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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
PORT ST. JOE & MEXICO BEACH
Offshore & Near ShoreGrouper is the most sought after species now and most fishermen are coming back with their limit. Fishermen are venturing further out to get away from the abundant snapper and to catch the bigger grouper. Live bait is the ticket. Wahoo and dolphin reports have been scattered mainly due to the lack of fishing pressure and limited good weather.
With the unsettled weather off shore trips take more planning, but the near shore king mackerel bite has not gone unnoticed. Trolled dusters, cigar minnows, and free lining live bait provides consistent action along the buoy line. The mighty king will be sought even more a week from now during the MBARA Kingfish Tournament.
St Joe BayThe murky water in the bay is finally diminishing. With reports of scattered floating grass fouling fishing lines and lures some folks are using live bait only. There are some fishermen using weedless soft plastics fished top water and they are having good luck with trout. Top water lures such as Zara Spook, Mirrolure, and Skitterwalk are the locals’ favorites. Scallops are bigger and with the clearer water are easier to spot. Reports from successful scallopers say the shallow water holds a good quantity. Five more weeks of scallop season, so don’t miss your chance.
Surf/ShoreSurf fishing has picked up with a few pompano being caught in the Stump Hole area on the Cape. Shark fishing from the surf is going great with sharks of all sizes and kinds being eager to take cut bait offerings. Under the George Tapper (Port St Joe canal) bridge black and red drum has been active the last few days. Also, flounder in the same area have enabled anglers to get a limit.
NAVARREThe weather cooperated for most of the weekend, but the tides were terrible on Friday and Saturday making for slow fishing inshore.
Inshore the bite didn’t really pick up for most of us until Sunday when the water started to move again. Once the water started to move we started to receive plenty of reports of black snapper, redfish, trout, flounder, Spanish, bluefish, and ladyfish being caught in the Santa Rosa Sound and East Bay. Live shrimp, menhaden, pilchards, and finger mullet have all been top producing baits. The flats on the North side of the sound from around the Navarre Bridge to Tiger Point have been some of the most productive water in our area. Top water baits such as Zara Spooks, Top Dogs, and Skitter walks are producing spectacular strikes first thing in the morning when the water is calm. Morro Dines, Yo-Zuri 3D Crystal Minnows, and Badonk-A-Donk suspending twitch baits have also been productive when fished slowly around dock and pot hole on the flats.
Not much change from last week on the pier. Black snapper are tearing up small live shrimp fished around the pylons. The king bite improved some with the South East winds, but the Spanish that are small. Live bait is what is needed when targeting the kings, but they will hit frozen as well. There is plenty of hadtails, cigar minnows and threadfins so bait is not hard to come by. Schools of reds are cruising the surf line, but they have been a littlie finicky. Most of the June grass has sunk to the bottom making the surf a lot more pleasurable as well as productive to fish. Subsequently I’m getting more reports of pompano and redfish being caught. Live sand fleas and live shrimp are the top baits. There also plenty of ladyfish and bluefish available that can be used as bait for the spinner, black tip, and bull sharks that are cruising the surf.
Most heading offshore this week are targeting bottom species such as amberjacks, triggerfish, mingo snapper, red porgies and groupers. Large live baits such as hardtails, pinfish, and red porgies have been the top baits for grouper and amberjacks. For the triggerfish, mingos, and red porgies small pieces of cut squid fished on heave duty circle hooks are the key to putting them in the cooler. King mackerel are also available by slow trolling around the pass and near nearshore wrecks with live baits on planers or downriggers. Although trolling deep diving plugs such as Mann’s Stretch 25’s, YoZuri deep diving 3D minnows, and X’Rap deep diving plugs are a good alternative. To find blue water most are having to head as far as 50 miles South of Destin . Those willing to run such distances are being rewarded with decent catches of wahoo and mahi. Blue marling have also been showing up in the same areas and destroying many a 30 wide.
Until next week tight lines and get out there!
DESTINAmberkack have been good fishing natural bottom and wrecks 150 to 320 ft deep.
Grouper are biting on natual bottom 150 to 500 ft deep, use live minnows or butterfly jigs.
Kings are biting on the south edge and sw edge, timberholes and broken bottom.
Good reports on wahoo and dolphin near the Ozark.
Reds are biting at the Destin Bridge and coast guard station on the falling tide.
Sharks are very good in the surf after dark.
This Fishing Report was submitted on 8/15/2013 8:40:31 PM by Seamus and last updated on 8/16/2013 8:40:31 PM.
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