Weekly Fishing Report 09/13/2013

PANAMA CITY BEACH OFFSHORE
The offshore bite is hot (literally) if you can carry your own shade with you, do it. A Bimini top can be a bear to fish around but the shade is a welcome relief and a T top is even better, short of those big straw hats may not be a fashion statement you want to make but wilting in the mid day sun is just not very smart. Back to the bite, trolling is producing plenty of Kings and Bonita in close and further out Wahoo, Dolphin and even a few Black fin tuna. By in close I mean within eight or ten miles from shore and by further out we are talking thirty or more miles out. Bottom fishing has also been pretty good, Red grouper, Bee liners and White snapper have been the most common species caught. You can also throw in some Gag grouper and Scamp for good measure. Best reports have come from 120 feet of water (or more) and the cleaner the water the better. AJ’s and Trigger fish are a real good bet if you target a large wreck in deep water. Getting the AJ’s turned on is not usually hard, live bait is of course great but not really necessary. Butterfly style jigs, Diamond jigs, and even a large curl tail grub on a heavy jig head work just fine. Once you get them eating, throw some chopped up bait fish in the water to keep them worked up. Then with a heavy spinning outfit throw a Yo-Zuri or Williamson popper out and hang on. I also want to take time to mention that we do have confirmation on the proposed Fall Red snapper season in State waters will open Oct. 1^st - 21^st, Federal waters will open Oct. 1^st – 14^th, 2013.

SURF AND PIER
Fishing from the beach has been a little slow especially in the middle of the day. Dawn and dusk are definitely better times to go. Some areas the water has cleared up nicely like east of the pass but for three or four miles west of the pass when the tide is going out, the water turns brown. Not sure how much of an effect that has because they are still catching fish and in some cases like where the two waters are mixing it seems to draw fish in. Some early risers have managed to pick up a few Pompano and Whiting but soon after the sun gets up the bite slows considerably. You can also expect a few Spanish, small Jack crevalle and Blue fish in the surf.

Pier fishing has been considerably better early in the morning too. King mackerel, Spanish and Big Redfish have fallen to live minnows if you can get them, if not frozen will work. Whiting and Pompano will of course eat a live shrimp but dead shrimp and the artificial bait Fish-bites works real well too. And we are still getting reports of Flounder, not big numbers but a nice catch none the less.

ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
If you are targeting Speckled trout you had better get up early or stay late, they have been real hard to find once the sun gets up. Redfish on the other hand can still be found once this happens. You can expect to find Mangrove snapper Sheep head and Redfish around the ends of docks and hanging close to bridge pilings. If you are done playing with the Mangroves, try a big piece of cut bait and see if any Black drum are around. A few hefty ones were landed last week fishing on the bottom around the Tyndall Bridge.

NAVARRE
Looks like we are in for another great weekend weather wise, with little to no chance of rain and a great outgoing tide. The tide will be especially productive for fishing in the back bay, intercostal and just outside area passes.

Inshore bull reds are showing up in good numbers just inside the Destin and Pensacola passes. The outgoing tide has been the most productive when targeting the bulls in and around the area passes. You can also find them feeding on schools of menhaden around Blackwater and East Bay. The water clarity is slowly improving in the intercostal with the reduction of rain in our area. Along with the birds this is making it much easier to sight fish around the large schools of glass minnows. Ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish, and jacks are in a feeding frenzy right now and so are a lot of small trout and slot redfish. About any artificial crank bait, spoon or fly will work right now. On the flats top water artificials or shrimp under a popping cork have been the go to presentations. Two of the hottest artificials right now under a popping cork our just by themselves are the Vudu and Savage Gear shrimps. Black snapper are thick around bridges, deep docks, and rock piles. Small live shrimp and live pilchards are the top live baits for the snapper. Flounder are definitely on the move as more are showing up each day so be sure to drag a few tiger minnows or finger mullets around deeper docks and bridge pilings when you fish those areas. Several other options would be Gulp, Vudu or Savage Gear artificial shrimp.

Not much change on the pier and in the surf this week from last. The king bite is slow most days with a few Spanish caught in the morning and then maybe another round in the afternoon. Schools of reds are cruising the surf line most are outside the slot, but every now and then someone lands a keeper. Live sand fleas and live shrimp are the top baits right now in the surf weather targeting redfish, pompano, or whiting. It’s how and the bite is going to be sporadic until it starts to cool down a little more before we start to see much of an increase in the pompano bite.

Bottom fishermen are still experiencing a hot grouper and amberjack bite right now. Mingos, triggers and red porgies are also making a good showing as well. The hottest action is on reefs and wrecks in 150 to 200 feet of water. Live hardtails, pinfish, and red porgies have been the top baits for grouper and amberjack with the triggerfish, mingos, and red porgies preferring small pieces of cut squid. King mackerel are available closer to shore near area passes or on nearshore wrecks. Slow trolling with live baits on flat lines just behind the boat or on planers or downriggers are both deadly presentations for the kings and you never know maybe a grouper or cobia will snatch your bait as you troll over a near shore wreck. Deep diving plugs such as Mann’s Stretch 25’s, YoZuri deep diving 3D minnows, and X’Rap are also a great alternative.  Further off shore just off the edge wahoo, blackfin, yellowfin, mahi, white marlin, and blue marlin are pretty hot right now. The wahoo are really keying in on YoZuri Bonita lures and for everything else you can’t beat a blue and white islander ballyhoo rig.

Until next week tight lines and get out there!

PORT ST. JOE/MEXICO BEACH

Offshore & Near Shore
Good news. Recreational season for red snapper in state waters has been announced, Oct 1-21 and Federal Waters Oct 1-14. Get ready and get out there!

There have been few fishermen out and it is not because of the weather, it must be honey do projects around the homestead. The weather has been great the past week, at times the Gulf has looked like a lake, and the water clarity has improved dramatically. There have been reports of amberjacks wearing out the fishermen on the inshore wrecks using live free-lined bait. Gray snapper and vermillion snapper are filling the boxes, with chicken dolphin also being caught. Farther out big black grouper are providing the big bite.

St Joe Bay
The scallop season is open till Sep 25 and the scallops are getting bigger as the season progresses. The bay water clarity is improving and the numbers of scallop gathered are increasing. The most asked question: Where are the scallops? Just like fishing there is no golden spot, tide and weather conditions influence the lucky spots. Just keep looking in water from knee deep to 6-8 foot deep in and around the grass beds. The area north of Eagle Harbor has been producing a good harvest. Now, back to fishing. Trout and redfish have been active throughout the bay, with top water lures used early morning a late evening providing the most excitement. And if you want guaranteed excitement fish the area around the George Tapper Bridge. On Sep 11, Capt. Dan (see pictures below) and his fishing partner had their excitement in hooking three large tarpon and landing two. One estimated weight of over 175 lbs that is a large fish! Large live lady fish was the bait of choice. The mouth of the Port St Joe canal as it empties into the bay is holding all kinds of bait, large and small, finned and crabs. For the past 2 ½ weeks, this is the area for flounder, redfish, big black drum, and now tarpon (which is unusual). Boat fishermen and shore fishermen if you want action this is the place to go.

Surf/Shore
The Stump Hole area has yielded some whiting and a few pompano. The water temperature is still a little high for a big bite. But soon the pompano will be showing up in larger numbers. The shark fishermen are having a great time for the sharks are everywhere and are eager to bite. Frozen bonita and fresh lady fish are the best baits for the large sharks and mullet chunks will entice the smaller ones.  The weather is great and the outdoor experiences are there for your enjoyment, have a good time.