Weekly Fishing Report

NAVARRE
Last week was one of the best weeks for fishing in our area and this week is shaping up for more of the same. That is if the weather doesn’t keep everyone indoors for most of the week.

Not much has changed since last week inshore. The trout and redfish bite is about as good as it gets right now. Santa Rosa Sound and East Bay is seeing some of the hottest trout action in our area, especially if you are targeting gator trout. The females are full of roe and starving, so please release the larger females. Most are being caught around schools of mullet that are hugging the shore line. Early morning and late afternoon seems to be the best time to target these trout, but plenty are still being caught through out the day. MirrOlures Top Dog, Heddon’s Super Spook, Rapala’s Skitter Walk, and Bombers Badonk-A-Donk have been the go to top water baits. The go to suspending baits have been MirrOlure’s MirrOdine in 17 and 27MR in black and gold for when the water is muddy and chartreuse and silver when the water is clear. And let’s not forget the old reliable live shrimp under a popping cork presentation. It is and outstanding presentation with only one drawback and that is that pinfish are also on the flats and its tough to keep them from cleaning you out of bait in very short time.. The same baits are also working for reds on the flats, but I would also like to add a ¼ oz to ½ weedless gold spoons to that arsenal. Slot reds are also around the deeper docks in the sound and bays. Around the docks the go to presentation is live shrimp with just a split shot to get it to the bottom. There has also been good number of Spanish showing up and all of the above baits mentioned will woke for them, but be sure to increase you leader size or you will be going through a lot expensive lures.

On the pier the king bite remains strong, but the cobia bite has begun to slow down some. There is plenty of live bait as well as Spanish, bull reds, black drum, pompano, and the occasional sheepshead. Got-Cha lures and Salt Slayer jigs have been to go to baits for targeting Spanish this week. For the reds, black drum, pompano, and sheepsheads live shrimp fished on the bottom has been the go to presentation. The pompano bite has really exploded the last week with many reporting that they are catching their limit as well as the occasional red fish. The go to bait has been live sand fleas and live shrimp, but frozen fleas and shrimp will also do the trick.

There is some really pretty water offshore right now and more and more bait is showing up every day. The cobia bite is still going strong with most of the fish ranging from 30 to 40 pounds, although 50, 60 and even 90 pound fish have been caught this week. Live eels have been the top baits, but many are also being landed on jigs. The King mackerel bite remained strong with most fish in the 20 pound range, but I’m also getting reports of 30 to 40 pound fish being landed. Most are being caught by trolling around the large schools of bait that have shown up along area beaches or around nearshore wrecks. Wahoo are also starting to show up as close in as the edge with most fish running in the 20 pound range. Large deep diving plugs such as Mann’s stretch 25’s and 30’s have been producing the most strikes. Trigger fish, red and scamp grouper, mingo snapper, red porgies amberjacks are what’s available to bottom fishermen right now. Amberjack are on almost any large wreck right now, but most of the bigger fish being caught are in water deeper than 150 feet. I have still not heard any reports good reports from out around the rigs and the ones I’m getting are seeing great looking water with plenty of weed lines, but have not been landing many fish.

Until next week tight lines and get out there!