Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
All Reports indicate good bottom fishing inshore. There is a good chance fish will be on many of the inshore numbers inside twenty miles. Live baits are proving to be the best bait and they are plentiful around the inshore wrecks. To be on the safe side carry frozen baits like Cigar minnows or Boston mackerel. Next to live and frozen baits, jigging with Braid slammers or the Shimano butterflies are a great option. The king mackerel bite is strong and many anglers are boasting super catches this week. The vast majority of the larger kings were caught over inshore wrecks using a flat line while bottom fishing.
ST JOSEPH BAY
The trout report has not changed much with good fish caught at first light and late afternoon around the middle grounds and the flats between Pigs Island and Pompano Point. They are hitting on top water lures like the Heddon Spooks but the number one bait is a live alewife (LY). The redfish are still with us and using live Alewife or finger mullet will bring them in at the outskirts of the grass flats. The flounder are in their summer pattern. This means you can catch them in the sand outside the grass flats and in deeper sand holes on the edge of the flats. Bull minnows Carolina rigged with a size 1 circle hook using fluorocarbon leader material and a 1 oz or smaller egg weight is the easiest and most common rig.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS
Red Snapper season is coming to a close. The last day for Red Snapper is August 14th. They are still biting good over the wrecks and hard bottom areas within 12 miles. Larger snapper are being found further out. Wahoo are being caught from 20-40 miles out. Hi speed trollers, like the Yo-Zuri Bonita, are a sure bet. King Mackerel seem to be everywhere. They are being caught steadily from the beach out to 40 miles. The Grouper bite has slowed inshore, but good reports are coming from 20 plus miles out. Use large live baits. Lots of AJ’s are still being caught around the 100 foot mark over bridge spans and large wrecks. Big hard tails are the best bet for keeper AJ’s.
ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
King Mackerel are being caught regularly off the new city pier along with Spanish, Bluefish and Lady Fish. Tarpon are on the beaches in better numbers now. Be stealthy, throw live baits, and keep your fingers crossed for a hook up! Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish Mackerel are biting good at the jetties on spoons and Gotcha Plugs. Mangrove Snappers are still being caught off the rocks with live shrimp. Redfish have been found on the flats in East and West Bays; while Bull Reds are still being caught with live shrimp and pinfish around the jetties. Trout are being caught on the flats with topwater lures early and live shrimp under a cork later.
DESTIN
Lots of Wahoo action out near the edge, there has been a nice stretch of blue water from about the rock cliffs out toward the elbow and the fishing is good there. Other than that, the blue water is almost 100 miles to the south.
Closer to home there have been a good bite of kings near shore and some dolphin. The snapper are still good and you have just over a week before the season closes so now is a good time to take advantage. As for groupers and jacks the best action is on or near the edge.
For the pier, guys there have been catching a few kings in the afternoons and some tarpon just before dark along with the regular catches of ladyfish, blues, hardtails and a red every now and then.
On the surf and jetties, there are some ladyfish and hardtails in the morning and then in the late afternoon. The sharks have been biting well at night on cut baits.
Back in the bay, the trout and reds are best at night under the dock lights but a few can be found working the flats and grass beads just before dark and at first light.
NAVARRE
SURF
July has arrived and with it the heat has come. With light winds in the morning there should be some fishing opportunities. We should continue to see good numbers of Jack Crevalle in the 5# to 20# range. The Jacks are hitting best on top water poppers and Rapala Skitterwalks. The Pompano bite has remained steady with most fish being landed on fresh dead shrimp and live sand fleas when you can find them. The Spanish Mackerel and Skipjack are all through the surf. Any bright shiny lure that is travelling very quickly will take their share. On calmer days Kayak fisherman can reach the King Mackerel just at the drop off in 20’ of water. There are also some Dolphin on the beach this time of year in the same areas. Look for the schools of threadfins and cigar minnows and troll with deep diving hard baits. Try trolling live baits around these baitfish schools as well.
SOUND AND BAYS
Nothing has changed much here. Anglers can expect to see great Trout fishing around the grass flats from Tiger Point to the grass flats just east of the bridge. Redfish and Flounder are also in the same waters with most of the fish caught on live shrimp under a popping cork. Also try using a 1/4oz jig tipped with a GULP! shrimp or jerk shad under the same popping cork. There have also been plenty of Trout and Redfish landed in East Bay from the Garcon Point bridge up to the power lines crossing the entrance to the East River. With the heat of July setting in, early morning and late afternoon forays will be the best times to fish. Don’t overlook the summertime night fishing around the lighted docks. There are some nice fish right in the light, but don’t overlook the darker edges of the light either. Live shrimp is a great bait to use if you can get it. If not, the Berkley GULP! baits do well fished with a split shot or under a small popping cork.
NEAR SHORE – GULF
King Mackerel are still the hot bite near shore and continue to bite strong in and around the passes and inshore reefs in 60 to 80 feet of water. Trolling or fly lining live cigar minnows when anchored up has been the top producer. Dolphin continue to show up in increasing numbers especially around anglers fishing for bottom species. Just remember to have a rod ready and rigged with a pitch bait when they do show up. The near shore reefs and wrecks are also producing good numbers of Amberjack, Grouper, Red Snapper, Black Snapper, Lane Snapper and Triggerfish. The Grouper are being caught on large pinfish, threadfins or hardtails with their tail clipped to make it easier for the grouper to catch them. The Snappers will nail a live cigar minnow fished on the very bottom.
OFFSHORE – GULF
Red Snapper has been the top predator on most reefs and wrecks this week and we should continue to see more of the same this month. They are hitting jigs, live bait and deep running hard baits trolled over shallow reefs and wrecks. Amberjack are almost on every wreck from 80’ on out with the largest fish being caught in deeper water of 100’ or more. Look for Grouper to remain on the near shore reefs and wrecks. Fish in the 10# to 15# range will hit pinfish, threadfins and hardtails. You will have to remove the tails from the Hardtails; otherwise they are next to impossible to get to the bottom on a light weight. Dolphin and Triple Tail can still be found on just about any floating structure. A jig tipped squid or shrimp will take the Triple Tail. A cut or live Cigar minnow or live Pinfish will get you your Dolphin. King mackerel are being caught daily around the mouth of the passes and buoy lines on cigar minnows slow trolled or free lined. If you can get out the blue water bite is still smoking hot. Yellow Fin, Black Fin and Wahoo are being caught around most of the deep water oil rigs. Poppers, jigs and slow trolled ballyhoo continue to be the go to baits. The bigger fish are coming off the bridled Bonito or large Blue Runners bump trolled around the rigs. . Some reports have the cleaner water holding on the edge, but blue water remains around 100 miles out.