Pinfish fishing in Florida

Pinfish are the silver, yellow-finned little porgies that swarm around every Florida dock, pier, seawall and grass flat, famous for stripping bait off hooks meant for bigger fish. They are the easiest fish in the state to catch, ideal for kids, and the single most useful live bait an inshore angler can have: snook, redfish, tarpon, grouper, cobia and snapper all eat them. They bite all day through the warm months, anywhere there is grass or structure. Use a sabiki or a size 8–10 hook on a split-shot rig with a tiny piece of shrimp or squid, and ultralight tackle with 6–8 lb line. Keep catches alive in a well-aerated bucket and change the water often. The dorsal spines are sharp, as the name warns, so smooth them down from head to tail before gripping. Larger pinfish are edible but bony; most anglers catch them for bait.