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Salt Water MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE Those of you who are dragging lures will find the king mackerel over and around wrecks and structure, also the buoy line. Going further out from about ten miles the Wahoo and dolphin activity is heating up. A rigged ballyhoo trolled behind a Boone jet or the high-speed duster of your choice will get you one of these hot rods. If you prefer bottom fishing for grouper and snapper you won’t be disappointed, the snapper are plentiful and hungry. Grouper fishing has been excellent in the one hundred to one hundred fifty feet of water. ST JOSEPH BAY Fishing St Joe bay couldn’t be better this week with redfish trout and triple tail all eager to make your day. Redfish are hitting topwater plugs in the early morning around Black’s Island and Eagl...

Report for 06/04/2009 Salt Water MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE We had great weather over the last weekend and the king mackerel bite was on over the Air Force tower and out around the buoy line and car bodies. The bite has slowed though over the last couple of days due to the weather fronts, but the kings will be here all summer long. Trolling widgets and dusters with cigar minnows is everybody’s favorite and is a good producer. It is taking some searching to find the keeper grouper without the interference from red snapper. The main bite has been over the natural bottom starting at about 180’. Live baits were the main choice, but butter flied northern mackerel and cigar minnows are always a good back up. Live baits are still plentiful around the inshore structures. The Snapper b...

Report for 05/29/2009 Salt Water MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE The bottom fishing is good as we approach June 1 when red snapper season reopens. Several large grouper were brought in from out on the ledges due south of Cape San Blas this week. Mind your position when fishing this area and be careful not to fish in the Swanson and Madison closed areas. Jigs are working great along with live bait and cut baits for grouper right now. More king mackerel caught this week in the 15-30 lb range using a duster rigged with a frozen cigar minnow and slowly trolled. Small dolphins caught this week in the 15-mile range along with some Wahoo at 30-mile range, trolling panhandlers and islander lures with ballyhoo. ST JOSEPH BAY Not much change in St. Joseph bay except the trout bite has improved wi...

Report for 05/21/2009 Salt Water MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE Grouper fishing picked up this week with respectable fish brought to the docks. The bite is over natural bottom starting at about 180’. Large live baits accounted for most of the larger fish. The king mackerel catches are increasing on the buoy line. Dusters and cigar minnows Yozuri Hydro-Mags and stretch 30’s are accounting for these catches. Closer inshore, the Spanish mackerel are still being caught along the buoy line and over at crooked island. Trolling a plain Clark spoon seems to be the best option for the bigger Spanish. ST JOSEPH BAY Some nice big trout caught this week on live LY’s and many over the slot redfish too. The head of the bay is the place to be especially with the winds we have been dealing with...

Report for 05/18/2009 Salt Water PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS King mackerel are being caught in great numbers. They are being caught in close and out further trolling and free-lining. Several reports of Mahi Mahi being caught from 6-8 miles out are coming in. Spanish mackerel are biting sporadically out on the beaches. Grouper are still biting well from 7-10 miles out. Use large live baits to get past the Snapper! Lots of AJ’s are still being caught around the 100 foot mark over bridge spans and large wrecks. ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish mackerel are biting good at the jetties on spoons and Gotcha Plugs. Mangrove Snappers and Sheepshead are still being caught off the rocks with live shrimp. Redfish have been found on the flats in East Bay; while Bull Reds...