULF BLVD.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
The bird is a female grackle, the black is male.
Thanks, Rocky. I suspected that might be true, but wasn’t at all sure. Nor did I know the real name of a blackbird. Found this link on the grackle. Appreciate your leaving the comment, Rocky.
done some off the best fishing in my life from this pier brilliant. DAVID FROM SCOTLAND
Thanks, David. Scotland, that’s great. I realize Scotland and kilts aren’t synonymous, but just wanted to say that I enjoy wearing my MacKenzie!
are the rods worth renting or am i better bringing my own? do they also come with leaders?
I don’t know. I’d bring my own unless you’re a tourist and don’t have any with you.
hi hilton david mcgregor from scotland. i was fishing off the pier last year (brilliant).i am coming back in september for 3 weeks.and i was wondering if you could buy a 3 week permit to fish off the pier and how much it is could you please let me know.thanx hilton
Hi, David
I don’t know the answer to your question myself. But, I checked back through the Inkwatu posts that had had links to info on Florida fishing licenses and found that the most important link no longer goes to an active site. The actual state of Florida fishing site isn’t very clear, but here’s that information.
This is the website for the State of Florida Wildlife Commission: http://www.myfwc.com/License/LicPermit_RecreationalHF.htm#SWF
This is the link on that page where you begin the process for buying a license: https://www2.fl.wildlifelicense.com/start.php
However, what I think I would do, first, is email the webmaster at flwebmaster@als-xtn.com and ask your question–just tell him you couldn’t figure out the answer to your question.
Or, better yet, they provide a number (if you don’t mind the international call) if you need to order your license in a hurry: 1-888-347-4356
Hope that helps, David. Have a safe trip and enjoy your visit to Florida. There are many good piers here in Tampa Bay. Just a few of them are mentioned here: http://inkwatu.com/2009/05/06/fishing-piers/.
Hilton