Juno Pier -Pier of Dreams by Bobby Wummer(pier rat)

The new Juno Pier proves that if you build it.....
THE FISH WILL COME!

From Florida Sportsmans May 1999 issue...written by: Bob Huttemeyer

Pier fishermen in northern Palm Beach County (Florida) have plenty of reason to celebrate. There's a new pier in town, the culmination of ten years of local initiative. Once again, the Juno pier is putting anglers within casting distance of everything from snook to kingfish.

The old pier was destroyed in the fierce Thanksgiving Day Storm of 1984. Four years later, a petition circulated by tackle shop owner John Lott was signed by 6,000 citizens eager to replace the old structure. Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus took up the cause and spearheaded efforts to build a new fishing pier.

The county's Department of Environmental Resources Management, under Director Jim Barry, helped design the pier to accomodate the needs of coastal ecology. Particular emphasis was placed on protecting sea turtles that nest in the area. Nearby condominium owners and some local politicians had opposed rebuilding the pier, despite overwhelming demand for the pier by area fishermen. Pier advocates, on their second red-eye trip to Tallahassee, received final approval to build from the late Governor Chiles and his cabinet on June 13, 1996. Construction started that fall.

The pier opened to fishing on January 13, 1999. In the first week, over 2,000 people came to fish or just take in the sights. By all estimates, the pier should be a welcome bonus to the region, attracting lots of fish--not to mention lots of visiting anglers.

Old hands don't need instruction on how to fish from the new structure. Many still recount great days on the old pier. But newcomers have lots of questions. What kind of tackle do I bring? What kinds of fish are out there? When is the best time to fish?

Before going into the techniques and species available, let's first consider the structure itself and the surrounding water.

Juno pier is 990 feet long, 22 feet wide, and sits 20 feet above the water. At its seaward end is a 72-foot T. The water depthis roughly 12 feet, and there are limestone rock formations on both sides of the pier near its center. The rocks and pier's pilings attract schools of baitfish, which in turn draw predatory fish.

Fishermen often head for the T at the very end of the structure, thinking this is the place to do business. For cobia, kingfsih and permit this may be so, but the section between the two shade structures is considered by many experts to be best because of the limestone rock structures on either side of the pier. These are natural baitfish attractors.

"There were big schools of greenies and sardines hovering over the limestone, and pilchards on the bottom last summer," veteran pier fisherman Pete Schulz said, "and the schools of blue runners kept moving bait all around the pier."

"About the middle of April the big schools of pilchards arrive. Early in the morning they go into the wash along the shore where 25- to 30-inch snook feast on them. In the afternoon, look for big jacks to come in from the ocean to attack the pilchards and greenies." Bluefish also feed in the milky water close to the sand, and it is possible to cast from the shoreward end of the pier to these fish.

Catching your own live bait on the pier is not difficult. Cast nets are prohibited, but sabiki or ribbon rigs, which you attach to the end of your fishing line and drop into the water, will enable you to catch plenty of baitfish. For permit and cobia fishing, the best bait is a live calico crab. These can be caught by hand along the beach, or in a crab trap off the pier. Bait the trap with fish scraps or turkey entrails. Cobia also bite well on cut bait and squid. Kingfish, jacks, and bonita prefer live baits such as small bluerunners, sardines, pilchards, goggle-eyes or greenies (local for thread fin herring). Bluefish will go for cut mullet and, like Spanish mackerel, will readily hit jigs or spoons.

April, May and June

Giant bluefish (10 pounds and up) traditionally appear in mid- to late-April. They are ravenous and will hit live baits and almost any artificial lure thrown to them. Big African pompano come in from nearby reefs in April, too, and usually travel along the surf in pairs. A live menhaden or greenie is a standard bait for Africans. In the afternoon, when the wind picks up to 15 or 20 knots out of the southeast, big jack crevalle love to ride the waves right over the sandbar and chase baitfish around the pier. One-ounce heavy-duty plugs are the ticket for large jacks. Snook up to 30 pounds feed in the wash right next to the beach in the early morning and again at dusk. A 1- or 1-half ounce white feather or redtail hawk jig is the lure of choice.

By June, and lasting well into July, look for schools of fiesty bonitas (little tunny) to come to the baitfish buffet at the pier. A freelined live bait or a spoon cast their way will do business. Pods of tarpon migrate north within casting of the pier. Look for big kingfish, also. If the wind is coming out of the west, a balloon tied just above the leader will take your live bait out to harm's way. Under other wind conditions, freeline a live bait. Large barracudas can be taken on live baits. Small bluerunners are especially good.

July, August and September
Kingfish will be present throughout this season, along with snook and plenty of croakers. Don't forget that snook must be released in the months of June, July and August, and there is a new slot limit of 26 to 34 inches. August is a good month for mangrove snapper. After a big storm, mutton snapper may leave their usual haunts offshore reefs and come in close to shore to feed. Both snapper species rarely refuse a small pilchard or menhaden. Permit can be caught throughout the summer. Night fishing is best for the permit.

October, November and December
The annual mullet run, which should continue to increase thanks to the net ban, influences the migrations of our winter gamefish. Bluefish can appear as early as mid-September, providing the mullet are here. Snook although permanent residents, also go on the feed when mullet show up. Southward migrating tarpon, big jacks, spinner sharks, and kingfish all feast on mullet. With luck, schools of large, ocean-dwelling redfish--20-pounders or larger--will come into the milky water just off the beach. A live finger mullet, or a piece of cut mullet fished on the bottom, will attract the reds; they can also be taken on spoons and large plugs. Look for pompano when the first big nor'easter stirs up milky water along the beaches. Barracuda and bluerunners will also be residents.

January, February and March

Some bluefish will be hanging around, but Spanish mackerel and bluerunners are most prevalent. The macks go for the chartreuse feather jigs, Hopkins and Crocodile spoons, and diamond shaped jigs. But probably the most recent outstanding lure has been the "Gotcha". The macs love em! The blue runners will hit all of the above plus cutbaits and shrimp. A few permit and cobia will be caught as well. By late February or early March large schools of croaker averaging a pound will be in the surf and in the water alongside the first shade shelter. Cut shrimp or small sand fleas available in the surf at the time will do the job.

When You Go....

Tell Em' The Pier Rat Sent You

Juno pier is located at Juno Beach Park, on State Road A1A about a mile north of Donald Ross Road. It open's 24 hours a day from November through February. During turtle nesting season, March 1 through October 31, the pier opens one hour before sunrise and closes at sunset. Free parking is available at the Juno Beach Park. There are restrooms in the park. Admission fee is $3 for anglers age 13 and over; $1 for anglers 6 through 12, and all spectators; and free for children under 6. No fishing license is required. You can call the pier office for further information at (561) 799-0185. Tell them the Pier Rat sent you! Have a great time and good luck fishing.

Wishing you bent rods and screamin' drags!
The Pier Rat