Weekly Fishing Report

NAVARRE
Memorial Day was the kick off for the summer and this Saturday will be the kickoff for snapper season. And because this weekend is the kickoff we will be extending our hours 6am to 8pm Monday through Saturday starting this Friday and 7am to 5pm on Sundays. This Saturday will also be the beginning of the closure of gray triggerfish and Amberjack until July 31st. I know everyone has been looking forward to this all year so be careful out there because if the weather forecast is correct Saturday is looking to be pretty rough.

Inshore, anglers fishing the early morning and late afternoon bite are seeing the most action this week. Suspending twitch baits and Berkley Gulp or Trigger X shrimp fished on a 1/4oz jig head have been the most productive baits this week. There are plenty of trout and reds on the flats right now, but for slot reds the deeper docks seem to be producing the best. Live shrimp fished around the pilings continue to be the most productive presentation with the added benefit that you may hook up with a decent flounder. Flounder are also on the flats around potholes patiently waiting to ambush their next meal, but targeting them around deeper structure is still the most productive method of targeting them on hook and line. White Berkley Gulp on a 1/4oz jig head drug along the bottom and bull or tiger minnows have been the top baits.

On the pier the king bite has picked up significantly this week and with the south east winds forecasted for the next few days I don’t see it slacking up one bit. The spanish bite has also see an increase as well as the occasional cobia. Bull reds, pompano, blue fish lady fish, whiting and the occasional sheepshead are also available. Got-Cha lures and Salt Slayer jigs have been to go to baits for targeting spanish and blue fish. The reds, black drum, pompano, whiting and sheepsheads are really keying in on live bait with live sand fleas the top bait and live shrimp coming in a close second. On the beach the pompano bite remains strong even with the high waves. The best action is coming first thing in the morning on live sand fleas or live shrimp. The redfish bite remains strong, but most of the fish landed are way outside the slot. The reds are hitting on both live and dead cut bait right now. With all the lady fish in the surf right now the reds have really been favoring small ladyfish.

Offshore the weather is going to be a pain the first day of snapper season, but from Sunday on it is looking pretty good. I’m sure everyone knows that 99% of the reefs and wrecks in our part of the gulf are holding good numbers of 10 plus pound red snapper. Most bottom fishermen will have their limit in less than 30 minutes. Anchoring up in front of a reef or wreck and chumming them to the surface has begun extremely popular. This method makes it a lot easier to specifically target the larger fish in the school and you never know you may also chum up a cobia, mahi, or king mackerel. The king mackerel bite has picked up considerably this week with south and southeast winds pushing the bait closer to shore and the kings have followed. Slow trolling live baits around schools of bait or deep diving plugs just out side the passes and around most of the near shore wrecks has been the most productive presentations. The wahoo bite continues to pick up this week, with a few fish caught within 5 miles of the beach and even a local kayaker landing one just off Navarre beach. Deep diving plugs, such as Mann’s stretch 25’s and 30’s as well as the new YoZuri Bonita have been producing consistently. Red and scamp grouper, mingo snapper, and red porgies are also available to bottom fishermen with the right numbers. Blackfin tuna and mahi are also available, although the weed lines are making it taught to troll near them. A few boats have just been cruising along the weed lines sight fishing for the mahi and once spotted break out the light tackle with small jigs and crank baits. Sight fishing the weed lines has also begun to produce some good triple tails as well.

Until next week tight lines and get out there!