Heading to Destin from St. Louis for vacation in June.

[ron3564]

Hello... I'm a Missouri boy used to catching bass and catfish. I have also fished the gulf in a boat for snapper and grouper. This year I plan on fishing from the Okaloosa Island Pier. Hopefully the oil spill will be contained soon I will be bringing medium tackle. Will that be too light for pier fishing? Any help will be appreciated.

[Filletnrelease]

Welcome to the Forum Ron. Not sure of what type of gear you are bringing other than Medium in size. Spinning/baitcasting etc. But you will likely be catching fish like Redfish, Macks, Bluefish, Pompano, Ladyfish, Jacks, Sheeps head, Whiting, Trout and the likes, it should be fine. Without any significant structure (rocks, reefs and such) you likely will not be dealing with Grouper or large Snapper. I prefer spinning gear for medium action saltwater with a reel in the 4000 to 5000 size. For line, depending on what the conditions, I prefer a braid in the 30lb range with 20lb to 30lb leader. This will give you maximum casting distance, something that is important when fishing a fixed structure like a pier or bridge. A way to catch bait like Sabiki's and a way to keep them like a 5 gallon bucket and aerator is also important. I would pick up a few Gotcha plugs and clark spoons as well, these are great for Macks and other fish. The clarity of the water will change from day to day and you might also want a small spool of Fluorocarbon leader for those clear water days. A good web-site to follow the fishing reports is okaloosaislandpier dot blogspot dot com/. Hopes this helps, and look forward to your reports and pics.
Jack

Edit: You can check in with the Bait shop or ones in the area, they will usually give you some good info. That pretty much applies to all areas.

[ron3564]

Jack,
Thanks for the advice. I look forward to trying out pier fishing. I will keep you up to speed with my catch. Hopefully a bountiful harvest