12/02/2013

PANAMA CITYBEACH OFFSHORE

Well if you haven’t gotten a chance to go out after Grouper lately, you had better hurry. In our neck of the woods Grouper closes in Federal waters on December second at midnight, and in State waters on the third at midnight. There have been quite a few nice fish landed. Amberjack are pretty much everywhere; even your smaller wrecks have fish on them. Bait being kind of scarce has them ready to pounce on just about whatever you offer them. I even fed one a Lizard fish out of curiosity and it was inhaled just like it was their favorite meal. If you want keeper size fish you will end up in or near Federal waters. The closer in spots has predominately 26 to 28 inch fish. Good fun, and once they are turned on try a strong top water plug or cast a large buck tail into the fray and just try to keep from getting bit. The Flounder bite is really turning on, with the warmer weather predicted you really should try to get out there after them. They are hungry and we have many reports of limits being caught in just a couple hours. Live bait works great here but a soft plastic properly presented has fooled plenty of these guys into a strike. Wrecks and natural bottom will hold fish, and don’t be surprised if you get into some Bee liners, Porgies or Black sea bass while searching for Flounder. If there have been any Wahoo or Dolphin caught lately we have not heard the details.

SURF

Whiting are getting caught in large numbers and not far behind them are Pompano. Grab your sand spike, surf rod, some shrimp and sand fleas and find yourself a cut in the sand bar. You could also find yourself fighting a Redfish or dragging in a Flounder. Speaking to some locals and a few snowbirds, the evening bite has been best probably due to the low tides we have had in the AM.

ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM

We are experiencing water temperatures in the low fifties in most parts of the bay, shallower waters back in the protected bayous you can find temps in the low sixties. These kinds of conditions can really slow the fish down and make them harder to find, and harder to entice. And when we have a forty degree swing in air temps from one day to the next I’m not sure the fish even know which way to go. Topsy-turvy weather like this is when you have to be ready to think on your feet. On warmer sunny days once the sun gets up and without too much wind, it is generally a good plan to look for Trout and Reds up in the grass. When these conditions exist, bait fish will move out of deeper waters they spent the night in and gravitate towards the protection the grass provides. On not so warm sunny days you may have to lean more towards a protected bayou with a muddy bottom that does not cool down as suddenly as the open waters do and warms a little once the sun gets overhead. Cold, windy, cloudy days for sure find the warmest conditions you can and hope for the best. Pay attention to your bottom machine’s water temperature readings and like always look for the presence of bait. Lately there are Speckled trout and Redfish being found during the day feeding on pinfish and finger mullet up on the grass flats. It is not and early bite, best to wait for the tide to come up and a good dose of sunshine helps too. A few Sheep head are getting caught back in places like Watson bayou and up in WestBay at the bridge. They are feeding around pilings and oyster beds on barnacles and small crabs but will not turn down a live shrimp. The pass is still holding some Bull reds, most are too big to keep but there are some slot size fish in the mix. Speaking of the pass, there are quite a few reports of Pompano coming up in on the incoming tide. Also before I forget to mention the channels under the Hathaway and Tyndall bridges have had Flounder, Black sea bass and a few large Black drum caught. Drop in and share your fish story with us or check us out on Facebook.